The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-06
THE WEEKS NEWS.
TUESDAY. JUNE 2.
The st. Louis Tornado.

The st. Louis Tornado.
WHAT seemed to be three distinct
tornadoes struck the city of st. Louis,
Wednesday, May 81, at 5.15 in the after
noon. 1t came from the northwest,
west and southwest and when it reached
the Mississippi river became one. which
descended upon East st. Louis and from
thence passed toward Alton. The day
was oppressive and people suffered from
the heat. About four o'clock the entire
western horizon was banked with clouds.
These piled one upon another. with curl
ing edges tinged with yellow. A light
wind sprang up and suddenly darkness
enveloped the city, increasing until the
storm broke. At the first alarm thous.
ands of people, who we're in the streets
and pleasure resorts, in light river
crafts, or at work in the great mercantile
houses, began Fastening to their homes
and other points of shelter. These cir
cumstances aided in swelling the loss of
life. The descent of the storm was so
sudden that fleeing women and children
were caught in the streets and hurled to
destruction or buried under falling walls.
Before the mass of clouds in the west,
hanging over the villages of Clayton,
Ferneridge, Eden and Central gave vent
to their frightful contest, tunnels shot
out from them. Some of these seemed
to be projected to the earth; others
leaped into the air, twisting and turning,
lighting played about them. 1t was a
marvellous electrical display. Then
came the cloudburst.
The funnel enveloped the western side
of the city, and in thirty minutes there
was wreckage from the destruction in
the business section. Massive stone
fronts were caved in, iron beams carried
blocks distant from where picked up.
The destruction on the river will never
be known, as many river crafts were
sunk during the storm with all on board.
The number missing the majority sup
posedly being in the ruins OF the indus.
trial establishments and dwellings that
were totally demolished, is variously es.
timated at from so to 500. Only COM
plete search of the acres of the ruins can
tell the true story. for the people in the
stricken regions are utterly unable to
tell a coherent story. Men and women
reported as among the missing are con-
tinually appearing, while. on the other
hand. many believed to be safe, turn out
to be among the missing.
The entire number of dead in ST..
Louis and vicinity is estimated at 500,
and the injured, it is believed, will ex
coed 1000. The injuries range from slight
cuts and Commissions to one unfortunate
who is reported as having sustained the
loss of both eyes and the fracture of his
skull, both arms and legs and ribs. OF
the list of injured, nearly 100 are re-
ported by the physicians as fatally" in
jured or injured internally"
These figures related to the city
proper. On the other side of the river,
in East st. Louis, ILL.,. where the elements
gathered themselves together for su-
preme effort toward destruction of life
and property. the latest reports to the
United Press place the total of deaths
and missing at 2O5 and the injured
at II.
Another tabulation made Friday
evening by 1.-THE st. Louis Chronicle"
gives these figures: Identified dead in
st. Louis, 121; unidentified, 80; injured,
447. In East st. Louis: Dead, 100; un.
identified, 125; injured, 15S.
The total number of families who are
without homes. and whose every article
of household effects was swept away by
the storm. is variously estimated at from
500 to 800. 1t will be several days be-
fore complete and trustworthy list can
be made.
IL PAOPOhtiOh W ito 5AAos tAO LdtdllLl05
and losses in East Louis exceed those on
the west side of the river. The larger
part of the central section of the city is
RACED to the ground, while on the flats
along the river bank to the north of the
Eads Bridge not house is left stan ding
In the latter section the loss of life is
terrible. Scarcely a family seems to
have escaped without some member
being killed; while in many instances
whole households we're wiped out of ex.
istence. The dead in the city will ex-
coed 200. Along the river bank were To-
Gated several railroad freight houses
and offices.