The evening times., 1896-05-28
THE FIRST ACCOUNT.
Telegraph story of the Disaster Sent
Out Early This Morning.

Out Early This Morning
St Louis, No., May 2S.-Tbc list OF dead
discovered 81 far falls below the first esti-
mates. but is long enough to be appalling
Crushed beneath falling walls, hurled
against the sides OF buildings, struck by
flying tinbers, cut by shattered glass,
shocked by the network OF electric wires,
humanity suffered in ways innumerable.
The names OF all the injured will never be
known. Enough were recorded at the dis
pensaries last night to show how widespread
was the tornadu's effect.
Ol tGe u,stiu, tiuu Y. property there can
be no satisfactory estimate given. The
loss in extent and cha cter is Dc yOnd COLI
cep,ion- In the flashes OF lightning last
night at the city hospital IL locked like
rum The new surgical ward was par
tally demolished. Portions of the other
buildings were Tnro roofed- Walls were
cracked There were 45O sick people IN
the hospital when the storm came. Sotne
gathered sire ugth in their fright and ran
shriekins from the place, finding shelter
on the outside. Thirteen were injured IN
the ward.
CONVENTION HALL ROOF GONE.
The convention hall and the Four Courts
were in the path OF the cloud as IL passed
from the Ci,y hospital toward the river.
Convention hall lost Fart or the roof at
the eastern end, was punctured in several
places by flying Iimbers and sustained some
arrangement OF the interior. Ten days
WORK VIII kt t1e HIN "A stS-
ton 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 Cheteau ave
nue. the tornado tore IA dia gohal path The
district comprises business houses, many
of them OF the older type. Every building
within the path sustained damage. Smoke
stacks and chimneys were toppled over,
walls leveIed. roofs lifted, thousands OF
windows smashed. miles OF telegraph and
telephone wires LEFT in network on the
ground.
Through this district the streets were
iuipa ssable. They are covered in places
with debris ten feet deep. Along the leyee
front the hawsars snapped and boats were
sent adrift, some to go down.
The loss OF life which might have taken
place at this point was averted by the
hour at which the tornado came. One up
river passenger boat had gone an hour
before. and although not heard from, prob
ably had passed beyond the path or the
storm Tue death-dealing cloud crossed
the river at such an angle as to strike
end of the Eads Bridge and 10 sween a
part of East st. Louis.
WRECK OF THE EADS BRIDGE,
The list OF dead and injured ON the east
side of the river will not be complete un-
til after several hours OF daylight work
results in some effective search. Enough Is
known, however, to show that more lives
have been lost than upon the west side. The
injured number hundreds.
feIn3D5 lue ulOSt Impressive evidence OF
the storm clouds force is to be seen in the
wreck of the eastern end OF the Eads bridge
There the tornado dealt with stone ma asoury.
1t tore off and tumbled downtons upon tons
of this masonry, beginning with the big
eastern pier and extending to the foot OF
the incline.
The cloud cut Off the upper part of the
structure as if 1t had been flimsy treStle
instead of 4 structure Of world wide IN me
for massiyeneSs. What the tornado did to
the Eads bridge will not be believed unless
| the eyes see it.
Fire in East St Louis added at leas,
| $50O,000 to the property loss.
In that portion of the city of St. Iouis
| sonth OF the Iron Mountain tracks and c.si
| of Sixth street to the river the scene wal
/! fnghtful, but it was nothing compared
with the scenes along the levee. BroudwaJ
aud the side streets. Every house had reia
| tives and friends among the dead and in
| Jured. Husbands. fathers and brothers
worked at night in the freight houses, OF
the boats anu the cars. and as they coult
not he found the anguish of mothers
| sisters and other relatives was heart.
| rending.
ANGUISH OF MOTHERS.
They would run from one Temporary
! morgue to another, and in some insfa nces
| push aside dead bodies in order to attempi
| to identify their relatives and friends. am
| when found the cries would melt a hear
of stone A mother would behold fhf
distorted features of an only SON. whilS
at ahntner place some other member woulG
| fiitd missing father, brother or daughter
Miss Dean sat speeches. in the car stn
Dies. where her dead father lay on soms
! straw at her feet.
| Her mother wa snot far away and her two
| younger DrOthers lay mangicd upon n finol
near by. II was an awful spectacle buf i,
| was duplicated over and over again, Tf
| add to the distress there was no light of n n I
| kind tobc had.
Several men guarded number q bodies
1