The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-03
vAGAR1Es OF THE TORNADO.
Freaks of the Terrible storm Which
Laid Waste st. Louis.


From the St. Louis Republic.
The tornado developed hundreds of Incl
dents SO unique that the best of them are
entitled to a chapter to themselves. Since
the account OF the first of these strange
storms was written, back in the days of
the Marshheld and Grinnen disasters, sto-
ries of miraculous, unaccountable escapes,
peculiar deaths. and fantastic doings of
the elements have formed a large part of
the history of every storm of this char
acter.
For example. nothing is more difficult
of explanation than a condition which eN-
lists at the wrecked home of DR. Stark
loft on Compton avenue. The outer walls
of the splendid red mansion are torn away,
the roof is gone and there are other evil
dences of the ravages of the storm without
the building. Yet the light pictures on
the walls are hanging in place and lamps
on tables and stands are not disturbed as
10 position, neither are they in any way
damaged; On one Of them the delicate
lace shade is not even disarranged.
jim Murray, employed on the An hor
me WharI boat, was sitting on the wharf
boat when the tornado descended on the
leVee. FOreseeins the danger, Murray
made a run for the shelter of the elevated
road. The wind gratifed his desire to
seek the shelter, but not before It had
some run with him. Murray was lifted
off his feet and blown over the apron"
of the boat into the river. landing in a
dry dock moored close by, used by carpen.
ters TO repair the huls Of vessels. The
next instant the dry dock, which is a hol-
low a1air about ten feet wide by fifteen
feet long was blown westward out of the
ing OF the apron" It was driven with
great violence against the iron supports
OF the elevated railway, dumping Murray
out unceremoniously upon the ground The
dry dock again taken up in a return cur
rent OF vino ana carried out toward the
river almost to the waters edge, where it
was caught by a reverse current, Whirled
hign into the air, and dashed to pieces
against the rOadbed of the elevated scat
tering debris all over the wharf Murray
was dazed and pretty sorely bruised. but
not injured otherwise, and he held on with
death grip to the terminal elevated sup
port untm me storm had spent itself.
A paperhanger named Stewart was
decorating the walls of Ed Morrissev's
saloon, opposite the Four Courts When
the front of the restaurant blew IN ANA
scattered debris through the house stew
art fled to the cellar. When his two as
sistants decided TO follow him a few min
laughter al observing him stretched
prone upon his back in the damp cellar
the water reaching nearly above his arms
with TWO heavy stones across his breast
which he had placed there to prevent the
wind from blowing him away. DESPITE
the ''jibes" of the other occupants of the
mousse, stewart continued TO occupy his
uncomfortable position until assured that
all danger was past.
Henry Collins was standing in a sa-
loon in East ST. Louis with a glass or IL
qpor in his hand. Suddenly the roof fell
IN, he was turned over twice or thrice
and landed on his feet with the glass
in 1t. He quaffed the liquor with relish.
as his collarbone had been broken in the
crash and he needed the stimulant
In Clifton Heights an old lady living in
a house in the rear of the residence Of L.
Haller was killed by the shock expert
enced when an uprooted tree was dropped
through CT
injured in any way by the falling debris
but her nervous system had been so shat
tered by the intensity Of the storm that
the additional strain was too much for
her.
In the worst part of the wreck of the
upper Louisville and Nashville offices a
dog lived to bark his delight a being re-
leased from the chain which kept the wind
from blowing him away.
A stable which stands in the roadway
is pinned through the corners by wooden
beams, which were forced into both sides
by the wind. The ends Of the beams ex-
tending up and out from the stable con-
tain pile of lumber carefully arranged,
If placed there by hand.
Perhaps the strangest escape in town
was that of Saloonkeeper Toto, whose
saloon on. Missouri avenue was wholly
demolished. The walls and roof are as
fiat as a pancake. At the first streak of
dawn small force of men were remov-
ing the safe and fixtures from the wreck
Early yesterday morning q newspaper
man picked up a dead robin in the center
bird all of the feathers were intact On
the other side there was no sign that
there had ever been a feather on the
white skin. Even the upper part of the
leg was entirely denuded
In South St. Louis there is house whose
entire north wall is torn out save a
support under one of the windows and
the window itself. The frame is not dam
aged, and not one of the panes Of glass
IS broken.
On Russell avenue, not far from Comp
ton, one of the heavy marble steps that
were in front of the main door Of a resi-
dence was picked up and the end driven
into the ground to a depth of TWO feet
The step is not Clipped or in any way
injured.
There are two iron posts in front of
the merchants exchange building. One Of
them was wrenched off by the storm.
sixty feet away is a wooden post Of
the same size and hight of the iron
pillar, and it was in no way damaged.
On Grand avenue. not far from Shen-
andoah, a horse was torn from its harness
and thrown, upside down, in an excava-
ton that is being made for a sewer. The
other horse in the team was tossed
across the street.
A bed with its mattress in place was
thrown from house on Missouri avenue
to the center of Lafayette Park. Two
DillOWs fell not far from f. bur thew were