The Daily Texarkanian., 1896-05-29
ST. LOUIS CYCLONE.
The Destruction of Property
Very Great-in the Mil
lions of Dollars.
THE NUMBER OF KILLED
Estimated at From One to
four Hundred.
THE GREATEST DAMAGE
Was Done to the Shipping and Tele'
graph Companies.

The first train from st Louis, to
arrive here since the cyclone there,
came in this morning at $40, bear
ing the ST. Louis papers.
The Republic gives the death rate
at from 200 to 400, while the Globe
Democrat places it at 100.
No correct estimate can be given
as to the number killed, as many
boats were capsized and blown down
the river for miles, and many no
doubt, were blown in the river and
drowned, and no one will ever know
where or how they met death.
The loss and damage to property
will foot up into the millions, and
it will take time and much money
to repair damages and replace bull
dings destroyed.
The west approach to the Eads
bridge was torn away, and all trans
from the east and those to depart
over this bridge are held for the
want of means to make the crossing
of the Mississippi river.
The shipping on the river front
suffered great damage as every
boat, tug or fotilla, was blown
from its moorings and either sunk
or damaged.
The telephone, telegraph, and
electric railroad companies had all
their wires blown down and twisted
into indescribable mass and tan
gle and the lines will have to be re-
established by new wires almost en-
tirely.
Among the largest building des-
troyed we're the Meyer & Light
tobacco factory, where many lives
were lost under the falling walls.
The Refrigerator and Wooden
Gutter Company building was set
on fire and destroyed by the light
ming or crossing of electric wires.
The City Hospital suffered much
damage from the cyclone and many
lives were lost.
Part OF the jail was blown away
and a regular panic took possession
of the prisoners and it took fifty
policemen with drawn revolvers to
keep them in check.
Many large buildings were greatly
damaged by having the roofs torn
away and cornices twisted and the
small shanties in the storms track
were completely demolished.
4 The first rumors sent out were
greatly enlarged on the statement
now received, still the reports COM
ing direct from st. Louis makes it
awful to contemplate.
The storm struck st. Louis at
sos in the evening from the western
part of this city. The st. Louis
Republic says;
"At the first contact the air grew
darker and across the green sky
there seemed to be torn a rent of
white light twisting and turning
from north to south that was visible
nearly 10 seconds. 1t was binding,
but in the momentary glimpse that
could be had of the attacking ele
ments by its assistance it was seen
that a long cloud shaped more like
a big sausage than anything else
was rapidly forming and that one
end of it was descending toward the
earth. All was confusion IN the
skies. Stray masses of cloud, float
ing away Off from the center of dis
turbance seemed to take life sud-
denly and fairly sail across the
horizon to Join the destructive mass
in process of formation.
At $40, while darkness was swiftly
settling down over the roofs of the
city, a slight rain was seen coming
from the South, the wind seemed to
shift to the East and the great
army of the elements suddenly took
up the march away toward the
West, The rain from the South
came slowly but the register in the
office showed the wind had increased
in velocity to 81 miles an hour,
Away below in the streets people
could be'seen scurrying to places of
safety and the street cars were
compelled to wait long on the corr
ners for the crowds desiring to get
aboard Signs began to creak and
swing wildly and strange blue balls
began to fash along the telegraph
and trolley wires"
We deeply sympathiae with st,
Louis at It's awful visitation and
hope it may never be its fate to
have another such catastrophe.
LATER.
To lays Dallas News says over
four hundred persons were killed,
and gives most OF their names and
property loss over twenty millions