Arizona republican., 1896-05-31
COUNTING UP TIE DEAD Mound City's Memorial
 Day. The Streets Still Blocked with
 Debris.
National Republican Convention Hall and Hotels Are Practically
 Uninjured.

ST. LOUIS, May 30 - Although thousands of men are at work night and day clearing away the wreckage in the path of the tornado, they have scarcely made perceptible impression towards restoring the chaotic con fusion to anything like order. Pass ageways have been made through some of the principal thoroughfares, but for the most part the streets are still choked with the battered remains of homes and factories, hospitals and churches.
 The path of the storm is full mile and half wide Not tree or house in the region of the storm was left without damage and as far as the eye can reach there is a stretch of devasta- tion and ruin. The hotels in the city have not been affected, however, and the slight injury to the special build ing erected for the Republican conven- ing is now ready for occupancy.
 Some of the principal thoroughfares that were choked with wreckage have been opened and few street car lines started but the telephone system is practically useless. The side streets through the storm wrecked districts are still closed. It will require weeks to restore some of the streets to their normal condition.
 The number of dead is hourly grow ing greater as the work of clearing away the ruins progresses.
 It was said by officials of the city hospital the day after the storm that no one was crushed in the ruins. They are beginning to change their minds. It has been ascertained that from fifty to seventy-fve patients and four or i've employees are missing.
 The demand for houses and flats by those rendered homeless by Wednes- days tornado is great, and real estate men think there go not sufficient va cant houses in St. Louis to supply the needs of the people. It is estimated that 1000 homes were so damaged as to render them uninhabitable. Real estate agents say the number of vacant houses and flats at the time of the storm would not exceed 5000.
 Seven persons died of their injuries last night at the East St. Louis hos pital. Fritz hall, near the bridge in East St. Louis is still supposed to con- tain many dead. Not a brick of this wreck has been touched. The four walls apparently gave way together, all falling towards the center. This hotel is said to have contained forty boarders. but some may have been out.
 The Post-Dispatch this afternoon prints statement which very ma terially modifes all previous estimates of the aggregate loss by the hurricane of Wednesday,
 The article says no estimate of the financial loss sustained by this city from the storm, approaching the cor rect figure nearer than several millions can be prepared at least for a week. But it is already evident that repre- sentations of loss equalling and some times exceeding S50,00O,0 900 are as un- founded upon fact as the reports print ed by many foreign papers that the loss of life would reach thousands. The statements, made in the midst of the weird and vague impressions of the night of the storm and succeeding day, might temporarily be allowed to pass unchallenged; but now that St. Louis has partially recovered it's composure and set itself to the task of restora- tion, eXaggeration should be done away with and measures of relief fitted to the actual condition. With this end in view, the judgment and advice of prominent citizens with both knowl- edge and experience in such matters, have been sought and obtained with the result that the enormous total heretofore set up has been scaled down to more probable aggregate.
 A very careful consideration of facts and figures justifies the assertion that the hitherto generally accepted figure of S50,000,000 must be divided by five to give the maximum loss sustained. Tn fact, conservative and well informed business men regard s5,OO0,000 as be- ing nearer the proper amount. In ar irving at this conclusion all the heav- fest losses have been considered and figures have been obtained from per sons in possession in almost every in stance of special knowledge Ten mil lion should at any rate be ample to cover the actual property damage. This estimate has not included loss and damage to furniture. This will never be known. The greater part of the damaged furniture will be repaired and made to suffice, especially in the homes of the poorer classes.
 On the whole, while tie 1.ss WI - enormous, it will fall most uron )a-~', to replace it, an arrangement no. without it's encouragement for the D. e. vention of suffering.