The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-06-03
Wind, Flood and Flames

ruin and disaster. Wind, rain and fire
had combined in q mission OF destruction.
Two hundred lives were lost in this
city and as many more were killed in
East st. Louis, while thousands were in
iured, many of them so severely that they
cannot recover. The exact number will
not be known for several day, and per-
haps never, for the debris of ruined bull
dings all over the city covers hundreds
of human beings. The damage and de-
struction ofproperty will aggregate many
millions of dollars, but the exact mount
cannot be even estimated with any de-
gree of certainty. The terrible tornado
that caused this destruction struck the
CITY Yesterday afternoon at 5.l5 p m. and
ali parts of this city and East st. Louis
felt it's effect. The greatest damage of
this side of the river WAS inflicted within a
three mile strip along the great Missis-
sippi. Signs and cornices were torn OIL,
shade trees and everything else suffered
from the strength of the wind. Hours of
depressing sultriness, puffs of wind COM
ing bv turns from all points of the COM
pass, piling up in heavy clouds around
the horizon, the flying hither and thither
of light, mistlike forms across the dark
colored masses-these were the oherac-
t~eristics of an afternoon which brought to
ST. Louis the most disastrous storm in
the city's history.
For hours the currents shifted. the wind
blew hot and cold, and the storm centre
developed. The fury ofthe elements was
born within the city's limits. In the
west a thunderstorm developed. The
early mutterings indicated nothing more
than a dowppour with the ordinary cleo
trical accomplishments. This raincloud
came up slowly at first, from the west,
beyond Forest Park. AS the black rim
mounted higher above the horizon, its
arc embraced more territory to the north
and south, a strong wind began to blow
right in the face OF the storm. 1t was q
lower current. It raised the raincloud
and brought it forward faster and faster.
Suddenly the wind stopped blowing
from the east and there swept from the
northwest o terrific gale which made
the best built structures tremble. When
the hurricane, for that was the first form
the storm took when it broke over the
western part OF the city, came a deluge Of
rain. For half an hour, from a few min
utes before 5 o'clock until nearly $50
o'clock, this hurricane blew from the
northwest. Then there was a lull. The
currents shifted. In the southwest there
came into existence a storm cloud with
tQ0 SSS6uLldl lSdkulOS Va IL sAS
funnel shape.
This second storm burst upon the city
from the southwest. It anne in on the
south side of Lafa, cite park, struck the
city hospital and from there tore its way
through the city to the river by a north
easterly course. It wrought such havoc
as will long leave traces in that part of
the city which lies east Of Seventh Street
and north of Cerre Street to the Eads
Bridge. The boats at the wharf were
torn from their moorings and capsized or
sent adrift. The cloud crossed the river
and demolished the upper work at The
east end OF the bridge and then il wreck
ed its fury on East st. Louis. Shortly
after G O'clock, with the sun more than
an hour above the western horizon, there
settled upon the city clouds 80 dense that
daylight quickly gave place to the dark
ness Of midnight. That was the precur-
sor of the ornado from the southwest.
The hurricane from the northwest gave
the western portion of the city q severe
shaking up. a tornado from the south
west, which is responsible for the loss OF
life and untold destruction along the le-
wee district and st. Louis, followed the
hurricane by about al hour. What
must be charged up to this double vista
ton only time can tell.
At SIS p. m. the wind reached a veloci-
ty of so miles an hour from the north
west, the greatest velocity recorded in
the history OF the st. Louis station.
| From about 5 80 p. 10. the wiud had fall
| en- to about IL niles an hour, aud shortly
| afterward changed direction to the south
west. The rain continued to fall in tor
rents. From 5.04 p. m. to 6.06 p. m. l.33
inches fell, and from 6.35 to 6 IS 0.6S inch
| es fell. When the rain ended at 800 p.
| NJ. 8 8 inches had fallen in all.
The electrical display during the storm
was of exceeding brilliancy. The whole
| west and northwest sky was an almost
| continuous blazs of light and the reaec-
| ton could be seen beyond the clouds eX-
tending far into the sky.
After the wind and rain had done their
work fire added the destruction. Hot.
| zell's mill was the first to become igniteo
and 1t was totally destroyed at q loss Oh
| $3.50, 900. Harris barrel factory, nearly
fifty loaded cars in the terminal yards,
| Lynch's boarding house, Boards feed
| store, Lees blacksmith shop and other
smaller places were burned. The de.
| struction of the water works early in the
! storm cut off the water supply n Chief
Purdy and his men fought the fire with Q
| UuCh6l OIlhu0o 90 oVSS LaOy ~
| central portion of the city was threatened
by the burning mill, but all hands work.
| ed with such a will that its further spread
was prevented. The fire caused consteE.
nation.
The st. Louis Refrigerator and Wooden
Gutter Company's entire plant at Main
| streeFand Park avenue was destroy ed.
| The plant consisted of 9 four-story fscto-
| nv, o four-story warehouse, o bicycle
factory and several other smaller build
ings.
The top stories Of the warehouse and
| factory were blown off. Fortunately there
! were only q few people on the top floor,
| and all but two are thought to have es-
capped with slight injuries. Peter Hardy
and brother, who were at work In the
! warehouse, were hurt. but the nature 0!
| their injuries could not be learned. One
of the employees was seen shortly after
| the crash and he was positive that at least
two of his fellow. workmen had been
| burned in the ruins. Fire broke out IN
warehouse Just after the top floor was de-
stroyed. The panic-strick.en employees
Numbering about $50. rushed pell nell
from the buildings, leaving many disa'
| oiled behind them, To add to their hor.
ror hundreds of heavy pieces Of lumber
from an adjoining lumber yard came
through the air and forced many back in
to the blazing buildings. Alarms were
| sent in from all the fire alarms in the
| neighborhood, butt the wires were already
| useless. Chisf Swingley happened to be
crossing the Fourteenth street bridge and
saw the blaze He drove to the nearest
| engine house and piloted the apparatus
to the fire. By the time the engine ar
| rived the warehouse was O mass of flames
! and the fire had already spread to the fac
| tory across the alley. The ground for
! blocks around was covered with lum-
Der and bricks, near the burning build
ing.
Il was some time before water could be
secured and much difficulty was expert
enced in dragging the hose to the build
ing. The chief hurried off after more APP
| paratusi and succeeded in getting several
companies to the fire. It was seen that
the entire plant was doomed so the man
efforts of the department were directed
toward preventing q spread OF he flames.
At 10 o'clock the fire was under control
and at midnight it was practically out. F.
Schilerburg, president of the company,
estimated the loss last night at $500, 900,
fully covered by insurance.
The Central Home and Rest was de-
molishsd and one man killed, name un-
known.
The copper roof of the Shields building
on Eighth street between Biddle and
Carr Streets was blown of. No one is
reported injured. The front walls of the
building at 4OS South 2lst street was
hlour douyp Soma of the o~pcunQntS