The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-06-04


raging sea and the crew was unable to
launch any boats The passengers
crouched in the cabin expecting every
moment to go down. The boat drifted
as far as Jefferson barracks, where she
sank in shallow water The teams on
the lower decks were drowned, but the
10 passengers were rescued in boats.
The work of rescue, which began inn
mediately after the storm, will not be
completed for weeks or more. Volun.
tarv rescne narties. SQUADS of police and
companies OF the f1re department are
scattered about the devastated district,
searching the ruins for bodies. Every
few minutes the sudden shifting of the
crowds and the signaling for q convey.
ance told of gruesome find and the
occasional Identification Of the mangled
remains of waiting friends added horror
to the SCIENCES. In the eastern portion
of the wrecked locality are located a
number of factories and in the ruins OF
these IL is believed that large number
of bodies will be found The great
piles of brick and broken timbers yield
slowly to the attack of the searchers
and il is probable that all the victims of
the storm will never be known. The
work of handling the unidentified bodies
were quickly reduced to system by
Coroner Waite. The dead were placed
in rows beyond screen, parties and
the crowds of people who were search
ing for lost friends or morbidly curiOns
thronged the morgue, were guided past
the dead room at rapid pace. BY this
means tho bodies were identified rapidly
and as fast as identified were removed
a., 81, T.,.. IL L..
irving corpses.
The scenes among the bodies were
pitiful corps of hospital nurses being
constantly employed in caring for faint
ing women aud terrified shrieking
children.
The path of the storm through South
st. Louis is a scene Of death and ruin.
The greatest damage was done between
Russell avenue on the souti and Cho.
teau avenue and Papin street on the
north. Within that territory from the
western city limits to the river, the
wreck is beyond estimate and the loss
of life cannot be estimated. The most
wholesale slaughter was at Seventh and
Rutger streets, where l3 persons were
crushed to death in the Mockenheimer
saloon and clearinghouse. Many others
were known to be burned in adjacent
houses in Rutger street. The ruin was
so complete that the police volunteers
did not know where to begin the work
of clearing away the debris.
Business is practically at q standstill.
Streets cars are running in some direc-
tiOns, but in the vicinity of the wrecked
district trolley, telephone and telegraph
wires are badly tangled and practically
useless for the greater part of the day
In some streets the telegraph poles ar
all broken off close to the ground nal
ing progress almost impossible, owing
to the twisted wires.
Perhaps the most impressive evidence
of the storm clouds force is to be seen
in the wrench of the eastern end of the
Eads bridge. There the tornado dealt
with stone masonry. II tore off and
tumbled down tons upon tons of this
masonry. Beginning with the big east
ern pier and extending to the foot of
the incline, the upper part Of the struct-
ure was cut off as if it had been tlimsy
trestle instead of a structure of world
famed masonry. What the tornado diu
to the Eads bridge will not be believed
unless the eyes see it.
Fire added much to the loss account.
Down wires, currents of electricity,
crushed buildings-all contributed to
this element of destruction. The alarm
system was paralyzed. Approaches
were blockaded. A 100000 conf1agra.
ton on the ST. Louis side was supple
mented by dozen lesser fires. In East
ST. Louis mill was burned. The fires
added at least 100000. Such another
sight of horror in st. Louis was never
h,,r 100 al
business center Of the city had begun to
send its workers TO their homes. Serv-
ice on almost all Of the street railways
was suddenly suspended When night
came, soon after the premature darken-
ing brought by the tornado, no electric
lamp blazed up The city was without
transportation and without light. Many
thousands were miles away from their
homes TIL rain fell steadily at times,
at other times in sheets. The electric
lights stood dark and desolate, while
men and women toiled homeward
through the drenching raid
After the wind and storm had done
their work fire added to the destruction
Hetzeps mill was the first to become
ignited and it was totally destroyed at
a loss of 100000 Harris barrel fac
tory, nearly 90 loaded cars in the Ter
minal yards, Boards feed store, Lees
blacksmith and other smaller places
were burned. The destruction Of the
waterworks early in the storm cut off
che water supply, and Chief Purdy anG
his men fought the fire with a bucket
brigade as best they could. The whole
central portion Of the city was threat
ened by the burning MILL but all hands
worked with such will that its further
spread was prevented.
The poorhouse, at the extreme south
east of the city, suffered severely from
the storm. The roof of the female build
ing. was torn OFF and flung yards away,
large posts being twisted away from the
walls. The main damage was done at
the big institution, however, and was
taused by the destruction Of the tower,
which stood on the top of the central
building The tower was blown down,
and crashed through the building down
into the basement. There were eight
columns supporting the roof, and the
falling of these carried the floors Of the
building beneath them, There were
eight inmates Of the poorhouse who re.
ceived numerous wounds from flying
glass and bricks, but 10 was not thought
their injuries are In any way dangerous.
Several of tho attendants werb cut
slightly by splinters of glass.
The dead house was demolished by
the furious wind. The building, which
was q weak one, was obliterated, and