Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-06-04

Closes over the Appalling Scene
The Destruction of Property Impos-
sible to Estimate
Chicago, May 2S.-One of the greatest
disasters Of recent years overwhelmed
the city of st. Louis last night in lie
shape of a cyclone which began short
ly after o'clock and for thirty min
utes tore it's awful way through the
city with velocity of over eighty
miles an hour. Although the reports
rom there IRE very meager owing to
the almost CctaI destruction of the
telegraph wires it seems certain that
the number of dead and wounded will
amount to fully one thousand, and the
damage done to millions of doll 2rs.
! The city hospital, which fortunat 3ly
survived the storm, is filleo to over
flowing with mingled men, women and
children, and the mOrgue within ~ 0
hours after the end of the storm Was
so full of corpses that it was necessary
TO provide other quarters for The re-
cepti0n of the dead. In addition to
those who were killed in their houses
and in the streets, hundreds are GeaI
beneath the waters of the Mississippi
river. Of all the steamers on the )6Vee,
when the storm broke out, but one is
now afoat. All others are gone down,
in many instances every soul on buaI d
being lost, and iT others not over two
or three being able to reach a place OF
safety. Among the boats destroyed is
the excursion steamer, Great Republic,
one Of the largest steamers on the
lower river. Not one man escaped
from her, and i, il said she was crowd
ed with eXcursionists when the storm
came. The streets are utterly i'm
passible to street cars, and in many
places progress or foot is a. matter Of
great difficulty. To add to the horrors
of tie night. the electric light
plants had been rendered Ill
capable of service and gas lamps
were also shut off, leaving the city in
total darkness. Fire also broke out in
several portions of the city and the
fire department was unable to make an
*ective fight because of the choked-
up condition of the streets, and the
large number of firemen who were en-
gagged in the imperative work of rescu-
ing the dead and wounded. The first
authentic infC1 nation from the
stricken city last night sent out by the
a. Mt Of the associated press, who
managed to reach the outlying tele-
graph Office was as follows:
Death and Desolation.
st. Louis, May GA tornado blow
ing at the rate of eighty miles an hour
struck st. Louis at 5:15 last evening
and ragged for half an hour VIII
great fury. AS a result hundreds of
lives are lost OH both sides of the
river, many buildings blown down and
several river steamers sunk with all On
board. AT present it is impossible 20
estimate the number of lives lost. The
hospital is full OF injured and the
morgue contains many dead, while
numbers of the slain lie everywhere
among the ruins Of demolished hlIild-
ings. A portion. OF the east end Of the
bridge was destroyed. The grand
stand at the fair grounds, and the
Woman's portion O. the Jail were blown
down. The Waters and Pierce Oil
works are burning and buildings in va
rlous sections OF the town are On fire.
The plant and mills of the ST. Louis
Iron & Steel works were demolished
and the immense Cupples block parti-
ally destroyed,
The dead and injured are being taken
from the ruins At East st. Louis he
destruction seemed greatest. The
National hotel, fremont house, Mar
tell house, De Wolf Cafe, Hazel Milling
company's mills, Horns cooper shop
and great many dwellings east of
there as far as Fifth street, are gone
and many people killed. The Galti-
more, Ohio & Vandalia roundhouse
the Standard OF, works, the Crescent
elevators and twelve freight houses on
the levee were also demolished The
Grand Republic and several more ex-
cursion steamers with all On board are
reported sunk in the river and all the
steamers on the levee have gone down
A rough estimate would place the num-
Der of killed ana wounded at a thou
sand. Both the, Western Union AMI
the Postal Telegraph lost every wi,s
leading out Of the city.
Chicago Report Continued.
The Western Union announced tina
because of its inability to keep up i'll
wires, it would be impossible to send
out any more messages from st. Louis
or its vicinity. Reports regarding the
duration of the storm are conflicting.
About o'clock the operator on the
Wabash, at small station not far from
East st. Louis, managed to get the OPP
orator at Decatur, ILL.,, long enough to
send him word that the round-house on
the Wabash read had been blown down
and that the freight house al Vaudalia
was wrecked and thirty-ive men killed
in Ee ruins After he had told this