The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-06
STORM FR|GHTENS
WOMAN TO DEATH.
Mrs. Margaret Rieclmann. Sur
yivor of 1876 Cyclone, Dies
in East ST. Louis.
CAR SERVICE is CRIPPLED.
Smokestacks at Power House
Blown Down and One Man
Hurt = Funeral Party
kneel During Tornado.

The storm which swept over the East
Side yesterday afternoon badly frightened
| thousands of residents of East St. Louis
! and Beilevi!ie and the intermediate terri
tory.
During the worst CT the storm. Mrs. Mar
| garet Riechmann. living at No. 1915 St.
Louis avenue, East ST. Louis. Gied OF
! fright.
She was watching the rain. and. at a
heavy peal of thunder, tainted. a physi-
clan was summoned, but she could not be
revived. and died few minutes after the
doctors arrival.
She was the wife Of Andrew Riechmann
and was Il years old. She passed through
the cyclone in 1896, and since then was
afraid of storms.
Considerable property was lost, the great
est being at the East St. Louis and Sub
urban Electric road power-house. in East
St. Louis. where three 16O-foot smokestaclSs
were blown down and into bits by the
force of the wind. The service vas sevi-
ously embarrassed.
In Belleville NJ A. Woodbury.. employed
at the Richla.d foundry. was caught by
flying tinbers from the roof of the foundry.
which was blown off. and was badly hurt
about the head and breast.
A score of other men who were at work
In the place escaped unhurt.
PoWER-HOUSE DAMAGED.
At the East ST. Louis and Suburban pow
er-house the approach of the storm was
plainly visible, and the men who watched
it say that 1t was "twister.' and that
they could see it as it approached.
I.
about leo feet from.the ground. and for this
reason. 1t is believed greater damage was
not done by the tornado.
The tail of the storm passed directly over
the East st. Louis car sheds and struck the
power-house.
The three monster smokestacks. six feet
in diameter, and towering 100 feet in the
air. We're twisted and blown down as if
they were so much paper
Huge one-inch wire cables and the big an
chors were torn apart like threads. Two of
the stacks fell over the rear of the power
house and the other fell over the side.
The smoke which filed the fire and stok-
ers rooms following the fall of the stacks
almost suffocated the stokers before they
got cut.
The machinery was at once stopped. but
will be run to-day.
A hundred men worked last night In
erecting a temporary stack.
When the power was cut off fully thou
sand persons were IN the cars. Many Of
the cars were in the country. SO far out
that the passengers were compelled to re-
main in them until they were moved, about
$50 p. m
Ga. ~,
cars did not resume service last night. and
thousands of persons were comp eiled to
walk across Eads bridge. The only power
obtainable was secured from the Bluff pow
er station, and this was only enough to
supply the line running between East st.
Louis and Bellevilie.
DAMAGE AT BELLEVILLE.
Belleville was cut of from communication
by the telephone on the Kinloch system,
hundreds of chinneys were blown down and
several houses were unroofed. Only one
man was injured. The citizens Of Believile
received fright. however.
The storm broke on Belleville as suddenly
as 1t did In East st. Louis.
At the funeral of Mrs. Louisa Use. who
was buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery, the
mourners were standing about the grave
when the storm came. As each succeeding
gust of wind grew stronger and limbs and
branches of trees were torn off, the Rev
erend Erich Becker, who officiated, COM
manded the attendants to fall on their
hands and their knees and to remain until
the storm had passed
Men and women alike got as close to the
earth as possible. Afterward several of the
members of the funeral party said that they
probably owed their lives to the Reverend
AR. Becker.
At the Richland Foundry. where a score
of men were at work, the storm lifted off
the roof and portion of the west wall fell
in.
NJ. A. Woodbury. was working under the
roof, which was carried off, and he was
way downstairs and was assisted to a drug
store. where he received surgical attention.
None of the other men was injured.
The big cross On st. Peters Cathedral
was twisted two feet out Of plsmb by the
force of the wind. When the storm was at
its highest the cross could be seen to trem-
bile and waver.
At the Beilevile waterworks, a brick
snlokestack fell and caved in portion OF
the northeast wall. Frank Mausolf. the
fireman. was almost in line with the falling
chimney, but received only few cuts and
bruises.
The Hucke building on Main street was
partly unrcofed ard the s,nokestack on tt..
Courthouse. the Beilevilie Gistiilery and the
Rauch milling plant were torn down.