The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-28


the east end of the Eads bridge, was COM
pletely demolished, number of persons
having gone down in the ruins.
The East St. Louis Journal building was
also destroyed.
A cyclone destructive of life and much
property visited East st. Louis in June,
1872. The principal destruction was along
the water front ana in the railroad yards.
Between sixty and seventy lives were lost,
boats were blown from their moorings and
sunk with all on board, persons were
picked up on the levee and hurled to their
death and buildings were scattered to the
four winds. Old railroad men recall some
freaks of the storm. A forty-ton Alton en-
CINE was standing in the yards when the
cyclone struck that part of the city. The
mass of iron and steel was rolled over like
a matchbox. In the Wabash freightyards
four tramps were sleeping under line of
loaded freightcars when the storm came.
The line of cars were tipped over and the
sleepers killed. The cyclone happened
about two hours earlier than to-day's
awful second visitation, as we'll as nearly
the same time of the year.
A 24-foot section of the western wall of
the city Jail blew clear down, exposing the
interior. 1t was during exercise hours,
and the 200 prisoners who were exercising
in the building were panic-stricken.
They were too frightened to try to
escape. Jailer Wagner was on the
scene in a moment, and with the aid of
number of detectives and policemen the
prisoners were placed in their cells.
The tanks of the Waters Pierce Com
pany in Gratiot street blew up, spreading
destruction on every hand. Three stories
of the Coe Manufacturing Company's
building, Ninth and Gratiot streets, and
nearly half of the Wainwright Brewery
were blown down.
The High School, Eleventh and Spruce
streets, and Jere Sheehan's livery stable,
Eleventh and Walnut, were unroofed.
The engineer of the Etna Iron Works,
Twenty-first and Papln streets, was al
most instantly killed. The walls blew in
and he was scalded to death by steam.
The Consolidated Wire Works, Twenty
first and Papin streets, was almost totally
wrecked. Seven persons are known to have
been injured seriously by this wreck and
many more are said to have been hurt by
falling walls.
The two-story building of the G. II.
Sawyer Manufacturing Company, 1919
Choteau avenue, was demolished.
John Sawyer, a member of the firm, and
Emma CLANCY and Isabella Hamden, type
writer's, were crushed to death under the
walls.
H. II. Sawyer, member of the firm,
was injured fatally.
The st. Louis Refrigerator and Wooden
ware Company's factory, Second street
and Park avenue was completely de-
stroyed by fire caused by lightning. The
loss is estimated at $500, 900.
The steamer Grand Republic is safe and
sound on the Illinois shore, with her 500
passengers, mainly Sunday school chill
dren.
ST. LOUIS, No., May 2s.-Shortly after
midnight the Fire Department secured
control of the confagration at East St.
Louis, and the members of the depart
ment began 10 assist the ambulance corps
in caring for the wounded. No attention
was paid to the dead.
The streets were in absolute darkness.
and searchlights were placed on patrol
wagons in order to reach the location
of the injured. The ambulances were
run at breakneck speed, and inside
of one hour at least twenty-five seriously
injured were carried to the dispensary.
Their wounds were dressed as rapidly as
possible, ana they were carried to houses
miles away to await the result OF their
injuries.
The scenes of death and suffering in
East ST. Louis are beyond the power of
description. Men, women and children
fell victims to the sudden swoop of the
elements, and the clang of the ambulance
only notifies the survivors of the fatal in
iuries of another citizen.
Railroad trains both eastbound and west
bound are stalled at the entrance of the
Eads bridge, with no hope of proceeding
farther for the next three days. Every
ferry-boat on the river fell a victim IN
wind and waves and there are not over
two crafts tonight that dare cross the
Mississippi.
Men bringing information of the condi-
tion of affairs in the Inflated city OF East
st. Louis are obliged to climb OH hands
and knees across the broken Orders of the
Eads bridge. Superintendent Jones of
the Western Union Telegraph Company.
Win corps VI ISpdlISISi unduS Ile perllOuS
trip at midnight, and reports the situation
one of horror. The people are panic
stricken, and nearly 200 are homeless. In
addition to this is the horrible fear that
some of their relatives have fallen prey
to the elements.
1t is utterly impossible to get record of
the dead as carried to the Morgue. So far
seventy-four bodies have been found. and
at this hour, A. NJ, messengers are con-
stantly notifying the authorities of the
finding of lifeless remains of vic
tins in bitches, under trees, trestle
work, railroad transfer depot ruins and in
the demolished residences. At the east
telegraph switch tower of the Eads bridge
twenty unidentified bodies are placed in
CHASTITY rows on the floor. OF these, it is
assumed, every life was sacrificed to the
fury of the storm.
The storm in this vicinity abated at IL
o'clock last night and inside of an hour
the temperature dropped nearly thirty de-
grees. At 2 O'Clock this morning the CITY