Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-06
TORNADO in ILLINOIS
Wind Storm Wrecks Several Small
Towns Near St. Louis.
EDeEMoET IS UNDER WATER
Number Of Persons Escape from Their
Homes on Rats.
BRIDGE oUT AT BEILvnLE
Freight Train Falls into Stream and
Three Men Are Drowned.
DAMAGE IN EAST ST. LOUIS
several buildings struck ny Light
ninE. TELEGRAPH snd TEL
DAMAGE IN EAST ST. LOUn
several buildings struck by LiEh
nins. TeIeEraph sRd Tel
wires Are Down and Tras
Lines Under water.

ST. LOUIS. No. May s-A thunds
% unusual severity. accompanied
hirh wind OF almost tornado We :
ewept over this vicinity early today, =
much damage to property and indir'
causing loss Of life.
A bridge on the Louisville 4 NashV
road. near BelleviIle. III. was washed
and wrecked a freight train. Engine'
Ward. Conductor Smith and trainrnals
whose named has not been learned we're
caught under the engine and drowned Ihe
train was piled up in a mass in scnoenlaslo o
creek. which was swollen into a torrent
The village of Edgemont. NJ. was flooded
and many persons were forced TO take re-
furr on irnprovised rafts. The whole area
of lowlands. knovn as the American bot
toms. east Of East ST. Louis. Ill. ana com
prisinE thirty-fivs square miles Of terri
tory is under water.
French village. a town Of Ice inhab-
Itauts. one Of the oldest settlements IN
Illinois. was struck by a miniature tornado
and many houses were unroofed- The
ranicstricken inhabitants Ned into the
storm 70 escape injury b. collapsins
houses. Telephone and telegraph wires sre
down and there Is no communication with
French Village Traffic is impeded on
electric lines running to various points easr
and north OF East g. Louis. In, because
= 81 high water The first floors Of houses
In the American bottoms are flooded and
farmers are utilizing RATS and boats IN
rescue work II is believed the loss Of live
stock win aggregate large amount
In East 81. Louis the wind blew down
trees. sign boards. broke in many store
shew windows and crippled telephone and
telegraph wires to a large extent Several
residences Eere s.-uck by lightning and
the fire department was kept busy respond
ing to alarms in the driving rain Nc
casualties are reported
Bodies of Dead Recovered
The bodies OF Engineer Carl Ward Of
Evansville. Ind. and Fireman Frank Chssn
sf Howell Ind. were recovered nom th'
freight wrecs during the morning. The
third trainman believed TO have beer
arounsd has not yet been found Tive mer
corneosins tbe ercw Of dredEeoOat Al
Edremorf, Ia. arr missing and are De
lie,-ed 70 have been lost
FTve dwellings and = saloon were swepi
from their foundations BY the flood tha
Inundated French village. The long trestl'
Of an electric line near French village wa
a haven OF refuge Tor refugees The trestl
was covered by persons who had beel
flooded fiom their homes and many Wer
engulfed by the rapid flood tide and wer
forced to swim 10 the bridge. Later the.
were taken off IN boats and RATS and take
a places OF safety.
Many thrilling rescues Of persons froH
flooded homes have been reported. Arthu
Baxter was swept away with his hom
which brought up against the electric lin
trestle ana Baxter wac saved BY a rop
lawered to him from the bridge.
BeIleyille was left without electric Iigh
or power By the inundksion Of the Belle
vile Gas & Electric company plant.
After having Surveyed the extent OF IN
storm damage citizens OF BellevilIe esti
mate the monetary loss will reach slO,ool
South Belleviiie 10 under water and stor
stocks and home furnishings are ruined b.
the freshet. The new Trolley League Bal
park. recently fitted up AZ a cost Of s.. so
il devastated
The Hippard mine was flooded and abou
twenty-five mules were drowned. but Al
miners are reported to have escaped.