The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-29

oo Waere the train loaded with
passengers had been but o moment be-
tore.
At about the same instant the wind
struck the train, upsetting all the cars
uRe playthings. Luckily no one was
killed, but several we're taken out
severely injured The wrecked part OF
the bridge is just east OF the big tower
near the Illinois shore. The entire up
per portion is carried away.
Wrecks on tho River
Inc steamer Pi1tsburg of the Diamond
Joe line, City of Vicksburg and the Civ
OF providence, OF the Colum biau Excur-
sion company, the City of Monroe, Of
the Anchor line, and sll sorts of small
craft were pitched and tossed about un-
I'll hnal blast rent them from their
mornings. TIL were swept across the
river and struck the Illinois bank within
rev blocks Of each other. The loss of
liis on these boats is thought to be
slight, as everybody was cautioned not
to Jump and they would be brought
safely to land.
The City OF Vicksburg is almost total
wreck. The City of Providence was
blown upon the Illinois side. Her rud-
der Ia gone and her cabin and smoke
stacks were blown away before she
parted from her wharf. The St. Louis
ana st. Paul Packet Co g steamer, st.
Paul had started from Keokuk when the
tornado struck the city. She has not
been heard Of. She had q full cabin.
Inc Belle of Calhoun, the Madill and
the Luoecie Conger, which were moored
near Cheteau avenue were almost totally
broken up. Their cabins and smoke
stacks were blown away.
The Ellen G. Smith, the harbor boat,
WAS blown down she river and WAS
wrecked near Arsenal Stand. ]. ia
thought number of lives were lost on
this boat. The steamer Harvester, OF
the Mississippi Valley Transportation
Com pany, was also torn from it's dock
and carried down the river. The loss
to river property can only be estimated
river man said 81, 500, 900 would not
repair and replace the boats alone that
figured in the storm
A Period OF Peril aud Terror.
The Louis Kogg broke from it's haw-
ser during the tornado. Four of the
crew were plunged overheard and were
seen to drown. The others were
rescued The crew and passengers of
the ferry boat Christy had terrible
experience. When the atorm broke
the boat was torn from its mornings at
the foot of Spruce street and blown
down the stream with fearful yelo,i
Inc passengers were crazsd with fear
and sixteen two horse teams stampeded
on the lower deck.
The water rushed over the boat, fill
ing the hull but by miracle il Dated
and was driven before the storm and
Heated down the stream. The river WAS
like a raging sea, and the crew was un-
able to launch any boats. The pAssen-
gers crouched in the cabins expecting
every moment to go down. The boat
driftad as far as Jefferson barracks.
whore she sunk in shallow water. The
passengers were rescued.
Auditorium UniDjured
ST LOUIS, May 2s.-Tne convention
auditorium was practically uniniured
by the great storm of yesterday, the
only damage being that some light roof
covering on the southeast corner of the
building was blown off The damage
can all oe repaired in very few days.
There is not the slightest doubt but
that the building will be perfectly
restored and in frst-class condition long
before the day the convention is to
meet.
315 Known to be Dead.
When darkness temporarily inter-
rupted the search for storm victims to-
night BIS people were known TO be dead
on b'th sides OF the river and although
the complete death list may never be
known, it Is believed that it will APP
proximate 400 in the two cities. The
number of the injured is even larger
and many OF the MANNED cannot sur
vive.
The miles Of wrecked buildings as vet
unexplored and the numerous collapsed
factories, towards the investigation of
which little progress has been made,
NAV hide AlmOat auv mn m her Of bndIao
as the police have been unable to secure
anything like an accurate list of the
missing.
The City Still In Darkness
The city is in dsrkness to night, re-
pair OF the electric wires having been
scarcely begun.
Hundreds of homes are In ruins;
dozens OF manufacturing plants and
dozens OF business houses are wrecks
Many steamboats, have gone to the bot
tom OF the river and others are dis
mantled. Railroads Of all kinds have
suffered great loss and telegraph com
panies have weeks of toll before them
In the way OF repairs.
The Wrecked Hospital
The wreck of the city hospital is so
surrounded by wreckage that 1t Is
barely possible to reach 1t. Many Of the
handsome residences in Fourteenth
street and about La Fayette Park are
ruined but the most damage WAS done
in the tenement house district.
A Complete Loss.
Colonel Wettmore estimates the en-
tire property damage at S25 600 600,
which will be, he says, almost total
loss, owing to the lack of cyclone in
surance.