The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-06-04

women and grim-faced men lookins
lor their missing ones. 1t is almos
impossible to make an accurate esti
mate OF those killed. At the yariou,
morgues and at st. Mary's hospital
tnere are 56. six are in the Big Fou,
freight house ruins, but how many
more there are scattered about the CITY
IN private houses it is impossible tc
tell. A conservative estimate would
place the total at least $50.
The scene is simply appalling.
FROM the river bank to the national
stockyards, distance of over a mile.
scarcely building is left standing.
The greatest slaughter was done on the
island so-called. Here was located the
Vandalia freight house and general
offices, the river boats warehouses and
humble abodes of workingmen. Moth.
ing is left standing, the places where
formerly houses and freight depots
stood being literally swept by the fury
of the storm.
In the Vandalia general offices alone
there are from twenty to twenty. five
killed, the bodies of some of whom are
still buried beneath the broken rafters
and bricks.
The monetary loss cannot be esti.
mated. but it will run into the
millions.
The storm struck at the big eleva-
tors, 800 yards below the Eads bridge.
followed the river to the Eads bridge,
started diagonally toward the relay
depot and continued ON to Collinsville
avenue, then lifted and dropped again
at the National stokyards.
In comparison to it's size, the fatal.
ties in East st. Louis greatly exceed
those on this side of the river. The
larger part of the central portion of the
city is RACED to the ground, while on
the flats along the river bank north of
the Eads bridge, not a house is left
standing. The loss of life is terrible.
Scarcely one family seems to have es.
capped without some member being
killed, while many households were
wiped out of existence.
Nothing whatever remains of Broad
way from the river to the viaduct,
and on the east side, for width Of
probably 600 yards, there is absolutely
no semblance Of house, freight shed
or cars left standing. Cars in the
yards were thrown on their sides, ends,
on top OF each other, into the ponds
on the island, and COM
pletely wrecked.
At the Vandalia yard the loss of life
and the number injured is very great.
Nothing remains of the relay depot to
mark where it stood.
The river front for over 1000 yards
is great mass OF wreckage. Steam
boats, ferryboats, transfers and tugs
are piled up in an indiscriminate pile,
some partly submerged, others high
and dry on the shore.
Every undertaking establishment ia
an improvised morgue, and the hos
pitfalls are full of the injured. At st.
Mary's there were probably 60 pa
tients, with some SO seriously hurt
they cannot recover. One little suffer-
or lay moaning. She was picked up
in front of house without stitch of
on her little body. She is in
injured and will die. The
mother lies near, badly hurt. At the
police station little could be learned
but that could be seen at the hospitals
and morgue.
1t will be several days before the ex-
act situation is known. The search for
the dead is still going on, but it is
slow work. There is yet too much
confusion to proceed Systematically.
The steamers Pittsburg, of the Dia-
mond 10 line, the City of Vicksburg,
and City of Providence, of the Column
bia Excursion Company, the City of
Monroe, of the Anchor line, and all
sorts of small craft were pitched and
tossed about until final blast sent
them from their moorings. They were
swept across the river and struck the
Illinois bank few blocks from each
other. The loss of life on these boats
is thought to be slight, as every body
was cautioned not to jump and they
would be brought safely to land.
The City of Vicksburg is almost a
total wreck. The City of Providence
was blown up on the Illinois bank.
Her rudder is gone and cabin and
were blown away before
The parted from her wharf.
The Harvester, of the Mississippi
Valley Transportation Company, was
blown from its dock and carried down
The river. A river man said that
81 500, 900 would not repair and re-
place the boats alone that figured in
disastrous storm.
As an instance, it may be stated that
;wo large barges belonging to the
Valley Transportation
Company. and holding 104, 600 bushels
If wheat, the property of the White.
Commission Company, were blown
away.
An appeal issued at midnight by the
East ST. Louis relief committee plainly
shows the situation in their stricken
,ity.
Four hundred members of the Mis-
souri, National Guard, in addition to
The same number of st. Louis police,
are patrolling the wrecked district to-
night. By tomorrow many more mi
litia will be on duty. This is in ac-
,ordance with an order issued by May
Dr. Waldridge this evening, and is done
to protect the exposed parts Of the
city, which attract the criminal ele-
ment from all over the surrounding
A few minutes after the cyclone
passed fires broke out all over the city.
Alarms were sounded, but usually in
vain, as the fire-engine houses could
NOT be communicated with. The fire.