The Portland daily press., 1896-05-30
Fate Of a Body Robber at st.
Louis.
YESTERDAYS SCENES ATTENDING
THE TORNADO HORROR.

i u
Streets Were Lined With Funeral Pro-
cessions Busy Holding In
quests.
st. Louis, May 29.-Ths storm damage
to dwellings is of course heavy but the
chief loss will be to the street railway
the electric companies and the river
and railroad interests. The municipality
itself suffers loss of $3.50, 600 on public
buildings, streets, etc. the street railway
system, $500, 600; the steamboat men may
be put down at another S500,000, and tho
steam railways for half million more.
Myers & Liggett's factory which was
wrecked completely represents a loss of
5000, 600: St. Louis Refrigerator and
Gutter Co. g factory loss is quarter Of a
million. This district really exhausts
the heavy losers. Other losses are in the
thousands or even hundreds.
| In East ST. Louis the railroads and
other interests were the heaviest losors.
The railroads will not get off cheaper
than $780, 600. Other loses were $500, GOO
| The fire caused further loss of $500, GOO.
The individual losses of property owners
will swell the total to between $500, 600
and $500, 600.
| In the country and several small towns
touched by the storm it is probable that
tho losses will aggregate large amount.
| Substantially all the Losses were unpro-
tected by insurance. Hu ndreds of home
less people slept in the open air last night.
The public buildings were thrown open
for the accommodation of the destitute
and where crowded to the fullest
capacity.
| Food for the hungry was furnished
| literally by the city. All night and this
morning crowds surrounded the tempo
rary morgues and heartrending scenes
were enacted as the relatives came to
take away the remains of thoir loved
ones and parties seeking 10 identify some
unknown dead made the rounds OF the
silent forms. Hundreds of furniture
wagons, carts and in many cases buggios
and private vehicles were brought into
requisition this morning to move away
| whatever personal property could be dug
out of the ruins or could be gotten from
the rooms of residences, the walls Of
which are tottering
The business mems league issued a
statement to the effect that the disaster
will in no way interfere with arrange
ments already made for the Republican
convention for housing and entertaining
| delegates.
| q The damage to the structure in which
the convention is to be held Is much less
than at first anticipated, will not exceed
$1,000, in repairs and can be completed
by the end Of next week. No one OF the
/ large hotels are injured. The section Of
| the city that held the brunt of the storm
includes but handful of houses that
have been placed in the list of contingent
extra accommodations for visitors.
Coroner Wait has held SO inquests. In
! each case was O Stereotyped verdict that
the deceased came to her or his death by
injuries received as result OF o tornado.
| About the Same number of inquests
were held in East St. Louis, the verdicts
being in similar terms
Workmen arc clearing away the
wreckage of the st. Louis Refrigerator
and Wooden Gutter Co. at the corner OF
Fourth and Park avenue as 1T is believed
over IS bodies are beneath the ruins. The
mass of debris Is so great that 1T Is not
believed the basement OF the building
will be reached inside of IL hours
The bodies of Miss lola Horn and
Emma Cheney, stenographers employed
by the Sawyer Manufacturing Co. at IS
Choteau avenue, who died clasped in
each others arms rest side by side on
mattress In a boarding house awaiting
authority from relatives.
Miss Minnie Conrad, daughter of Lieut..
Conrad of Jefferson barracks Is believed
to be among the killed. She left home
Wednesday afternoon and has not been
heard from since.
While workmen were digging in the
ruins of one Of the teneInents at 18th and
Rutger streets, they heard voice out,
"Please don't be so rough" An opening
| n ollric hOv
the spot from whence the voice Issued.
There ten-year old boy, leading three
girls about the same age, appeared. All
were upinjured, although they were weak
from hunger and confinement for nearly
48 hours. A shout Of joy went up from
the crowd and before the police could
ascertain any names, the little ones had
been carried away. Somebody asked the
lad how he came to be SO lucky, and he
replied: 'tWe just fell in soft place. "
Among the missing reported are George
Howard of Minneapolis, and Edward
Ray, stookholder Of the Massillon
Bridge Company of Robinson, Ills.
purchased by the River club, composed
of st. Louis millioraires, is reported
sunk with her. watchman, engineer and
cook The alarming rumor prevails
that q priest and several nuns are still
in the ruins of st. Henry's Roman Ca
| thOl1C c1uTCh, corner OF CallIOTnla ave-
nue. and Caroline streets.
General Manager Bryan Of the Termi-
nal Association, announced at noon that
all trains were running as usual over
the Eads bridge and the pedestrian road
way would be In shape for travel by We'd
nesday. He added that the loss was not
as great as at first reported, and the
total damage to buildings, rolling stock
and bridge would not exceed $780, 0O0.
A couple of hours after the power house
of the south side electric line had been
leyelled, with nine employees in the
ruins trampish looking individual vol
unteered to assist in the search. During
tho night four bodies were taken from
the debris and laid beside the rubbish.
The volunteer attempted to rifle the
clothing of the dead. He was caught
in the act by one of the searchers who
felled him with brick. Then with
cries Of "Lynch the thief" the entire
party Of seaFohe,s fell On and with kicks
the eouhl was killed and badly mangled.
The body was conveyed to the morgue
under the impression that it YVES the
| q IL.