The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-05-30
St. Louis
IN Ruins!
Worst Cyclone Ever Known
Loss OF Life Will Probably Exceed
500. and as Many More
Injured.
Millions OF Dollars Worth of PROP
crty Wrecked,
Seven Boats With All on Board Go
to the Bottom of the River.

People throughout the country we're
Mortified and terrified Thursday by
reading in the early morning papers Of
the work Of a whirlwind, a force which
to us, who have never experienced
anything cf the kind, is beyond com
prehension. The following extracts
from the latest reports serve to give
some faint idea of the sad and dcplOr-
able condition in the once beautiful city.
Hours of depressing sultriness; pufFs
of Wind coming by turns from clouds
around the horizon, the flying hither
and thither of light, mistlikc formation
across the dull, dark-cOlOrcd masses
these were the characteristics of an af
tcrnoon which brought 10 st. Louis the
most disastrous storm in the City's his
tory. For hours the currents shifted,
the winds blew hot and cold and the
storm centre developed. The fury of
the elements was borne within the city's
limits. In the west 4 thunderstorm de-
veloped. The early mutterings indicated
nothing more alarming than a down
pour with the ordinary electrical accom-
paniments. This rain cloud came up
slowly at first from the west, beyond
Forest Park. As the black rim mounted
higher above the horizon, its arc en-
braced more territory TO the north and
south. A strong wind from the east be-
gan to blow right in the face of the
storm. 1t was lower current. 1t raised
the cloud and brought it forward faster
and faster. Suddenly the wind stopped
blowing from the east and there swept
from the northwest terrific gale which
made the best buildings tremble. With
the hurricane, for that Is the form this
storm took, when it broke over the wes-
ern part of the city, came a deluge OF
rain. For half an hour, from a few
| minutes before ) until 80, this hurri-
cane blew from the northeast. Then
there came lull. The current shifted.
In the southwest there came into exis-
tence storm cloud with the essential
| features of the tornado, funnel shaped.
| from the southwest. 1t came from the
south side Of Lafayette park, struck the
| city hospital and from there tore It's
way through the city to the river by a
northeasterly course. 1t wrought such
| havoc rs will long leave traces in that
! part ofthe city, which lies east of Seventh
| street and north of Cere street to the
| Fades bridge. The boats at the wharf
were torn from their moOrings and cap
| sized or sent adrift.
The cloud crossed the river and de-
| mOllshed the upper work at the east
end of the bridge and then it wreaked
its fury on East st. Louis. Shortly after
4 O'Clock with the sum more than an
! hOur above the western horizon, there
settled upon the city clouds so dense
| that daylight quickly gave place to the
| darkness of midnight. That was the
| precursor of the tornado from the south
west. The hurricane from the north
west gave the western portion of the
| city severe shaking up. The tornado
| tom the southwest, W hich is responsible
! for the loss of life and untold destruc-
! ton along the levee district and East
! st, Louis, followed the hurricane by
! half an hour. What must be charged
up to this double visitation only time
| can tell.
! When darkness temporarily inter
! rupted the search for storm victims
! Thursday night 30 people were known
! to be dead on both sides of the river
and although the complete death list
! will never be known it is believed that
| 1t will approximate 400 in the two cities.
/ The number of injured is even larger
! and many of the manned cannot sur
! vlve. The property loss will reach well
! into the millions but insurance people,
! tiremen and police alike refuse to haz-
! ard even a guess at accurate figures.
| The uncertainty regarding the loss of
| life and property is due mainly to the
| wide extent of the havoc wrought bv
the storm. The miles of wrecked
j buildings as yet uneXplorcd and the
number Of collapsed factories lead to
/ the belief that the investigation, IN
| which little progress has been made,
may hide any number of bodies, as the
! police have been unable TO secure any
thing like an accurate list of the miss
/ ing.
The citizens who escaped have
worked night and day to alleviate the
sutieringg ofthe injured and to furnish
| shelter for them. \ fund of 81, OOO
! was raised in about an hour and will
/ be generously contributed to by the
! people all over the United States Let us
/ hope and pray that We may be spared
! from anything SO fearful ever happen
ing again.