Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-05-28
1000 KILLED AT ST. LOUIS
A Death Dealing Tornado Strikes
Missouri and Illinois.


Another chapter of death has been
added to the already appalling record
of destruction by the elements. This
time Missouri and Illinois were visited
by destructive cyclones. The city Of
st Louis suffering heavily.
Chicago, May 27.-One of the great
est disasters of recent years over
whelmed the city Of st. Louis tonight
IN the shape of a cyclone, which began
about o'clock. and for thirty min.
utes tore its awful way through the
center of the city with a velocity Of
over eighty miles per hour.
Although reports from there are very
meagre, owing to the almost total de-
struction OF telegraph wires, it seems
certain that the number of dead and
wounded will amount to fully 900 end
the damage doue to millions of dollars.
The city hospital, which fortunately
survived the storm, is filed to over
flowing with mangled men, women and
children and the morgue within two
hours after the end Of the storm was
so full of corpses that it was necessary
to provide other quarters for the re-.
ception of the dead.
III addition to those who were killed
in their houses and in the street, hun
dreds Of the dead are beneath the
waters Of tie Mississippi
OF all The steamers on the levee when
the storm broke out, but one is now
afoat.
All the others have gone down.
In many instances, every soul on
board was lost.
In Others not over two or three were
able to reach places of safety.
Among the boats destroyed is the ex-
cursion steamer, Great Republic, one
OF the largest steamers on the lower
river and which ordinarily carried
$500 people.
Not man escaped from her and II
4
was said she was crowded with excur-
sionists when the storm came.
The center OF the city is wreck
Many buildings have been demolisb-
ed and Others are partially wrecked.
The streets are utterly impossible to
street cars aud in many places progress
OH foot is matter Of the greatest
difficulty.
To add to the horrors of the night,
the electric light plants were rendered
incapable of service and gas lamps
were also shus off, leaving the city in
total darkness.
Fire also broke out in several por-
tions of the city and the fire depart
ment was unable 10 make an effective
fight because Of the checked up condi-
ton OF the streets. A large number
Of liremen were engaged in the work
of rescuing tile dead and wounded.
The only authentic information
sent out from the stricken city tonight
was by an agent of the associated press
who managed TO reach an outlying
telegraph Office ard send Il brief dis.
patch as follows:
st. Louis, May GA tordadp blow
ing at the rate of eighty miles an hour
struck st. Louis at 5:l5 O'clock this
evening and ragged for half an hour
with great fury.
AS result 1000 were killed and in
jured. Hundreds of lives were lost on
both sides Of the river. A great mum.
Der of buildings were blown down.
Several river steamers were sunk
with all on board.
Al present it is impossible to more
than roughly estimate the number of
lives lost. The hospitals are full Of the
injured and the morgue contains many
dead, while numerous slain lie every
where among the ruins Of demolished
buildings.
A portion Of the east end of the
great Eads bridge is destroyed.
1t is reported that an Alton train
from Chicago to st. Louis was blown
into the river with section of bridge
and 200 lives were lost