The herald., 1896-06-01
VISITING THE RUINS
I thousands of Sightseers Find ST. Louis very
Dismal

Thousands of Sightseers Find ST. Louis Very
Dismal
SIT LOUIS. May 31-Every railroad
entering this storm m-stricken city ran eX-
cursion trains today. This brought scores
of thousands of SightSeerS to view the
devastation wrought by the awful storm
of Wednesday. The streets of the rum
ed district were thronged with visitors
all day. They came from almost every
town and city within radius OF 5oo
miles, and nearly all day cold drlzzl1nS
rain fell. Lowering, threatening clouds
covered the sky, and a more dismal
scene than the ruined portion of the city
presented could scarcely be imagined.
And through the crowded streets a. day
came funeral professions. Nearly iVo
burial permits were issued by the health
department yesterday. and every hearse
in the city was in constant use To-Day,
carrying victims of the storm TO thef
graves.
At early dawn people began to crowd
into the city morgue. Many came IN
search of friends, but for the most part
the people who visited that charnel
house were drawn by morbid desire TO
see the mangled corpses of the unfor-
tunate victims of the tornado. All day
long the officers on duty were busy Keep
ing the people moving in line in and out
of the viewing room of the morgue
Every few minutes some one would
In1Ilh IIey 1ldu ulsCONtlCu OhS
whom they knew among the bodies ex-
posed to view. The superintendent Of
the morgue had a trying time in answer
ing question in regard to the bodies, and
taking names and descriptions of per-
sons who have not been seen by their
friends since the storm. There were
people there from all points in all direc-
tions, far and near. Chicago Cincin-
natl, Louisville, Indianapolis. Kansas
City and thousand small places were
represented. From each town came anx-
ious people inquiring for lost friends.
Although four days have come and
gone since the tornado, the labor Of the
city officials in clearing away the de-
bris is scarcely perceptible. The city
at night goes without street lamps,
either gas or electric. The only light
afforded is that furnished by private
electric plants, and the principal streets
are in darkness. The street railway
companies have had hundreds of men
at work repairing the damage to their
power houses and trolley wires and to-
day nearly all the principal lines We're
in operation. But the work that has
been done is so meager when compared
with that which remains that there is
scarcely any perceptible Improvement.
The telephone service is practically par
alyzed, although the telephone company
has hundreds of men 1t work repairing
the damage to it's wires. Hundreds of
demolished buildings have not been
touched. No one can tell if the ruins
conceal the bodies of victims of the
storm. Some of the local papers have
been severe in their denunciation of the
mayor of the city for not being active
in restoring order in the storm swept
district. Whether this is due to the
fact that the ruins conceal human bod
les or time alone can tell.
The work Of searching in the ruins of
the old city hospital for victims of the
storm began today with force of labor
ers Superintendent of the Workhouse
Carr, with a gang of fifty negro prison.
ers and an outfit of carts and the neceS-
sary implements for a successful pros
ecution arrived on the scene early in the
morning. Besides the force of workhouse
laborers thirty laborers from the sewer
department were also placed at work
among the ruins.
The searchers were divided into sew
eral squads. distributed over the ground /
in places that it was believed would be |
most productive of results. A half doz- |
en- guards, armed with double barreled |
shotguns, kept a close watch over the !
workhouse prisoners to prevent any at
tempt to escape. The work of searching |
for bodies was conducted in a thorough |
manner and with a pleasing absence of |
that slip-shod method so apparent in |
other locations in the South End. Ev-
cry pile of rubbish heaped upon the !
ground side of the walls was first |
searched, and then the debris remaining |
upon the floors that We're still standing |
was similarly searched and thrown !
aside. clearing the entire space within |
the walls.
The whole place was gone over with
out disclosing q trace of a human BODY. /
The authorities at Jefferson barracks |
have notified the central relief com |
mittee that force of troopers will bring |
up to the wrecked districts a large num- |
Der of tents tomorrow and establish a |
commissary for the purpose of furnish
ing cooked food for the needy. The |
cavalry cooks and camp men will do the |
work.
The number of persons and families |
who are still without homes and with |
out the means of getting them is great |
In scores of instances families OF day !
laborers had all their household goods |
destroyed. and they have no means of |
replacing them. Among people of this |
class there has already been much suf- /,
fering and the relief furnished has been |
inadequate. Half a dozen wagons were |
IN use today distributing food to the |
hungry. Over 100 teams We're kept |
busy moving furniture from wrecked |
buildtnss for those who did not have |
the means to pay for van. There We're |
hundreds of them. The most activity |
IN that direction was in the Soulard dis |
trlct.
There are hundreds of people who |
need clothing and need it abdly, and the |
supply on hand is meager
A vast throng of excursionsts from |
the rural districts of Missouri and Illi- |
nois made East st. Louis their Mecca |
TO-DAY, and it is estimated 1900 people |
viewed the ruins of the storm.
Tne bodies of Adolph Anshcl, Mrsc. !
Ellen Hennessy, and John Kelly were |
recovered from the ruins today.
AID FROM CHICAGO
CHICAGO. May 31.--Philip w. Ayres |
the scientific philanthropist of the civic |
federation. has gone to East St Louis |
to see what charity is needed among the |
sufferers from the tornado. He was sent |
by the committee Of the organizations |
under which he works. 1t is the inten- |
tion of this division to offer to act as a |
general distributing body in case he |
shall report that the stories of destitu- |
tion are not exaggerated.
IN THE PHI pit