The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-29

ST. Louis. May .s-when darkness tenn
porarily interrupted The search for storm
victims tonight SIS people we're known TO
be dead on both sides Of the river. and.
although the complete dead list will never
be known, IL Is believed that 10 Will sp-
proximate 100. The number OF injured 10
even larger. and many OF the MANNED can
not survive. The property loss viii reach
well into the millions. bat insurance peo-
nie firemen and police alike. refuse 10
hazard even guess at accurate nrures
The uncertainty regarding loss of lie and
property Is due mainly 20 the vide extent
OF the havoc wrought hv the storm.
The miles of wrecked buildings As YET
unex piored and the numerous collapsed
factories. toward the Investigation OF
which little progress has been made. may
hide almost any number OF bodies. A. the
police have been unable to secure anything
like an accurate list OF the missing. In the
factory disiricts many Of the employees on
duty at the time the storm broke were
without relatives in the city. and their
d.sappearance would scarcely be noted.
even though they were buried I'm the ruins.
II is believed by the police that. owing TO
the suddenness with which the crash came.
many tramps and homeless ones sought
shelter among the buildings which were
ieveied, and thai nothing will be known
of their death until perhaps weeks hence.
The list of known dead in st. Louis 10
lss and In East St. Louis lss.
The city is In darkness tonight. repairs
of the electric wires having scarcely been
begun, and but few of the trolley lines
are running. All over the stricken district
the dehris-choked streets are crowded with
slgntseers and through the dim gas-iighf-
ed aisles OF the city morgue at Twelfth
street a constant stres m OF people is urged
forward by lines of police.
Hundreds OF homes are IN ruins. dozens
Of manufacturing plants and dozens OF
business houses are wrecked. many steam
boats are gone 10 the bottom nf tho river.
and others are tItsman,ied; railroads OF aii
kinds have suffered great loss. and wire
and polc-using companies have weeks OF
toll and large expenditures of money to
face before they win be In satisfactory
shape again.
The mos, furious work Of tho storm WIS
along Rutger street. Lafayette and Cho-
tesu avenues and the continuous thorough
fsres east Of Jefferson avenue. The houses
are In the streets. with the roofs UNDER
meath. buried by bricks and mortar. Uu-
der the bricks and mortar ARE household
goods OF every description. and on top OF
all are uprooted trees and tangled masses
OF wires. There IL not a tree or a building
standing In Lafayette park
The wreck Of the city hospital u 50 sur
sibie TO reach IT, BY far the most remark
able freak Of the storm was af this many
winged house. About no patients were
scattered through the ware when the tor
nado struck. and. although the entire up
per story was cut of clean and one wing
raxei TO the ground. but one inmate WAS
killed. Tire victim was located In ore os
the upper stories. and was killed by a ny
Ing brick when the walls fell out The
roof came straight down upon the foun6a-
ti5ns. and, thereafter resting upon sound
bed castings, enabled the patients 20 he
rescued without serious injury. The buia-
Ing will have 10 be torn doxn and a new
structure built
Many hands 5me tesidencss on Fourteenth
street and about Lafayette park ara
ruined. and the most damage was done on
Sixth, Seventh. Eighth and Ninth south
along Choteau avenue Houses are TO ba
seen In all stages OF demolition, from loss
OF roof 70 complete destruction. In soma
OF them the front walls had fallen out and
the tenants performed their houAeho dt-
ties. cared for their injuries ar mourned
their dead In view Of the crowds In the
streets. Prom the doors Of many Of The
partially wreckes houses sustered the
black badge u mourning, ard scarcely a
house IN all the district de not have
son1s injured relative. friend or nesshbor
within It's wind-batterea walls
The path OF the storm wzs ahou, half
nile wi6e and over four miles long. sweep
ing through the tsiekly populasei SOUTH
west portion % Eastlznd and across the
river into Eas, 81 Louis
Gel Wstuore. manager os the f.iggett 4
Myers iataeco piact. which ass wrecked,
estimates the entire property damage =.
81. ga 90. which xii -. Re says almost .
tstal Iess. owing 20 The lack OF cyclone IN
sslr.ncr. Otber estimates range from IS.
s0sa 90 80 fsa.sss but TIRE majority Of
thern are close 20 that made by Col Wet
more.
The mos. Wholesale slaughter was a.
Seventh ard Rutger streets, where tnsr-
teen persons x-re crushed 70 Death IN the
Manesa raer saloon ard boarding house.
Mary athers are kBown 70 se buried In al
tscenf houses on Puts~r street The rain
was 80 complete that the police ard voian-
tesrr dis rot know where 20 hegln the
work OF e5sarsng away the debris.
A big gang % ussn q putting 90 the torn
down poles za1 wires. zn6 eandne.ors and
rroforrssn are cies-ln& the wresksxe from
the tracks. The 5cuiisr stree. railroad xys-
ten ssx met with almost irrSpsrabie Jam
age. The power house OF South Jefferson
avenue - blown te pieces. hardly a vail
standing. The estimated Joss Of fns SeuI-
In system ss between frd 90 ans ts9g1e
TIE storm was raost peculiar, and scarce
ty two people in all the city sgr@e az 80