The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-28

follows: Tornado blowing ut rate Of
over eighty miles an hour struck st,
Louis to night and ragged for half an
hour with great fury, and as result
hundreds Of lives are lost on each side
of the river
Many buildings are blown down and
many river steamers sunk with all on
board. 1t 10 impossible st the present
time to estimate the mum Der of lives
Lost ss the hospitals are filled with the
injured and the morgue is filled with the
slain with great numbers OF the dead
and maimed lying among the ruins in
Gil directions.
IA portion of the east end of she f i'd 9
bridge Is destroyed, the grand stand at
the fair ground blown down, the women's
portion of the jail is gone and the i'm.
mense Cupples block is partially de-
stroyed. The Waters and Pierce works
are burning and other buildings in vari-
GUS sections Of the city are on fire."
At Eas, st. Louis the destruo ton
seems greatest. II, c. Rice. the Western
Union manager at the Relay depot on
the east side, clambored across the
demolished bridge and made his way to
St Louis. He reports that the National
Hotel, the fremont House, Msrtelle
House, Dewolf Cafe. the plant of the
Hexel Milling Company, Horns cooper
shop and great number Of other build
ings are blown down.
Many dwellings are wrecked and
many OF their occupants are kno vn to
be dead. The V,ndalia roundhouse, the
Vandslia freight house, in which
thirty five men are said to have been
killed, the Baltimore and Ohio round
house, the Standard Oil Works, East
st Louis elevator, Crescen. elevator and
twelve other freight houses on the levee
were destroyed.
The Great Republic and several more
excursion steamers with all on board
are reported to have gone down and
there is but one boat now at the levee
OF all which were there before the storm
came. 1t is difficult to estimate the
number OF dead and wounded, but {.
rough estimate would place the number
at about /, 900.
After sending this brief dispatch the
telegraph wire failed. One of the worst
features of the disaster ia thought to
hsve taken place at the race track at
East 81. Louis, where races were In full
swing. The grsnds.snd was crowded
with people.
At few minutes otter o'clock the
operator sending the report of the races
stopped his work long enough to re-
mark; There goes the grandstand, ;"
and then his wires collapsed and moth
ing more was heard from him.
In few seconds the same message
was reported from Lexington, KY, with
the additional information that fully
$50 people were killed.
More by Way of Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, KY, May ~ "A tele-
graph operator at Carondoles, four miles
south of St Louis. says: "a
'eAAAOoo LION Jubt WhlHeQ out
from St Louis, and reports the
town almost completely wrecked,
hundreds OF lives lost. street cars
stopped, lights all out and everything
Il great confusion, He says several city
buildings, including the postc fflce we're
wrecked, and the streets almost impass
able from debris and great volumes OF
water"
sixty Killed In One Building.
MEMPHIS. Tenn, May 81 Word
reached here by way of Oarondelet, M D.,
that sixty dead bodies have been taken
from the st. Louis city hospital, which
was completely wrecked. and every
patient has probably been killed.
200 Hurled to Death
CHICAGO, Nay 81 1t IL reported tina,
the limited train from Chicago to St,
Louis over the Alton road, was blown
into the river with section of the
bridge and 200 lives lost.