The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-05-29

Tho loss In extent and In character is
beyond conception. In the flashes last
night the city hospital looked like
runln. The new surgical ward waJ par
TALLY demolished Portions OF the
other buildings were unrOotcd. Walls
were cracked. Even In the darkness
the physicians began making the re-
moYal OF patients TO temporary quar-
ters, fearful that the strained struc-
lures would bo down In a general col
lapse. There were tlfty sick people In
the hospital when the storm came.
Some gathered strength In their fright
and ran shrleking from the place, iind-
ing shelter on the outside. Thirteen
werc intnrod in one ward.
Convention Hall Damaged.
Convention hall and the four courts
were in the path OF the cloud as 1t pass
ed from the city hospital toward the
river. Convention hall lost n part OF
the roof at the eastern end, was punc-
tured In several places by llytng missiles
and sustained some arrangement Of tho
Interior. Ten days work and the eX-
pendturc Of $1,000 will make the hall
good again.
j. A. German, the contractor who hnB
the contract for the decorating OF the
convention hall. said:
From my acquaintance with Archl-
tect Isaac Taylor, who is In charge OF
the building, and the contractor who
did the building work, ] am positive
that the auditorium will be repaired
and ready for the convention on the
10th. As far as the work OF decorating
is concerned, | will have 1t ready on
time, and l will ship carload of deco
rations from Chicago Tomorrow night
10 replace those damaged by lie
storm"
In the district between Sixth street
and the river. northward from Choteau
avenue, the tornado tore Il diagonal
path. The district comprises business
houses, many OF them OF the oiucr
type. Every BUILDING within the path
SUSTAINED damage. Smoke stacks and
chimneys we're toppled over. WallS
were leveled. Roofs we're lifted. Thou
sands of windows were smuShed, miles
! OF telegraph and telephone wires were
left In net work on the ground.
Through this diatrict the streets are
impussable, The arr covered In places
with debris ten feet deep.
Along the levee front hawserS snap
| ped and boats were sent adrlft. some
| 10 90 down. others to 20 ashore on the
eastsFn bank The loss OF life which
| might have taken place at this point
was averted by the hour ut which the
tnrnado came. A little later the eX
cursIon steamers would have been
| going out. None OF them had left their
| WharVes Other river passenger boats
| had gone an hour before, and although
not heard from, probably had passed
beyond the path Of the storm. Ihe
death-dellIng cloud crossed the river
| M gurb nm angle as 10 strike and wreck
| the upper works at the east end of the
East bridge, and to sweep a part OF
! East st. Louis.
The list OF dead and injured on the
east side OF the river win not be com
| pleta until time permits an effective
search OF the ruins, Enough Is known,
| however. to show that more lives have
been lost on the east side thun on the
| west side -,
dence OF the storm clouds force is TO be
| seen In the wrench OF the eastern end
| az the Ends bridge. There the tornado
| dealt with some masonry II tore OF
| and tumbled down tons upon tons or
| ihIs mlsonry. Beginning with the big
| eastern bier and extending 10 the loot
of the Incline, the upper part OF the
/ structure was cut of as II II had been
| a fimsy trestle instead OF structure
OF world famed masonry. WhaL inc
tornado did the Eads bridge VIII not
1
Fire Added 10 the HorroV
Fire added much to the loss account.
Down wires, currents of electricity.
crushed buIldinEs-all contributed to
this element OF destruction. The alarm
system was paralyzed. Approaches
wore blockaded. a 100000 contlagratton
on the st, Louis side was supplement-
ed by a dozen lesser fires. In Dast ST.
Louis a MILL was burned, The fires add
ed at least S5O0,OOO. Such another sight
Of horror in st. Louis was never known,
The hurricane came when the business
| center OF the city had begun to send It's
workers to their homes. Service on al
most all OF the street railways wns
suddenly suspended. When night came
soon after the premature darlIening
brought by the tornado, no electric
lamp blaZed UP, The city was without
transportation and without lighl
Many thousands We're miles from thelF
homes. The rain fell steadily at tmrs'
nj other times IN sheets. The electric
lights stood dark and desolatc while
men and women tolled homeward
through the dreuChing rain.
After the wind and storm had done
their work fire added 60 the dcstruc'
lion. Hetzcrs mill was the first to be-
come ignIted and II was totally destroy
ed nj a loss Of Sl5OOOO. Harris barre
factory, nearly fifty loaded cars In the
Terminal yards Boards feed store
Lees blacksmith shop and other
smaller places were burned. The de-
gtruction OF the water works early In
the storm cut off the water supply, anu
Chief Purdy and his men fought the ilrC
with a bucket brigade as best they
could. The whole central portion OF tht
cIty was threatened by the burning
mill, but all hands worked with such
will that Its further spread was pre-
vented
AwfnI Experience.
While the storm was at It's height
tbe passenger train on the Chicago &
Alton railway pulled out on the brIlg'
from the Missouri side. II was on IL
way east. Engineer Scott had only pro
cecdcd IA short distance when he reLl'
i2ed the awful danger which threaten
cd the train The wind struck the
coaches at nrst causing them 10 careen
Al that time he was about half way
across. overhead the poles were snap
ming and tumbling into the river, whit
large stones were shifting loose IRON
thgfr foundations and plnnEng Int
thc water. Realizing that at any mo-
menth IL train might he blown Int
the water or else the bridge be OlpWi
away. Scott put on full head of steam
in an EFFORT to make the east SD
shore The train had scarcely pr9ceede'
200 feet, and about the same dlslhlC'
from tho shore. when an upper spa
~ the bridge was blown away Ton
oi huge granite blocks tumbted to tn,
tr,cks where the loadcd'wlth passcn
engCrs had been but a moment before
Al about the same instant the win,
struck the train, upsctting all the car
ike plnythlngs. LucIIly no one wa!