The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-05-29
THE AWFUL DETAILS

OF last nights tornado Is marked to-day
by a devastated district in the south
western portion of the city half mile
wide and four miles long, with wrecked
buildings tottering walls, debrIs-choked
streets and resulng parties to tell the
story OF havoc and DEATH ST. Louis Is
daZed by the amount of the calamity
and It win be days before the total loss
of life and the amount OF property de-
stroyed will be known.
The estimates OF the number Killed
vary from 200 to 500 with the belief gem
eral that the latter figures are the nearer
correct.
The storm left It's path Uttered with
dead and dying ana patrol wagonu, am
balances and undertakerS cars We're
busy all day carrying the identified dead
TO their homes and homes OF relatives
and friends, or leaving the unidentified
with the city morgue authorities the
property loss Is terrific, estimates rang
Ing from $40 600 TO S50,0O00OO.
The storm which wrought tine havoc
was peculiar ono and scarcely two
people In all the city agree as to Just
how the damage was done. The wind
seemed 10 take the form of n tornado
rather than that OF a cyclone, the wreck
ed buildings showing none of the twist
ed irons and glrderS which usually mark
the track OF q rotary wind storm. The
general trend was from southwest to
northeast. The first heavy damage was
in the vicinity Of Lower Grove and La
fayette Parks. where handsome resi-
dances were wrecked and many Injured.
The tornado swept from the northwest
as far as the river when a sudden turn TO
the north II cleared the Mississippi and
tore its way into the heart OF East st.
Louis.
one Of the remarkable features was
the destruction OF a wing OF the city
hospital. carrying 200 patients and
nurses down In the wreck, ana Killing
but one person. 49,
The steamers Pittsburgh. OF the TIA :
mond 10 line. City Of NickSburs ana
City OF Providence, OF the Coiunlhlan
Excursion Company: the City Of Mon
roe. OF the Anchor line and all sorts OF
ANAL craft were pitched and tossed
about until a flnai blast rent them from
their moorings. They were swept across
the river and struck the Illinois hank a
few blocks of each other. The loss OF
life on these boats il thought 10 be
slight as everybody was cautioned not
TO lump and they would be safely
brought to land The City OF Nicks-
burg Is rlmost n total wreck. The Guy
OF Providence was blown upon .b@ tit.
nuIs hank. Her ru!ler II gone, ana
cabin and smoke stacks were blown
away after she parted from hor wharf.
The St Louis and st, Paul Packet
Company's steamer st Paul had started
for KeoKuk when the tornado struck the
clty. She has not been heard OF. She
mad n full cabin. The Belle OF Calhoun,
me MadIll and the Libble Conger which
were unnred near Choteau avenue,
were almost totally broken up. Their
cabins and smoke stacks were blown
away The Elon G. Smith, the harbor
boat was blown down the river and was
wrecked near Arsenal Island. II "
thought no lives We're lost on this boat
| The steamer Harvester. nf the Missis-
sippi Valley Transportation Company,
| wag also torn from its dock and carried
down the river. The loss 10 property
can only be estimated.
a river man said that Sl,bOO,OOO wonld
| not repair ana replace the boats alone
| that figured in yesterdays disastrous
storm.
The work OF rescue which began Inn
med!ately after the storm and conttn-
ued throughout the night, was kept up
all of to-day and will not be completed
| FOr n week or more. Voluntary rescue
partiCs, squads OF police and companies
| Of the fire department are scattered
about the devastated districts, srarch'
Inr the ruins for bodies. Every few
Diuuirs the sudden shifting Of the
crowds and the signaling for convey
| ancc told OF gruesome ind ana tnG
occasional Identification OF the manEleu
/ FFin added
ror to the scenes. In the eastern portion
of the wrecked locality, II Is believed
| tbat a number Of bodies VIII be found
Tive great piles OF brick and broker
tlmbers yield slowly TO the attack OF tn
| soarchers, and Il h probable that all tht
victims of the stortn will never nt
known. The work Of handling the uni.
| Identified bodies was quickly reduced
io a system by Coroner Waite. The deat
yyere placed ir rows beyond a screen
parties and the crowds Of people who
we're searching for lost friends or NOR
bhlly ycurlous,thronged the morgue, were
guided past the dead room NJ rapl'
pace. by this means the bodies were
identified rapidly and as FAST as ldentl
ned were removed TO make place tol
tbSm constantly arriving with cOrpses
The scenes among the bodies were pit
Iful. corps Of hospital nurses beini
constantly employed IN caring for faint
Jnw women and terrified, shrleklng chill
dren. .t. a.,
mercy OF the flames. Within n few
minutes after the cyclone had spent ~
r,,rv fires broke out all over the city
Alarms were sounded, but In most case
tbey were sounded IN vain, as the ilri
engine houses could not be cOmmunica
tpd with. And even when the alarm
was given. the FIRE apparatus had L
nick rs way through the bliHd!Hg ram
among mcshes OF tangled i've wire
TO the gCcnc Of the pla2e' IN many ~
ernnr.g the engines were brought II
or, md about way only to flnd the wa
,or nugs useless when the IRE wa
rsarhcl The rain helped materially Z
,nonrb the fires and nt midnight NJ
H., Urps which broke out carly In tn
evaninr were reported out or under con
raj Flremen potrollCd the city will
lanterns all night.
Laid out on lmpruviSed HlabS com
r,spd of coffin boxes at the mprgu
ihig morning. were more than twenty
Az, bpgrimel and mud-stalnel bodies
CrrGf,rT Waite remained In charge dur
.Inr The night and he had corps OF cN
tra assistants who were sorrIy iaNe'
10 ind accommodations tdf ths boaits
1,n ~ tho sad scenes was when IN
,yapon brought In a father and his wv
g,naIl sons Crowds besIrgcd tn
chaEIly plies looking for loved ones
south st. Lonis'
The path Of the storm through aoni
ST. Louis is sccne Of death aud ruiz
Yho greatogi damage wasRpue bstwce
p,,gs,u nvpnuc. On the south, am