The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-05-28

While Watching the st. Louis Horse Races,
1t Is Reported, n Hundred and Fifty
Lost Their Lives-The Steamer Great Re-
public, Crowded with Excursionists, Lost
with Every Soul on Board-Hospitals
overcrowded with the Manned, and the
Morgue Has Not Sufficient Space for the
Dead-Conflicting Reports of the Dis.
aster.
CHICAGO. May 2s.-One of the greatest
disasters of recent years overwhelmed the
city of st. Louis last evening in the shape
of cyclone, which began shortly after .
o'clock, and for thirty minutes tore its
awful way through the city with veloc-
ity of eighty miles an hour. Although re-
ports from there are very mcager, owing
to the almost total destruction of the tel
egraph wires, it seems certain that the
number Of dead and wounded will amount
to fully thousand, and the damage done
TO millions of dollars The city hospital
which fortunately survived the storm, is
filled to over1owing with maugled 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
reception of the dead.
In addition to those who were killed in
their houses and in the streets hundreds
of dead are beneath the waters of the Mis-
sissippi river. OF all the steamers on the
levee when the storm broke out but one is
now afloat. All the others have gone down,
in many instances every soul on board be-
ing lost, and in others not over two or
three being able to reach place of safety.
Among the boats destroyed is the excur-
sion steamer Great Republic, one Of the
largest steamers on the lower river Not
a man escaped from her, and it is said she
was crowded with eXcursionists when the
storm came.
The center of the city is wreck. Many
buildings have been demolished and others
wrecked. The streets are utterly impassa-
BILE to street cars and in many places pro-
gress on foot is a matter of great difficulty.
To add to the horrors of the night the elec-
trio light plants were rendered incapable
of service and the gas lamps were also
shut off, leaving the city in total darkness
Fire also broke put in several portions of
the city, and the fire department was una
bic to make an effective fight, because Of
the cholled condition Of the streets, and
the large number of firemen who were en-
gagged i'm the imperative work of rescuing
the dead and wounded.
The first authentic information from,
the stricken city last night was sent out
by the agent Of the Associated Press, who
managed to reach an outlying telegraph
office, and sent brief dispatch as follows:
"a tornado, blowing at the rate of over
nie,bt and raged for half nm bonr Win
great fnrv and as a result hundreds of
lives are lost ON both sides of the river
MANY buildinps are blown down and many
river steamers sunI, with all ON hoard II
&c imnossihIa mt tbe nresent time to cor-
rectIv estimate the number of lives last
ae he hosniteIs are filIed With iniurn1 and
The moronn is flIed win the slain while
great numbers of the dead and manned
are lring among the ruins i'm ou direo-
tioIs A nortion Of the o,st end of tha
E,ds b,iddsa l. das+ro,,ad tho GRAND stond
of the fai,. oerornds H. down the yoman,s
,o,.tio ON of tbe i,il is yonn ana the inn
mense CuppIes block is partially DESTROYED.
Tbe yVotars ana piorce works are brtrp-
ing and other builJin0s in various SEQ
lions of the citv are ON fire.
me Western Union comranv vannouncod
that because of its inability to keep mn IL
its wires it would be impossible TO send
OUT any more messages from st. Louis. or
its vicinity.
The reports regarding the duration Of
the storm are conflicting Abouts O'Clock
the operator ON the Wabash road or n
small station not far from East st. Louis !
managed to get the operator at Decatur |
his, long enough to send him word that
the roundhouse Of the Wabash road was |
blown down, and the freight house Of the |
Vandalia was wrecked and thirty-fve |
mon were killed in the ruins. After he had |
told this much the wire failed him.
Shortly after . o'clock the Wabash oper- |
,tor m Dacat1r rennrtod tn tha main AZ |