The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-06-03
WOE IN The WEST.
PAINFUL SCENES IN A CYCLONES
PATH.
Many People Are Killed and Thousands o.
Dollars Worth OF Property Destroy
ed by the Air Monster.

STRUCK .DY Il CyCIOue VI 14lSItlul A0AJ ~
a late hour This afternoon. Hundreds
of people were killed and the property
loss is beyond estimate.
At 5:28p. m. the clouds that had Gov
cred the city since noon broke into a
furious storm. Within ten minutes the
wind reached a velocity of eighty miles
an hour, sN eeping with it dense waves
of rain. The highest speed of wind
previously recorded here was seventy
two miles an hour, in August, 1888
The sGreeching of wind through electric
wires, the crash of debris that it swept
in every direction, the electric flashes
from tangled wires and crashing thun-
der made a scene indescrible. The loss
of life is appallieg.
The steamer d. H. Pike, with thirty
passengers on board, bound for Peoria,
was blown bottom side up in the middle
of the river and number of persons
were killed.
The steamer Oelaphin, with crew of
six men and twenty lady passengers on
board, was blown against bridge pier
and broken in two. The ladies and two
of the crew chung to the bridge stone
works and were rescued.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
The Louisville aud Nashville east
bound passenger train had just reached
st. LOUIS when the storm struck that
city. The train was overturned, but,
miraculously, only few persons were
injured. They were taken from the cars
by railroad yardmen.
The Chicago and Alton east-bound
passenger train, which left st. ] outs at
FIVE o'clock, was on the east span of the
bridge when the wind picked the can
up and turned them over on their sides.
The iron spans and trusses held the cars
from topping into the river 100 hundred |
feet below. The passengers were
thrown into confused mass.
At 1880 p. m. the rain, which had |
ceased for time, began afresh and fell |
in torrents. At o'clock the eastern |
sky was aflame with the light of fires in
East st. Louis. The metal roof of the
Merchants Exchange was rolled up like
a screen and fell into the streets.
OIL WORKS IN FLAMES.
Lightning struck the Standard Oil
works and flames were soon uring
from dozen buildings. The fire d
partment was utterly powerless to cope
with the confagration and it is feared
that nearly the entire business and a
great portion of the residence section
will be destroyed by flames, if not al
ready SO by the wind. Among the prin-
cipal buildings already in ruins are the
National Hotel, the Standard Oil works,
East St. Louis Wire Nail Works, he
Crescent elevator, Heel elevator, all
freight depots, stores and residences on
st. Clair avenue.
ONE THOUSAND KILLED.
The best estimates of the number kill
ed put it in he neighborhood of 1000.
LOSS, THREE MILLIONS.
At nine o'clock tonight no wire can be
obtained to the northern and western
portions of Missouri, but it is feared the
loss of life IN these sections will be very
large. The damage to property in st.
Louis is estim ated at 81, 200, 900, ard the
loss in East St. Louis is Slreedy $1,000
600 and the fire is sill raging.
There was really two cyclones. One
anne from the northwest and the other
from the direct east. Both met on the
Illinois shore of the Mississippi river and
joined in whirling cloud of death and
destruction.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION IN MICHIGAN.
DETROIT, MICH, May 20. The cyclone
which devasted the northern portion of
Oakland county last evening swept a
path a half mile wide and sixteen miles
long from east to west, clearing the earth
of nearly everything movable. About
forty persons were killed outright and
fully that number were injured, some of
whom will die.
IN KANSAS, TOO.
Fort SCOTT, KAN, May 26.-During
heavy electrical storm yesterday seven