The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1896-05-30
THE ST. LOUIS CYCLONE.
Three Hundred and Fifteen Persons
Known TO Have Boon Killed.
Even Greater Number Injured, and Many
as the Manned Cannot survivs-Eiuns
dreds Of Homss In Ruins and Scores
OF Manufacturing and Business
Houses Wrecked.


will never be known, 1t is believed that
1t will approximate 400 in the two cities.
The number Of the injured is even
larger, and many OF the MANNED cannot
survive. The property loss will reach
we'll into the millions, but insurance
people, hremen and police alike refuse
to hazard even q guess at accurate
figures. The uncertainty regarding |
loss Of life and property is due mainly |
to the wide extent Of the havoc wrought |
by the storm.
The miles OF wrecked buildings as yet
unexplored and the numerous collapsed
factories. toward the Investigation OF
which little progress has been made,
may hide almost any nun Der of bodies,
as the police have been unable to Sc
cure anything like an accurate list OF
the missing. In the factory districts
many Of the employees on duty at the
time the storm broke were without rela-
tives in the city, and their disappear
ance would certainly not bo noted, oven
though they be buried in the ruins. 1t
is believed by the police, too, that
owing to the suddenness with which tho
crash came many tramps or homeless
ones sought shelter among the buildings
which were leveled and that nothing
will be known OF their death until per-
haps weeks hence their bodies are
found. The list at Q o'clock OF known
dead in st. Louis Is 1863 and In East ST.
Louis LAG.
Crowded with sightseers.
The city Is in darkness tonight All
over tho stricken district the debris
choked streets are crowded with sight.
seers, and through the dim gaslit
morgues In tho east end OF the city and
the morgue at Twelfth street constant
stroam of people is urged forward by
aisles OF police.
Many OF the handsome residences in
Fourteenth street and about Lafayette
Park arc ruined, but the most damage
was done on Sixth, Seventh, Eighth
and Ninth, south along Choteau, along
the tenement district Houses are to bo
seen In all stages Of demolition from
loss OF roof to complete destruction. In
some OF them the front walls had
fallen out and the tenants performed
their household duties, cared for the in
jured, and mourned their dead In view
OF the crowds in the streets.
The most furious work OF the storm
was along Ruiger street, Lafayette
and Choteau avenues and contiguous
thoroughiares east OF jefferson avenue.
Most Remarkable Freak.
Tho wreck OF tho city hospital Is SC
surrounded by wreckage thatitis barely
possible to reach 1t. by far the most
remarkable freak Of the storm was at
this many.winged house. About two
hundred patients we're scattered through
the wards when the tornado struck, but
although the entire upper story was
cut off clean and one wing razod, but
one inmate was killed. The victim was
located In one Of tho upper stories and
was killed by flying brick In the de-
molished wing. The walls fell out, the
roof came straight down upon the foun.
dations and there resting upon sound
bed castings, enabled tho patients to be
rescued without serious injury. The
entire building was rendered useless,
and the tottering walls will be torn
down and a new structure built.
The path of tho storm is about half q
mile wide and four miles long, sweep
ing through the thiclsly populated
sou uthwestern portion Of Eastland and
across the river into East st. Louis.
| Loss Estimated at saS. 100000.
Col. wettmore, manager of the Lig.
gett & Myers tobacco plant, which was
wrecked, estimates the entire property
damage at s25, ,OoO,O which will be, ht
says, almost total loss owing to The
lack Of cyclone insurance. Other esti
mates range from sl5,ooO,O 900 to $50, 900.
900, but the majority are close to tina
made by Col. Wettmore.
East st. Louis In Ruins
East st. Louis Is in ruins TIL,
cyclone which swept down on the citl
last night obliterated block after blocl
OF business houses and dwellings ant
left behind in its trail of death score
Of human beings buried beneath th,
walls OF the nattened buildings O
crushed to death in the streets by tn,
flying debris. The improvised morgue
and hospitals are fairly packed with th,
dead, some crushed and battered out o
all human shape, and through then
flow q steady stream OF hysterica
women and grim-faced men looking TO
their missing ones. 1t is almost impos
sible to make an accurate estimate o
those killed. At the various morgue
and st. Mary's Hospital there are fifty
six, and six are in the Big Four freight
house ruins. How many there arc scat
tered about the city 10 private houses /
is impossible to tell but conservative
estimate would place the total numbe
at least at $50.
The scene is simply appalling. Fror
the river bank to the National stoc
yards, distance OF overa mile, scarcel
building is left standing. The creates
slaughter was done on the island sc
called. Here we're located the vandali
freighthouse and general offices, the rive
boats warehouses and humble abodes g
workingmen. Nothing Is left standing
The places where formerly houses an
freight depots stood were literally swer
by the fury OF the storm. In tn, Var
dalia general Offices there were fror
twenty to twenty-five killed Th
..bodies OF sofheof these are still hpneAt
the broken rafters and bricks. Tn
monetary loss can not be rstfrEatad, bu
! II will run into the millions.
.