The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-30
DEATHS DIRE DANGE.
st. Louis Story of Ruin
Staggering.
-FOUR HUNDRED FATALITIES
Seven Thousand Houses
Swept by the Storm.
MONETARY LOSS MAMMOTH.
Conservative Estimates Put II at
$4,000, 600.

$4,000, 600.
The Work of Relieving the Suffer-
ing Survivors Now Under Way.
The Railroad situation Better
Than First RepOrted-Hundreds of
Funerals Booked for To-day and
To-morrOw-Church Property
Hard Hit.
ST. Louis. No., May 29.-The Business
Mems League this morning issued a state
ment to the country that the disaster will
in no way interfere with the arrange
ments already made for the republican
convention, or the housing and entertain
ment of the delegates. Despite the ex-
aggerated stories that We're given circu-
lation during the hours Immediately fol-
lowing the calamity it should be now def
intely known through the country that
only narrow strip across the Mill Creek
valley was devastated and that the prin-
cipal business portion of the city is un-
seathed.
The damage to the structure in which
the convention is to be held is much less
than at first anticipated, and will not ex-
ceed S,500 and repairs can be completed
by the end of next week. None of the
large hotels were injured in any way ana
the section of the city that felt the brunt
of the storm includes but a handful Of
houses that have been placed in the list
of contingent extra accommodations for
la dos
houses so listed and covering a radius
from half a mile to two miles west of
the Auditorium are in a district entirely
outside the path of the storm.
Up to noon to-day Coroner Wait has
held eighty inquests. In each case, a
stereotyped verdict, setting forth the fact
that the deceased had come to his or her
death by injuries received as the result
of a tornado was returned. About the
same number of inquests have been held
in East st. Louis, the Verdicts being in
similar terms.
While workmen were digging in the
ruins of one of the tenements at Seventh
and Rutger streets, where so much havoc
was caused, an infant voice cried out:
please don't be so rough" An opening
was quickly made in the debris above the
spot whence the voice issued and through
its depths. a 10 year old boy, leading three
girls about the same age appeared. All
were uninjured, although they were weak
from hunger and confinement for nearly
forty hours. shout of JOY went up from
the crowd, and before the police could as
certain any names, the little ones had been
carried away. Somebody asked the little
boy, as he was disappearing, how he came
TO be so lucky, and he piped in childish
accents: 1--WE just fell in a soft place"
General Manager E. P. Bryan of the
Terminal Association announced at noon
that all trains are running as usual over
the Eads bridge and that the upper or
pedestrian roadway, will be in shape for
travel by Wednesday. He adds that the
loss is not as great as first reported and
the total damage to buildings, rolling
stock and bridge will not exceed 100000
No fault in construction, but purely the
frghtfuI velocity of the wind at that par
ticular point was responsible for the dam
age occasiOned.
East St Louis is waking from its stupor
of terror and things are beginning now TO
shape themselves to the amelioration of
the condition of the afflicted and the pres
ervation of the property left after the
work of the hurricane.
A relief committee has been formed
Win an auXllldIy WOIudu > CO4 %. -IOliSS
is being subscribed. the town is thor
oughly policed with local constabulary and
two companies of militia, streets are being
cleared, homes made habitable, and fee
Bile effort at being cheerful is being made
by the townspeople.
There are two companies of National
Guard in the city, one from Beleville.
Co. D., under Capt. Rogers, arrived at
a. m. A company from GreenviHe, under
Capt. Harris, arrived this morning.
Thursday the latter body was at Birk-
ner helping remove the dead and injured
in that place to the county farm.
About fifty extra policemen were sworn
in by the chief, and these, with the regu-
lar police force and the militia are ample
10 guard all the exposed property.
Hundreds Of homeless persons slept in
the 'pen air last night The public build
lngs We're thrown open for the accommo-
daton of the destitute, and those places
We're crowded to their capacity. Food for
the hungry was furnished literally by cit
liens and keepers of restaurants in the
nelghborhOod Of these temporary shell
ters
The property loss in this city is growing.
Dradstreets agency on figures obtained
rom reliable sources reports that $l0,0oC,-
llo viii amply cover the financial loss. 1t
is reported, moreover, that Dun's agency
oi New York denies the statement printed
"y the morning papers that it had placed