Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1896-05-29
THIS Us APPALLING.
ALMOST A THOUSAND KILLED
BY A CYCLONE.
The Worst Work Was Done at st. Louis
where tho Loss Is Awful.

The Worst Work Was Done at st. Louis
Where tho Loss Is Awful.
CHICAGO, May 27.-O One Of the great
est disasters of recent years visited st.
Louis last night in the shape Of cy"
clone which began at 8 O'clock and
lasted thirty minutes. The loss Of life
sappalling reaching nearlya thousand,
while countless hundreds are injured.
From reports received by the United
Press up to o'clock this morning
from Missouri, Illinois and Indiana
cities, the direction and extent of the
appalling cyclone are shown. The
storm began it's work of devastation
and death near Moberly, in Randolph
county, in the northeastern part OF
Missouri. 1t then passed southeast
into Audrain county, where the school
house at Rush Hill and its occupants
were victims. The cyclone moved
slightly north into Pike county,
Missouri, and then jumped the Missis
sippi river into southern Illinois. The
ladies' seminary at Drake, in Greene
county, Illinois, was stricken by the
tornado, which then passed south and
east, following the Illinois river unit.
it joined the Mississippi, the greatest
point of destruction being reached al
st. Louis, East ST. Louis and East
Carondolet The direction of the wind
storm from that cluster of stricken
cities then appears to have been in 9
southeasterly direction through IL
linois, but no news of destruction has
been received from Illinois towns east
of the big river.
The cyclone reached the Ohio river
and struck Evansville, in the south
western corner of Indiana. Later
news indicates that the great storm is
tearing path through the heart o.
Indiana in southeasterly direction.
The latest reports compiled from the
scenes of destruction in the three
states point to loss of oyer seven
hundred human lives and the proba
bilities are that later reports will swell |
the total death list to enormous pro
portions.
According to places the death roll is
divided as follows:
In st. Louis. 3Oo East ST. Louis, 800; |
Drake, ILL.,, so; Rush Hill, Mo-, 10; Ren.
lex, Mo-, ); Lebaddie, Mo, 10.
The number of injured is estimated
to be in the hundreds
ST. Louis, May 2s,-The day had
been very hot, with clouds in the west |
and north wind About o'clock
the massing of clouds, one upon
another, gave some warning of what /
was coming, but no one has been
found who apprehended at that time
worse than u hard thunder
storm.
-uddenly out of the cloud bank
came whirling funnel which dropped
10 the earth.
The storm was then east of Clayton,
/ small town a short distance from St.
Louis.
In the incredible time offive minutes
t had traverscd the distance from the
western limits of this city to its heart,
md there it ragged.
High buildings served to confne it
md until they were destroyed there
vas no chance for its escape.
The river was literally raised from
is bed with hundreds of boats that
we're plying up and down or were
noored at wharves.
Where the crossing was made at
Cast st. Louis the river is almost q
nile in width, but the leap was talSer
With all the fury with which the cy
lone had struck the city proper.
Judging from reports of the creates
amage done the path of the storm ,
vas on an average of ten or twelv I.
locks IN width
No boats on the river escaped. Man,
f them went down with all on board.
he river is believed to contain hun
reds of bodies. The morgues and
ospitals are full No effort is mad,
0 estimate the property loss 1t is
eyond all conjecture Time alon.
an tell how great is the loss of life anf