The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-01-29
CYCLONE and FIRE.
PROPERTY AND LIFE ARE LOST
BuiIdings Blown Down in st. Louis
Gale Occurred in the Morning.
while Fire Made the Afternoon
One of Terror-Losses Are over
Million.

Million.
St Louis, Jan. ga gale of wind that
reached the highest velocity of any ex-
perienced here since the tornado OF May
~, 1896, prevailed yesterday. Its high
est velocity was SO miles an hour and up
to noon two deaths, one fatal injury and
several minor casualties had been report
ed. The dead
August Weymyer, aged 81, a carpenter,
was blown from the roof of the Shields
school. He lived but 10 minutes after
being taken to the hospital.
Thomas Joseph Patterson, years old,
blown from the roof of porch and killed
The injured were:
Mrs. Sarah j. Lorin, spine crushed and
she may die. Injury caused by the blow
ing down of fence.
Mrs. j. Dodridge, blown under an eX
press wagon; internal injuries.
Mary Wilson, struck by a sign and hip
dislocated.
Shortly after o'clock in the morning
terrific thunder storm, accompanied by
a heavy fall of rain and hail, struck the
city and prevailed for an hour OF more.
By daybreak the sky had cleared, but it
soon became cloudy again and the wind
began to rise. BY l0:45 the wind was
blowing at the rate of GO miles an hour,
but IA miles less than the recorded velocity
of the great tornado of 1896. Swinging
signs and window panes were blown down
and broken, fences leveled, telegraph poles
and wires broken and in some instances
roofs were taken off
A frame building on Twelfth street was
blown down, but not one hurt. The east
wall of the ruins of the Ravenwood dis
tilleIy, at Madison and Twenty third
streets, was blown over.
At Nineteenth and Market streets the
roof of a two-story building was blown
down. There were thrilling escapes, but
so far as can be learned no one was in
jured. Considerable other damage to
buildings in st. Louis was reported later.
Mrs. Dodridge, one of the injured, Is
the wife of General Dodridge of the Mis-
souri, Pacific. 1t is learned tonight that
she is not seriously hurt.
Fire in a Grain Elevator
astrous fires experienced in East St Louis
in many years started about $3.50 last
night in the Union elevator, the largest
building of it's kind either here or in St.
Louis and before it had burned itself out
property to the estimated value of 81 ,OOO,-
600 was destroyed.
The elevator and contents supposed to
be not less than 100000 bushels of grain;
the Burlington freight house, adjoining.
with 10 cars of merchandise; S5 cars of
corn and a number of small dwellings
were burned, together with the stables of
the st. Louis Transfer Company.
The fire was discovered by the elevator
Waterman, some distance from the en-
CINE room, and before re could turn i'm
an alarm, the flames had got such start.
being famed by a strong northwest wind.
that they soon enveloped the whole build
ing.
The elevator, which had a capacity of
more than 100000 bushels, was about
full of grain, greater part being owned
by st. Louis firms. This made an in
tensely hot fire, and was soon ablaze all
over.
/ The strong wind sent the sparks and
burning embers for at least quarter of
mile. Before the fire had been burning an
hour the elevator and contents were
doomed, and the flames had spread to the
Burlington freight house, to the south,
building 700 feet long
All the fire apparatus in the city of
East st. Louis was called to the scene, in
addition to engines from st. Louis.
The heaviest losers are the White
Grain Company and the United Elevetor
Company. 1t has been impossible to get
a detailed estimate of the losses. but it is
thought they will foot up at least 81 ,OOO-
600. Insurance unobtainable tonight.