The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-06-02
SWEPT BY STORM AND FLAME.
A TERRIBLE DISASTER IN ST.
LOUIS.
Struck by a Tornado of Unusual
Severity--t,ne Thousand Persons
Killed and Wounded--hillion of
Property Destroyed.

Properly Destroyed.
One OF the phenomenal disasters oi
the century took place at ST. Louis
on the 27thinst., resulting In the death
of several hundred people and the de-
struction oiuntold millions of property
The following is the first account of the
terrible storm, which was sent out
from Chicago, as the wires were down
In st. Louis, and the usual lines OF
communication were cut off soon after
the tornado struck the city:
cent years overwhelmed the city OF
st. Louis on Wednesday night in the
shape OF a cyclone, which began shortly
after o'clock, aud for thirty minutes
tore its awful way through the city,
with velocity of over eighty miles
an hour. Although reports sent out
from there were very meagre, owing
to the almost total destruction of the
telegraph wires, it seems certain that
the number of dead and wounded will
amount to full one Thousand, and the
damage done to millions of dollars.
The city hospital, which fortunately
survived the storm, is filed to over
flowing with mangled men, women
and children, and the morgue within
two hours after the end of the storm
was so full OF corpses that it was neces-
sary to provide other quarters for the
reception OF the dead. In addition to
those who were killed in their houses
and in the streets, hundreds of dead
lie beneaththe waters of the Missis-
sippi River. OF all the steamers on
the levee when the storm broke out,
but one is now ahoat. All the others
have gone down, In many instances
every soul on board being lost and in
others not over two or three being able
to reach place of safety. Among the
boats destroyed is the excursion steam
er Great Republic, one of the largest
steamers on the lower river. Not a
man escaped from her, and it is said
she was crowded with excursionists
when the storm came.
The centre. of the city is wreck.
Many buildings have been demolished
and others partially wrecked. The
streets are utterly impossible to street
cars, and in many places progress on
foot is matter OF great difficulty. To
electric light plants were rendered in
capable of service, and the gas lamps
were also shut of, leaving the city in
total darkness. Fire also broke out in
several parts of the city, and the fire
department was unable to make an
effective fight because of the choked
up condition of the streets, and the
large number Of firemen who were en-
gagged in the imperative work of res
cuing the dead and wounded.
The only authentic information from
the stricken. city was sent out by the
agent of the Associated Press, who
managed to reach an outlying tele-
graph Office, and set q brief dispatch
as follows.
Tornado blowing at the rate of
over eighty miles an hour struck ST.
Louis tonight, and ragged for half an
hour with great fury, and as a result
hundreds OF lives are lost on both sides
of the river. Many buildings are
blown down and many river steamers
sunk with all on board. 1t Is impos-
sible at the present time to estimate
the number OF lives lost as the hospi-
tails are filled with the injured and the
morgue is filled with the slain, with
great numbers of the dead and manned
lying among the ruins In all direc-
tions. A portion Of the east end of the
stand at the Fair Grounds blown down,
the women's portion of the Jail Is go ne,
and the immense Cupples block is par
TALLY destroyed. The Waters g. Pierce
oil works are burning and other build
ings in various sections of the city are
on fire."
The reports regarding the duration
of the storm are conflicting. About
o'clock the operator on the Wabash
road, at q small station near East ST.
Louis, managed to get the operator at
Decatur, Ills, long enough to send him
word that the round house of the
Wabash road was blown down and that
the freight house of the Vandalia was
wrecked, and thirty-fve men were
killed in the ruins. After he had told
this much the wire failed him.
Shortly after o'clock the Wabash
operator at Decatur reported to the
main dispatcher's Office at Forest, ILL.,,
that cyclone had just passed through
the country to the south of Decatur
and it was reported to have done much
damage. In few minutes he sent
word that o second storm had passed
through the country almost exactly in
the track OF the frst, and he was un-
able to get any more information re-
garding it, but that it was thought to
have done great damage in the country
lying east of East ST. Louis.
The operator ON the Alton road was
unable to get any information from
their men In the neighborhood of ST.
Louis, but reported that just before ali
their connections with that city were
broken off, they had received word
that there had been severe cyclone
at Rush Fill, Mo-, which is q small
town on the Alton road not far from
Mexico, Mo.
The dispatcher's Office OF the Illinois
Central was unable all night to get
any information from any point on
their line south OF Centralia. 1t was
reported to them, however, that q cy-
try south OF that point.
lat east ST. Louis, the destruction
seems to he greatest. H. G. Rice, the
Western Union manager at the relay
depot, on the east side, climbed across
the demolished bridge, and made his
way to ST. Louis. He reports that the
National Hotel, the fremont House,
Martelle House, DeWolf Cafe, the
plant OF the Hexel Milling Company,
Horns cooper shop and great num-
ber OF other buildings are blown down.
Many dwellings are wrecked and many
OF their occupants are known to be
dead. The Vsndalia round house, the
Vandalia freight house, In which
thirty-five men are said TO have been
killed, the Baltimore and Ohio round
house, the Standard Oil works, East
st. Louis elevators, Crescent elevators
and twelve other freight houses on the