The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-29
LOSSES AT ST. LOUIS.
200 People Killed and $1,000, 900
Worth of PrOperty DESTROYED.

LOSSES AT ST. LOUIS.
200 People killed and s25,OOO, 900
Worth Of Property Destroyed.
ST. LOUIS, May 2S.-When darkness to-
night temporarily interrupted search for the
victims of last evenings storm, 3l5 people
were known to be dead on both side of the
river, and although the complete death list
will never be known, 1t is believed that il
will approximate for hundred in the two
cities. The number of injured is even
larger, and many of the manned cannot sur
vive. The property loss will reach well into
the millions, but the insurance people, fire
men and police alike refuse to hazard even
a guess at accurate figures. The uncertainty
regarding loss Of life and property is due
mainly to the wide extent of the havoc
wrought by the storm. The miles of wrecked
buildings as yet unexplored and the numer-
GUS collapsed factories. towards the investi-
CATION Of which little progress has been
made, may hide almost any number of bod
les. as the police have been unable to Sc
cure anything like an accurate list OF the
missing. In the factory districts many of
the employees on duty ar the time the storm
broke were without relatives in the city,
and their disappearance may not be noted
at once. 1t is believed by the police, too,
that owing to the suddenness with which the
crash came many tramps and homeless ones
sought shelter among the buildings which
were leveled and that nothing will De known
of their death until perhaps weeks hence
their bodies are found The list at O'Clock
of known dead in st. Louis Is 169. and in
East St. Louis 146.
The city is in darkness tonight, repair of
electric light wires having been scarcely be-
gun and burt few of the trolley lines are run
ming. All over the stricken district the
debris-choked streets are crowded with sight
seers and through the dimly lighted morgues
a constant stream of people is urged for
ward by aisles Of police.
Hundreds of homes are in ruins. dozens Of
manufacturing plants and dozens of business
houses are wrecks. Many steamboats, are
gone TO the bottom of the river and others
are dimantled; railroads of all kinds have
suffered great loss and wire and pole-using
companies have weeks of toll and large ex-
penditures of money to face before they will
be In satisfactory shape again.
The most furious work of the storm was
along Rutger street, Lafayette and Choteau
avenues and contiguous thoroughfares east
Of jefferson avenue. The houses are in the
streets. with the roofs underneath, buried by
brick and mortar. Under the brick and NOR
tar are household goods of every description
and on top Of all are uprooted trees and
tangled masses of wires.
There is not q tree nor a building standing
In Lafayette Park The wreck of the City
Hospital is surrounded by wreckage that
it is barely possible to reach 1t. By far the
most remarkable freak of the storm was at
this many-winged house About 200 patients
were scattered through the wards when the
tornado struck. but although the entire up-
per story was cut off clean and one wing
razed to the ground. but one inmate was
killed. The victim was located in one Of the
upper stoIdes and was killed by a flying
brick In the demolished wing the walls fell
out, the roof came straight down on the
foundation, and there, after resting upon
sound bed castings, enabled the patients to
be rescued without serious injury. The en-
tire building was rendered useless and the
tottering walls will be torn down and a new
structure built.
Many Of the handsome residences in Four
teenth street and about Lafayette Park are
ruined. but the most damage was done
on Sixth, Seventh, Eighth ard Ninth, south
alcng Chouteau along the tenement district.
Houses are TO be seen in all stages of de-
motion from loss of roof TO compete de-
struction. In some of them the front walls
had fallen out and the tenants performed
their household duties, cared for their in
jured. or mourned their dead in view Of the
crowds in the streets. From the doors of
many of the partially wrecked houses fiut-
tered the black badge Of mourning and
scarcely a house in all the district that did
not have some injured relative, friend or
neighbor within its wind-battered walls. The
path of the storm is about a half mile wide
and over four miles long, sweeping through
the thickly populated southwest portion of
Eastland and across the river into East
st. Louis.
Colonel Wetmore, manager of the Liggett
& Myers tobacco plant. which was wrecked,
estimated the entire property damage at
81, 100000, which will be, he says, almost a
total loss owing to the lack of cyclone in
surance Other estimates range from SIX, ,000.
600 to $S0000,OO0 but the majority of them
are close to that made by Colonel Wetmore.