The Van Buren press., 1896-05-30
~., are the only Pills 10 Jake

that city are scores buried where the
bodies will not be brought to light for
many days, perhaps never. 1t was the
most disastrous storm from every point
of view in the history of the city. The
storm did little damage in the business
and north portion of city, save along
the river front, where the damage can
not be estimated nor will 1t ever be
known just how money gave up their
lives in the waters of the Mississippi
when the tornado came down and tore
all the boats In the harbor from their
mornings. The channel is full of
wreckage.
OF the destruction of property there
can be no satisfactory estimate given.
The loss in extent and character Is
beyond conception. In the flashes of
lightning last night the City Hospital
looked like ruin. The new surgical
ward was partly demolished. Portions
of the other buildings were unroofed.
Walls were cracked. Even in the
darkness the physicians began the
removal of the patients to temporary
quarters, fearful the strained structures
would go down in general collapse.
There were $50 sick people in the
hospital when the storm came. Some
gathered strength in their fright and
ran shrieking from the place, finding
shelter on the outside. Thirteen were
injured in one ward.
Convention hall and the -Four Courts
were in the path of the cloud as ii
passed from the city hospital toward
the river. Convention hall lost part
of the roof at the eastern end, was
punctured in several places by flying
timbers, and sustained some derange
ment of the interior. Ten days work
and the expenditure of $4,000 will make
the hall good again. A section of the
brick wall of the Jail went down, and
the prisoners were panic stricken.
In the district between Sixth street
and the river and northward from
Chouteau avenue, the tornado tore 8
diagonal path. The district comprises
business houses, many of them of the
older type. Every building within the
path sustained damage. Smekestacki
and chimneys were toppled over
Walls were leveled. Roofs were lifted
Thousands of windows were smashed
Miles of telegraph and telephone wires
were left in net work on the ground
Through this district the streets ar
impossible. They are covered in places
with debris ten feet thick.
Along the levee front the hawsers
snapped and boats were sent adrift
some to go down, others to go ashor,
on the eastern bank. The loss of lif,
which might have taken place at thi
point was averted by the hour at which
the tornado came. A little later tn,
excursion steamers would have beef
going out None of them had left tn,
wharf. An up river passenger boa
had gone an hour before, and, although
not heard from, probably had passed
beyond the path of the storm. TIL,
death dealing cloud crossed the rive
at such an angle as to strike and wrecl
the upper works at the east end of thu
Eads bridge, and to sweep part o
East st. Louis. The list of the kille'
and injured on the east side of the rive
will not be complete until hours of day
light permit effective search of tn
ruins. Enough is known, however, t.
show that more lives have been lost Oh
the east side than upon the west side
The list of killed may exceed fifty. Tn
injured number hundreds. Perhap
the most impressive evidence of tn
storm clouds force is to be seen in tn
wrench of the eastern end of the Fad
bridge. There the tornado dealt witt
stone masonry. 1t tumbled off an,
wrecked tons on tons of this masonry
Beginning with the big eastern pier an
extending to the foot of the inclin
there is nothing but wreck.
The cyclone left st. Louis almost a
the mercy of the flames. Within fey
minutes after the cyclone had spent it
fury fires broke out all over the city
Alarms were sounded, but in most case
they were sounded in vain, as the fir
engine houses could not be communi
Gated with. And even when the alarr
was given the fire apparatus had to pic
its way through the binding rain
among meshes of tangled live wires
the scene of the blaze. In many in
stances the engines were brought in
round about way, only to find tn
water plugs useless when the fire wa
reached. The rain helped material
to quench the fires, and at midnight a
the fires which broke out early in til
evening were reported out or under con
troll.
STEAMER REPUBLIC SAFE.
There were rumors that the excursio
steamer Grand Republic, belonging
the Columbian Excursion Company
had gone to the bottom with 81
excursionists. An officer of the com
pany denied this today. He said tn
boat left st. Louis at noon to go
Alton, where it was engaged for a
excursion at 8 o clock last night. TIL
storm might have blown the boat away
but in such exigency only the cre'
could have been imperilled and thes
men could all have swan to safety.