The herald., 1896-05-28
FIRE FOLLOWS THE CYCLONE
Dead Bodies Are Burned and Wounded
People Perish MiserabIy
Terror and Confusion Make Accurate Esti.
mate Of Loss Impossible
Rxcursion Steamers snd Vessels at the
Wharves Sink With All on Board.
The Reports Only Outline the
Awful Details
Associated Press Special Wire.


LOUISVILLE. KY. May GA tele-
graph operator at Carondelet, four miles
south of st. Louis. says:
"A railroad man just walked out from
st. Louis and reports the town almost
completely wrecked, and reports hun
dreds Of lives lost, street cars stopped,
lights all out and everything in great
confusion. He says several city build
ings including hospitals, are wrecked.
and the streets almost impossible from
debris and great volumes of water"
THE EARLY REPORTS
CHICAGO, May 27.-It was reported
at the dispatcher's Office of the Illinois
Central railroad this evening that the
grand stand at the st. Louis race track
had been blown down in storm and $50
people killed. All the wires of the road
are down south of Centralia and moth
ing further can be learned at present
Information regarding the destruction
of the grand stand is corroborated by
information received in pool rooms at
Lexington and in this city. The report
which reached Chicago said that many
horses had been killed at the track. but
gave no information as to the loss of
human life.
The local weather officers reported at
8 o'clock tonight that that office had re-
ceived word from the Western Union
that it would be able to furnish no report
from st. Louis ION account of cyclone at
that point" The officials of the wealth
er office would not say that there had
been cyclone at that place as they
had no positive information on that
point, but 1t said the conditions had
been very favorable for severe local
storms all through that section today.
The operator of the Associated Press
at st. Louis said few minutes before
o'clock: 1T is growing very dark
here" and asked for minutes delay in
the handling of report. A second later
the wires were gone and nothing has
been heard from him since.
To the race track at Lakeside. Ind.
which receives reports on the st. Louis
races as they are run during the dav
the operator sent the message: There
goes the grand stand" and then nothing
more was heard from him. AS far as
known that is the last word by wire out
of st. Louis today.
VAGUE, BUT TERRIBLE
CHICAGO, May 27.-At $3.50 o'clock to-
AieHe ~ was reporteu tnat the cyclone
had passed through East St. Louis, ILL.,.
wrecking the freight house of the Van
dalia railroad, killing thirty-five men
and demolishing the roundhouse of the
wabash road. 1t is not known whether
any lives were lost in the latter build
ing or not. From o'clock until 8: 40 the
operators OF the Wabash road were nm
able to get any word from any mart of
the country lying south of Decatur A.
q rev minutes after the operator at
Decatur reported to the main dispatcb-
er's Office at Forest, ILL.,, that a. cvclone
mad passed through the country south
OF Decatur. doing great damage In
half an hour he sent word that n, SECOND
windstorm had passed across the conn
try nearly IN the track of the first and
that all wires were down south of De-
eatur.
AT $3.50 the operator at a small Office
not rar from East st. Louis had inst sent
woro that terrible cyclone had passed
tnroush the latter place, scattering cars
aii over the tracks, killing 35 men in
the wreck or the Vandalia roundhouse
ana wiping the roundhouse Of the Wa.
bash out of existence.
Ine operator at Decatur has not been
Aple TO get any further information.
FIRST DEFINITE NEWS
81. LOUIS. May 27.-A tornado blow
ing at the rate of eighty miles an hour
struck st. Louis at SIS this evening and
lageo FOR half an hour with great fury.
AS result hundreds of lives have been
iost on both sides of the river. Many
buildings were blown down and several
river steamers sunk with all on board.
AL present it is impossible to estimate
the number of lives lost. The HOSPITALS
are iuli or injured and the morgue con-
talhs many dead, while numerous slain
lay everywhere among the ruins of de-
monshed buildings A portion of the
Aaos bridge is destroyed. The grand
stand at the fair grounds and the wo-
mans portion of the Jail were blown
down; Waters-Pierce Oil works are
burning and buildings in various sec
lions OF the town are on fire; Plant flour
mills, and the st. Louis Iron and Steel
works are demolished and the immense
Cupples block partially destroyed The