Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-28
The Story So Far.

men, at 10:30 o'clock.
 The Story So Far.
 St. Louis, May 27-During the storm the steamer D. H. Pike turned over in the middle of the river. and a number of persons wererz drowned. The steamer Delaphn, with a crew of six and twenty lady passengers on board, was blown against the bridge pier and brokn in two. The ladies and two Of the crew clung to the bridge stone work and were rescued. The steamer Libbie Conger, with only Captain Seaman, h.s wife and three of the crew aboard, went adrift. The wreck of a boat opposite Carondolet is supposed to be the steamer Conger.
 Otteneds furniture store at Broadway and Solard was demolished, and six men are reported killed. A saloon on South Seventh street fell with nine men in the ruins.
 St. Patrick church fell, and the debris fill the street. The electric railway line was burned out, as well as the electric plant Fourteen fire alarms were sound ed within an hour, and three alarms were sent in from the poor house, which building has 120 inmates. The roof of the poor house was blown off, and the fatalities are great.
 During the last race at the fair grounds the roof was blown off the grand stand. The crowd had gone to the open field for safety, and but four were killed.
 The armory at Seventeenth and Pine streets is being used as temporary hos pital , At 7:S0 D. m the rain, which had ceased for a time, began afresh, and fell in tor rents At 8 o'clock the eastern sky was afiame with the light of fires in East St. Louis. The metal roof of the Merchants exchange was rolled up like scroll and fell into the streets.
 The Louisville and Nashville eastbound local passenger train had just reached East St. Louis when the storm struck that city. The train was overturned, put mraculously only few passengers were injured. They were taken from the cars by railroad yardmen.
 Th, Chicago and Alton eastbound local passenger train, which left St. Louis at . o'clock, was on the east span or the bridge when the wind picked the cars up and turned them over on their sides. Ine lron spans and trusses held the cars from toppling into the river, 100 feet below. The passengers were thrown into @ con- fused mass. IHe net work of wires made rescue difficult and dangerous, but 1t is thought all will be gotten out unln1ured The east span of the Eads bridge is so badly wrecksd that it will take three days to allow trains to pass.
 The reports of fatalities in East St. Louis are hourly increasing and at life will exceed 15O It is impossible to cross the bridge or river to get the par ticulars.
 Lightning struck the Standard Oil works and flames were soon pouring from dozen buildings. The ire depart ment was utterly powerless to cope with the confagration, and it is feared nearly the entire business and great portion of the residence section will DC destroyed by the flames, if not already so by the wind Among the principal buildings already in ruins are the National hotel, the Standard Oil works, East St. Louis Wire Nail works, the Crescent elevator, Hezel elevator, all the freight depots and stores and residences on Sf. Ciair avenue.
 At g o'clock tonight no wire can be ob- tained to the western and northern DOT tions of Missouri, but 1t is feared that the loss of life in these sections will be very large.
 estimated at $1,OOOOO0 and the loss in East St. Louis is already $2,000,0OO, and the fire Is still raging.
 There were really two cyclones. One came from the northwest and the other from direct east. Both met on the Illi- nois shore of the Mississippi river and joined in whirling cloud of death and destruction. The list of dead in St. Louis is beyond present computation.
 A startling report has just reached police headquarters that 200 girls are in the ruins of Leggitt & Myers cigarette factory at Tower Grove park. There are alarming reports of great loss of life in the southern portion of St. Louis, from the railroad tracks to Carondolet. The wind swept away the roof of the exposi- tion building and that structure is badly damaged by the flood of water. The greatest anxiety Is felt for the safety of passengers on the different excursion boats which were on the river when the storm broke.
 The steamer City of Florence. with an excursion party, is reported lost below Carondolet. The steamer St. Paul, with thirty passengers. left for Alton at 4 o'clock, and is believed to be wrecked. The levee is packed with people, groping through the darkness and eagerly inn ploring information from loved ones on the river.
 The destruction to property in this city will not be learned until daylight. The Annuncation church, at Sixth and La Salle streets, was totally destroyed Father Head. the pastor, was fatally in- jured.
 The middle span of the roadway above 1 the railroad tracks on the Eads bridge was blown completely away. It is not known whether any persons lost their lives while crossing the bridge.
 The plant of the flour mills and the works of the St. Louis Iron and Steel company were destroyed and the big Cupple's block of buildings was partly destroyed.
 The dead and injured are being taken from the ruins of the various buildings rGA. nr<x