The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-29
STREETS ARE DESERTED
AND DARKNESS REIGNS.
Tireless Searehers for the Dead
Only Ones About.
LATER NEWS DOESN'T LESSEN
HORROR OF CATASTROPHE.

HORROR OF CATASTROPHE.
Summaries of the Dead and Injured Diff
fer With Different Authorities But
| A Reign of Terror in East st. Louis
Thugs and Body Robbers Getting in
Their Ghoulish work-Pitifu1 Stories
Connected With the Horror-Many of
the Steamers Safe.
| st. Louis, No., May 28.-A pail of
gloom and death hangs over the Mound
city tonight. Twenty-four hours have
scarcely been sufficient to bring It's peo-
pie to realization of the horror with
which the city has been visited. Save
| for the f1tful glare of gas jets in the win
dows of the saloons and restaurants and
| the lights of few hotels and other con-
Germs that operate their own plants, the
entire city is in darkness. In the devas-
tated district the search for the dead
buried in the ruins is being carried on
by the aid Of torches and locomotive
headlights. Details of police keep the
crowds back at a distance, while the air
is filed with shrieks and sobs, and
hysterioal lamentations of the bereaved
Ever and anon the changing of gong
Is heard In the distance and vehicles
and street cars come to stop while the
ambulance dashes by to add one more
victim to the hospitals.
The streets in the centre of the city,
! Usually active with pedestrians until
midnight, are deserted. save for those
whose avooations keep them from their
families or friends, while the summer
gardens and other points of entertain
ment are bare Of patrons.
Mourning and stupefection hns taken
possession of the city. Careful tabula-
tions of the information gathered by the
United Press shows that at 8 tonight
there were ia victims identified. Eff
teen still await Identification. Most of
oAo OoA1O5 OAssAAA2o4 AoVS OoCu AOlAONOo W
their late homes. The number nlissin &,
the majority supposedly being in the
ruins of the industrial establishments
and residences totally demolished, is va
riously estimated at from 80 to 500. Only
complete search of the acres of ruins
can tell the true story, for the people in
the stricken regions are utterly unable
to tell coherent story.
] Men and women reported among the
missing are continually putting In an
appearance and many believed to be
safe turn out to be among the missing.
In the matter of age, the dead ran ge
from male baby of three months to a
great grandmother of 90.
The number Of the injured reported to
the police up to the same hour, foots up
189. OF these five are unconscious and
unidentified. The injuries range from
slight cuts to one unfortunate, reported
to have sustained the loss of both eyes
and the fracture of his skull, both arms
and legs and ribs.
Of the liss Of injured, which is about
one-fourth of probably the total, an over
| whelming majority are of those caught
in the tornado, having found their way to
| their homes. Nearly hundred are re-
ported by the physicians as fatally in
jured. These figures relate to the city
proper.
On the other side of the river in East
ST. Louis, where the elements gathered
themselves together for supreme effort
to destroy life and property, the latest
reports to the United Press place the
total of deaths and missing at 205, in
jured at II.
| Another tabulation made this evening
by the st. Louis Chronicle, gives these
| figures: Identified dead in ST. Louis,
la1; unidentified, 80; injured. 447; East
ST. Louis, 1879; unidentified, 1876; injured,
1853. Total number of fam lilies without
homes and whose every article of effects
were swept away by the storm is esti-
mated from 500 to 5000. 1t will be several
days before a complete and reliable list
can be made. A reign of terror reigns in
East ST. Louis. The place has been cut
off from communication with this city
| n4aOo lhHG ulEuU, d boCUAOh VI pAo OPp0E
portion of Eads Bridge having been car
ried away while guards were stationed at
either end to prevent pedestrians using
the foot bridge.
The thieves and toughs of the oity rein
forced by scores from the country, start
ed in this afternoon to pillage the over
turned trucks in the streets and freight
cars on the sidings filed with valuable
merchandise, groceries and provisions.
The small police force, which had been
detailed to aid the injured and assist 10
searching the ruins was powerless to
prevent the pillaging.