davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

account. Down wires, wild currents
of electricity, crushed buildings, all
contributed to this element of destruc-
ton.
The alarm system was paralyzed.
Approaches were blocked; a 100000
conflagration on the st. Louis side was
supplemented by a dozen lesser fires.
In East St. Louis mill was burned,
and two other considerable losses were
sustained. To the enormous total the
fires added at least 100000.
The Catholic church of st. John of
Nepomuk, at the corner OF Twelfth and
Soulard streets, was RACED to the
ground, except the front, which stands
like tower, all the side and back walls
being completely destroyed. 1t was a
very large and handsome church. Now
there only remains the arches and tur-
rets of the front and enough of the
walls to show the beautiful style of it's
architecture. The debris lies in the
street at the side and inside the build
ing, the side walls just projecting above
it.
There is scarcely any debris in front,
leaving the front view very natural ex-
cept for the CHASTITY vacancy shown
through the windows.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

races stopped his work long enough to
remark: There goes the grandstand.'
Then his wire collapsed and nothing
more was heard from him. In few
seconds the same message was re-
ported from Lexington, KY, with the
additional information that fully $50
people were dead. This information
was subsequently corroborated by the
operator of the Wabash road at Deca-
tur, who said that in his second mes
sage received from East st. Louis it
was declared that the grand stand at
the races was down and that fully $50
people were buried in the ruins.
At East st. Louis the destruction
seemed greatest. H. c. Rice, Western
Union manager at the relay depot,
climbed across the demolished bridge
and reported the National hotel, the
fremont House. the Martcll House, the
DeWolf cafe, the Heel Milling COM
pany's mill, Horns cooper shop, and
great many dwellings east of there as
far as Fifth street, gone and many peo-
pie killed. The Baltimore and Ohio
and Vandalia round-house, the Stand
ard oil works, the East st. Louis and
Crescent elevators, and twelve freight
houses on the levee, are demolished.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
Disasters on Water.

The steamer ]. ]. Odell of the Hi
nois River packet was blown from its
wharf at the foot of Morgan street,
crashed into the second pier of the Eads
bridge, and sank. Her boilers blew up
before she disappeared. She had a
crew of Il, and three women passen-
gers, besides her captain, George Town
send, an old riverman, who had mis-
home in st. Louis.
Three of her crew, Jack Morrissey,
Pat Milan, and man named Moore,
reached land safely. The two former
jumped before the explosion and caught
driftwood. Moore was blown overheard
by the explosion. and was cut about
the head, but managed to swim ashore.
Three others of the crew chung to the
pier and made their way UP to the
bridge proper. There is no way of es-
timating the number of lives that were
lost on the river craft.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
Dead ut East st. Louis.

Great difficulty is being encounteres4
at East ST. Louis in the work of identi-
flying the dead. The latest advices give
the following list:
David Langg and wife; Philip Strick-
Ter; George Roose; Miles Mitchell; Mar
tin Martel, proprietor Martel house;
three servant girls in Martel house;
James Kent; sixteen unknown dead in
Vandalia freight house; twelve dead in
Louisville G. Nashville freight house;
seventeen dead in Big Four freight
house; five dead in Air Line freight
house; twenty dead at the east switch
house of the Eads bridge; four dead
at relay depot; six members Of wharf
boat crew. Charles Carroll, barber;
John Kent; Mrs. Scott Hayward; Frank
Rose; Ed Kavanaugh; Jacob kurtz,
Vincennes, Ind; Mrs. Clendenning;
Mrs. Bruce; Mrs. Emma Sullivan;
Robert Bland; John Reamer; Charles
Maitz; William Suber; Henry Winter
man; - Anderson - Palmsley;
Miss Conley; Mrs. Slide; Flagman OF
Air Line, name unknown; John Hayes;
Mrs. William Hayes: Mrs. Pat Bean;
John Valentine; City Collector David s.
Sage and wife; Philip Stricken, Jr., and
mother; Judge Faulk, Of Vandalia, Ill;
Mrs. M. Martell; All of the boarders at
.Martell House except Judge Hope OF
Alton, ILL.,; Mr. and Mrs. John Hayes;
Will Hayes; Sixteen boarders at Ire
mont House; William Mitchell; Irene
Clendenen; William Sullivan and wife;
Mrs. John Reed; Patrick Dean and
family of six; John Bucharz; two
boarders at Stacey's boarding house;
Edward O'Brien; John Breen; Ida
Gladdue; Mrs. Roof; Albert Volkman;
Joseph Mitchell; John Sullivan; Will
lam Hickey; unknown man on Collins
vile avenue; son of Mrs. Ira Kent.
Among the missing are: Eddie Bland,
supposed to be under the wreck of the
Vandalia depot; City Clerk Jerry Kahn;
Frank Bland; Frank Mccormick; AL
bert Volkman; Earl Keene; George
Woods; Mike Kildea; w. e. Kiefer;
Alvin Mate; Will Murray; Dan Kelly;
George Romer; w. Frelink; w. Han
ford, all employees in Vandalia depot
and believed to be in its ruins.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
beams the boat drifted away, and sank
before the eyes of the Mortified crew.

beams the boat drifted away, and sank
before the eyes of the Mortified crew.
Slowly, with the wind blowing at a
force that caused the big structure to
rock like cradle, the three brave men
assisted the women on the laborious
climb to the roadway. Several times
they were nearly blown off. They final
ly reached the railroad track on the
bridge, where they lay down until the
full force oft storm was passed. Then
they crawled to the Washington avenue
station.
There were rumors Thursday that
the excursion steamer Grand Republic,
belonging to the Columbian Excursion
Company, had gone to the bottom With
500 excursionists. An officer OF the COM
pany promptly denied this. He said
the boat left st. Louis at noon to go
to Alton, where it was registered for an
excursion at o'clock that night. The
storm might have blown the boat away
but in that case only the crew would
have been imperiled, and these men
could swim to safety. She is safe.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

Sturgeon, Mo-, special: A cyclone
passed three miles north of Sturgeon
at O'Clock Wednesday afternoon. At
Renick three men were seriously in
jured, and a family Of colored people
were carried over mile, two chill
dren being badly hurt. Friendship
church, north of town, was demol-
ished.
Mexico, Mo-, special: A cyclone
swept across Audrian county Wednes-
day evening, doing great damage to
crops and wrecking many buildings.
Seven people have been killed in the
county and probably twenty-five badly
injured. In the Bean creek district a
school house was carried completely
away, and a daughter of Joseph B.
Ware, one of the pupils, was killed,
and Lulu Eubanks and Hilda Blase,
also school children, were fatally in
jured. Others along the route of the
tornado in this district, whose names
cannot be learned, are more or less in
jured. At the Dye school house, six or
eight miles further southeast, not pu-
Pill escaped uninjured, and five children
were killed, three outright, two dying
later at this place. The school house
was utterly demolished and several Of
the children were blown great dis
lance away, and were not found until
several hours afterward, and then in q
mutilated condition.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

out the state of Missouri high tempera-
ture and humidities prevailed with
south winds. The day would be popu-
larly termed warm, hazy, muggy.'
Although reports are missing owing
to the widespread destruction, it is now
evident the storm area moved slowly
east during the day. The barometer
commenced to fall at o'clock and by
noon 1T had fallen a thirteenth of an
inch. About this time the sky became
covered with dark, thickly-cumulated
strata, which by o'clock formed a
mass of stratus cloud, which commence
ed to assume light-green color in the
northeast.
This green color slowly advanced
from the northeast, spread more to the
west and north. At the same time the
temperature commenced to fall.
THE normal cyclonic circulation thus
brought winds of different tempera-
lures and humidities into an upper posi-
ton, with the results that a decided
instability was produced in the atmos-
phere and violent secondary storm
center was created. The barometer
continued to fall rapidly and by p. m.
IL had fallen .25 of an inch since noon.
The wind was becoming variable, with
a tendency toward a northerly direc-
ton until lightning and thunder had
commenced, at 4:30 p. IN.
AT 5:04 p. m. the storm broke forth
in all its fury; the wind changed sud-
denly to northwest, with rapidly in
creaslng velocity, and the rain fell in
torrents. The green cloud still remain
ed in the west and north, but the storm
moved toward the southeast with large,
angry detached masses of cumulus
clouds crossing each other. At Ais p.
m. the wind changed from the north,
having the greatest velocity in the his
tory OF st. Louis. About 5 D. m. the
wind had reached about 62 miles and
later on it changed in its direction to
the southeast.
From 5:O4 p. m. to GOA D. m. 1.3S
inches Of rain fell. When the rain end
ed at 9:O5 p. m. 1.53 inches had fallen
in all. The electrical storm was of un-
usual volume. The sky was almost one
continuous blaze of light and the clouds
extended far into the SOUTH"
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

fered in some way from the storm.
The wagon way of the Eads bridge
on the East st. Louis side is a crumb-
ling mass of mortar and stones, and
parts of the tower and pier No. have
also been torn away. Thousands of
dollars will not cover the damage to
the bridge. An outbound accommo-
datiOn train on the Chicago and Alton
road was wrecked by a broken rail,
but fortunately nobody among the pas
sengers were hurt. The tanks of
the Waters--pierce Oil company on
Gratiot stree slew up, spreading
destruction on every hand. Three
stories of the Coe Manufacturing COM
pany's building, Ninth and Gratiot,
and nearly half of the Wainwright
brewery were blown down. The Sum
mer high school, at Eleventh and
Spruce; McDermot's saloon, Eleventh
and Chestnut; the central emigrant sta
tion on the opposite corner, and Jere
5hohan's livery stable, Eleventh and
Walnut, were unroofed.
TIE roof Of the republican convention
udil WAS DiOHA Ou.
The scene in the river was appalling.
Steamboats, moored at their landings
were torn away, turned over and sunk,
drowning all on board. Many people
were seen clinging to floating wreck
age, and piteousiy appealing for help.
At present it is impossible to estimate
the lives lost. The hospitals are full OF
injured, and the morgue contains many
dead, while numbers of slain lie every
where among the ruins of the demol-
ished buildings. Many of the dead will
never be identified.
The Plant -four mills, the St. Louis
iron and steel works are demolished,
and the immense Cupples block is par
TALLY destroyed.
A terrible feature Of the storm was
the blowing down of Old City hospital.
The entire north wing of the ramshack-
lie old structure was blown away. Two
patients were killed and number Sc
riously injured How many of the un-
fortunates Of the city resting in the
hospital walls at the time the storm
struck will die as result OF the expo
sure to the elements cannot be conjec-
tured.
Returns from the St. Louis races are
received at the track at Lakeside, Ind,
and a few minutes after 5 o'clock the
operator sending the report OF the
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

The tug Belle of Baton Rouge, which
was anchored up the river, was carried
far down the river, rolling over and
over, and finally struck the raft Of The
Virgins Ferry Company at the front
of Choteau avenue, where it sunk.
AS the first evidence of the approach
ing storm began to appear every en-
gineer on the river got up full steam
in order to be able to combat the Gle
ments. Had it been anything but tor
nado it is probable this would have
aided the crews of the steamers in saw
ing their craft. But the onslaught was
so violent that the crews found their
efforts only sufficed to aid them eight
ly in directing the course of their
boats.
The steamer Pittsburg of the Dia-
mond Joe line, the steamer City Of
Vicksburg and the Providence of the
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

Columbian Exposition Company, the
Captain Monroe of the Anchor line, and
many of the smaller craft were pitched
and tossed about until the final blast
rent them from their anchorage.
The storm swept diagonally across
the river and struck the Illinois bank
with increased fury. The loss of life in
the water on the east side seems to have
been light, as everybody was cautioned
not to jump and everybody was carried
safely to land.
The Belle of Calhoun and the Libbie
Condor, which were moored near Cho-
teau avenue, were almost totally broken
up. The Ellen G.. Smith, the harbor
boat, was blown away down the river
and was wrecked near Arsenal island
1t is thought no lives were lost on this
boat. The steamer Ed Harvester of the
Missouri Valley Transportation Com
pany, was also torn from its dock and
carried down the river.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
Elsewhere In Missouri.

Baldwin, Mo-, special: A hurricane
accompanied by terrific rain and hail
storm, passed over st. Louis County
about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. For
three hours rain fell in torrents and
hail fell to depth of several inches.
Great damage was done to crops
throughout this section of the country.
Several buildings were blown down.
but so far as can be learned no one
in this section was seriously injured.
Moberly, Mo-, special: Ten people
were killed in tornado which struck
the village OF Labaddie. Franklin
county, Wednesday evening, and the
town of Renick, ten miles from Mober-
ly, in Randolph county, was completely
wiped out. Nothing definite from eth
er place.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
List of the head

The Following is a list of the dead,
according to the latest adyices from
the stricken city:
Michael Bradshaw, 81 South Jefferson
avenue; Katie Clayphal, aged 81, and
Mrs. Clayphal, S14 South jefferson ave-
nue.; Martin Mcdonald, 2745 Clark ave-
nue.; unknown baby, 2745 Clark ave-
nue.; Mrs. Cheney, 1415 Mississippi ave-
nue.; John P. Pendy; Jennie Hahn.
Shrewsbury Park; Charles Nee, 4O6
South Seventh street; William Wrinkle,
Eighth street and Park avenue; James
Dunn, city hospital; unknown child.
944 Papin street; two unknown men.
Twenty-seventh and st. Vincent ave-
nue.; unknown woman, Thirteenth and
Soulard street; unknown man, Dallman
and Park avenue; janitor st. Paurs
church; unknown man, Eighteenth
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

While the storm was at its highest
the passenger train on the Chicago &c
Alton railway pulled out on the bridge
from the Missouri side. 1t was on its
way east. Engineer Scott had only
proceeded short distance when he
realized the awful danger which threat
ened the train. The wind struck the
coaches, at first causing them to careen.
At that time he was about half way
across. Overhead the poles were snap
ping and tumbling into the river, while
large stones were shifting loose from
their foundations and plunging into
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

the water Realizing that any moment
his train might be blown into tie water
or else the bridge be blown away Scott,
with rare presence OF mind, put on a
full head of steam in an effort to make
the east side shore. The train had
scarcely proceeded 200 feet and about
the same distance from the shore when
an upper span Of the bridge was blown
away. Tons of huge granite blocks
tumbled to the tracks where the train
loaded with passengers had been but
a moment before. At about the same
instant the wind struck the train, up
setting all the cars like playthings.
Luckily no one was killed, but several
were taken out severely injured. The
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
Eighty Pupils Killed.

Kansas City, Mo-, special: Alton
train dispatcher reports eighty chill
dren killed at Drake, near Roodhouse.
ILL.,, by the cyclone. They were buried
in school building.
Drake, where seventy children are re-
ported killed. is small town in
Greene county, and 240 miles from Chi
cago on the Chicago, Kansas City and
Denver short line of the Alton railroad.
1t is five miles west Of Roodhouse a
junction point on the Alton road and
1l5 miles southwest of Bloomington.
and directly in the track of the furious
storm. 1t is approximately sixty miles
northwest of st. Louis, and about mid.
way between Chicago and Kansas Civ
1t has a Western Union telegraph sta
ton, several churches and schools. and
Is an educational center for Southeast
ern Illinois.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

the stream. At the same moment the
Dolphin's ropes parted, and the tug
began to ship water. The wind blew
her against the bridge. While this was
going on the women and the other men
on the boat climbed to the upper
decks.
When the boat struck the bridge
those on board had to dodge to escape
the iron work of the structure. The
mate saH there was no hope if they
stayed on board. Jennie Mitchell was
the first to climb on the ironwork. She
was assisted by two of the men, while
the mate stayed on deck to help Emma
Nolan. AS she swung herself to the
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

the same time it is relatively high in
the south, causing the warm, southerly
winds laden with moisture, to blow
from the gulf of Mexico. This mois-
ture has been held in suspense by the
warm atmosphere, and the humidity
consequently increased from day to day.
The mean temperature averaged from 8
to IL degrees above the normal each
day, while the humidity ranged from
Z to 20 per cent each mean. for this
season Of the year.
"Wednesday morning, the weather
map showed the low pressure still over
lying the west with the center of de-
preston extending in irregular oval
from the Texas Panhandle through
west Kansas and Nebraska. Through
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
WRECK AT ST. LOUIS.
MissollrPS Metropolis Swept bu
Cyclone.
The LOSS OF LIFE is IMMENSE.
Fully Five Hundred Said to Have
Perished.
FIRE AIDS THE DESTRUCTION.
ELECTRIC LIGHT AND GAS
WORKS USELESS.
FIRE AIDS THE DESTRUCTION.
Convention Hall Unroofed-Storm News
from Other Points In Missouri-Eighty
School Children Reported Killed at
CDrake. Ill, and Fifty at the village
of Dye.

Death and destruction reign supreme
in st. Louis and vicinity as a result of
the most terrible storm that ever visit
ed that section. Buildings of every
description are in ruins, and, as a re-
suit, hundreds of people are reported
dead and injured, but, until order is re-
stored, it will be impossible to make
any definite statement. Reports are in
circulation that seven steamers lying
at wharf boats have been sunk, with
all on board.
The city was left in darkness, as the
electric lights and trolley wires were
blown down.
The storm broke out about o'clock
wednesday afternoon after a most OPP
pressively hot day, and the rain began
TO fall. 1t soon developed into fierce
thunderstorm, with the wind from the
east. little later the wind had
gained a velocity of eighty miles an
hour, driving the rain before it and
tearing loose signs, cornices, chimneys
and everything in its way. Many
buildings of every description were de-
molished, and others set on fire by
lightning and crossed wires.
the streets were full of people going
nome from work, and a panic ensued
as soon as the storm broke. Men were
buildings, horses and carriages were
sent flying here and there, and falling
wires, full of deadly fluid, added to
the horror of the scene.
Suddenly the wind veered around 10
the west and completed the destruc-
lion. It's asserted by some of those who
have traversed the downtown part
OF the city that there are but few build
ings in st. Louis that have not suf-
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09
Described by Frankenfeld.

H. w. Frankenfeld, the st. Louis
weather officer, was busy man during
and after the storm. In an interview
he said:
'For the past week the weather in the
vicinity of st. Louis has been charac-
terized by low pressure, high tempera-
lures, excessive humidity, and prevail
ing southerly winds. The pressure has
also been low throughout the west. At
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

wrecked part of the bridge is just east
of the big tower, near the Illinois shore,
and extends east for about 800 feet.
The entire upper portion, traversed by
street cars and carriages, is carried
away, while the tracks beneath are
buried in the debris, in some places
eight feet deep. At midnight report
er penetrated the mud and debris to
the burning st. Louis refrigerator ware
house. Several injured tiremen had
been taken from the wreck, and three
more We're known to be in the ruins.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-09

Fire Adds to the Horror.
Fire added much to the storms loss
The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-06-26
MONEY AND INVESTMENTS.
Doinas Of a Day With Nall Stree,
Operators.
SUGAR WAS HEAVILY MANIPULATED
Ana the Whole List Dispiayed . LageinC
Tendency Railroads Were rrac-
ttoaiiy Neglected..

New York June 2s.--The stock market
was almos, entirely due TO a renewal OF
liquidation in s, IT on a large scale. ln-
sidtrs were EVIDENTLY responsible for the
course OF the stock and alternately OPP
pcared as buyers aud sellers, causing de-
ridedly Irregular movement of prices. Tine
bcass made a determined raid on the spc.
,.aity and coincidcntally heavy blocks OF
Tong stock were pressed for sale Ths
result was "A slump OF ~ per cent to lis.
the lowest point touched IN present move
mont. The subsequent nuctua,.Ons were
market b! the irres ilari,y that has vhar.
actemxe1 the stock OF late. ana IL lcii on
within " per cent Of the lowest. Matkets
was iirmer today ana the quotation for
certain grad - Of tho refined product were
advanced. but the speculation. ignored
these cons, dtwatlons. Tho general mark.-.
presented but few features OF interest
and was practically neglected.. although
there was "A show Of reviNins animation III
aal Anthracite ccol shares. naseh upon thu
statisti,a strength OF the industry anc
the well defined prospect of prosperous
fall and season. Reading was tine load7I
rortant gain. On the other hand Della
ware aud Hudson rose ply and New JeracN
Central 7-s. The movement OF values
generally was irregular. within Il marrow
range, except in a few instances INC
changes In a few of the usually lnactiv,
shares were especially noteworthy.
The market for railway and mIscrllanc
Gus bonds ruled quiet, but the distribution
OF tho business was FAR and nclub'd d
number of the usually neglected mort
cages. \ firm Tone was generally arpar
cnl although some irregulatity was noted
| Sales were $4,000