Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1896-05-30
It Tears It's Way Through
the Heart Of the City
of St. Louis.
The Number Of the Dead and
Wounded Is Fully o
Thousand.
Excursion Steamers on the River
Go Down with Their HUI
man Freight
A Report That 100 People Wore Killed
Ut the Race Track-The Damage 70
Property VIII Amount to
Millions.

/
| Millions.
CHICAGO, May 2s-0ne Of the great.
est disasters In recent years over
whelmed the city OF St. Louis last
night In the shape OF q tornado, which
began shortly after Eve o'clock, and
for 80 minutes tore its awful way
through the city with velocity Of over
so miles an hour. Although reports
from there IRE very meager, owing to
the almost total destruction Of the
telegraph wires, II seems certain the
number of dead and wounded will
amount to fully 1000, and the damage
done to millions of dollars. At East
St. Louis the destruction seems great
est II. C. Rice, the Western Union
manager ut the Relay depot, on the
East side, climbed across tho demol.
ished bridge and made his way into St.
Louis. lie reports that the National
hotel, fremont house, Martell house,
Dewolf cafe, the plant Of the Hezel
Milling Co., Horns cooper shop and q
great number Of other buildings are
blown down. Many dwellings are
wrecked and many of their occupants
arc known to be dead. The Vandalia
roundhouse, the Vandalia freight
house, In which IS men are said to
have been killed, the Baltimore &
Ohio roundhouse, tho Standard Oil
works, East St. Louis elevator, Cres-
cent elevator and ls other freight
houses on the lcvce are destroyed.
The Great Republic steamer and sew
eral more excursion steamers with all
on board, IRE reported to have gone
down, and there is but one boat on the
lcvee Of all which were there before
the storm came. II is difficult to esti.
mate the numbe OF dead and wounded
but n rough estimate would place the
number ut about 1000. Western Union
and Postal companies have lost every
wire out Of the city.
One OF the worst features of the dis
nstcr is thought to have taken place ut
the race track ut St Louis, where
races were in full swing and the grand
stand was crowded with people. Re-
turns from the St Louis races are re-
ceived Mt Lakeside, Ind, and q few
minutes after five o'clock tho operator
sending the report of the races
stopped his work long enough to re.
mark, There goes the grand stand, !"
and then his wire collapsed and moth
ing more was heard from him. In a
few seconds the same message was re-
ported from Lexington, Ky, with the
additional information that fully $50
people were dead.
The wagonway OF the Eads bridge
on the East ST. Louis side is q crum.
bling mass OF mortar and stone, and
parts Of the tower and pier No. were
also torn away. A trolley car loaded
with passengers bound for the West
side is said to have fallen through to
the railroad track below, but with
what result Is not known. The roof
OF the republican convention hall was
blown off and q 24.foot section Of the
western wall OF the city jail Is clear
down, exposing the interior It was
during exercise hours and 200 prison
ers were exercising in the building.
The tanks OF the Wnters-Pierce Oil Co.
on Gratiot street blew up, spreading
destruction on every hand. Three
stories OF the Coo Manufacturing Co. s
building, Ninth and Gratiot, and
nearly half of the Wainwright
brewery were blown down. The
Summer high school, Eleventh
and Spruce; McDermott's saloon,
Eleventh and Chestnut; the Central
Emigrant, on the opposite corner; Jere
shehan's livery stable, Eleventh and
Walnut, were unroofed. The engineer
of the Etna iron works, Twenty First
and Papan streets, was almost instantly
killed. The walls blew In and he was
scalded to death by steam The Con-
solidated wire works, Twenty-First
and Papan streets, was almost totally
wrecked. Seven people are known to
have been injured seriously by this
wreck and many more sre said to have
been hurt by the falling walls. The
two-story building Of the c. Ii. Sawyer
Manufacturing Co., 1910 Chouteau
avenue, was demolished. John Saw
yer, member of the firm, and Emma
Cheney and Isabella Hamden, type.
writers, were crushed to death under
the walls II. II. Sawyer, q member Of
the firm, was injured fatally. The St.
Louis Refrigerator and Woodenware
Co. Is factory was completely destroyed
by fire caused by lightning. The loss
is estimated at $500, 600 A rumor was
widely circulated that tho gas tank
near the consolidated wire works at
the south end OF Twenty-First street
had been blown over and fell In on the
wire works building, killing four men
TO a certainty and possibly more.
A dispatch from Carondelet, No,
stated that 60 dead bodies have been
taken from the St Louis city hospital,
which was completely wrecked and
every patient has probably been
killed. The buildings OF the Refriger.
ator and Wood Cutter companies were
demolished and caught fire and were
burned. The loss OF life In these
building Is believed 10 be very heavy.
The United elevator was blown down.
Liggett & Myers big mandatory,
the largest In the west, was totally
wrecked and the loss Of life was great
Twenty dead bodies and many
wounded have been recovered from
this building. The scene In the river
was appalling. Steamboats, moored nj
their landings were torn away, turned
over and sunk, drowning all on board.