The Topeka state journal., 1908-05-05
Ran Into . Wash0ut Drowning
Three Trainmen.
Residents Of Edgemont, Ill.
Forced to Take to Rats.
BO1'TOMSUNDERWATER
Many Houses Unroofed in the
Village of French.
Much Damage Is Done by Wind
in st. Louis.

St- Louis, Mo-. May 5.-A thunder
storm of unusual severity. accompan-
leo by high wind of almost tornado
velocity, swept over this vicinity early
TO-DAY. doing much damage to property
and indirectly causing loss of life. A
bridge on the Louisville & Nashville
road, near Belleville, Ill.,, was washed
out and wrecked a freight train. Engi-
neer Ward, Conductor Smith and a
tralnman whose name has not been
learned. were caught under the engine
and drowned. The train was piled up
In mass in Sclroenlaub creek, which
was swollen into a torrent
The village of Edgemont. Ill. was
hooded and many persons were forced
to take refuge on improvised RATS. The
whole area of low lands, known as the
american bottoms, east of East ST.
Louis, ILL.,. and comprising 35 square
miles of territory is under water
French village, a town of 1000 inhab-
itants, one of the oldest settlements in
Illinois. was struck by a miniature tor
nado and many houses were unroofed
ielephone and telegraph wires are
ooWn and there is no communication
with French village. Traffic is imped-
| ed on electric lines running to various
points east and north of East st. Louis.
| Ill, because of high water. The first
| floors of houses in the American bot
toms are flooded and farmers are uti-
| iizing RATS and boats in rescue work
1t is believed the loss on live stock will
aggregate large amount.
In ST. Louis the wind blew down
trees. sign boards. broke in many store
| show windows and crippled telephone
and telegraph wires to large extent
Several residences were struck by light
ming and the fire department was kept
busy responding to alarms in the driv-
ing rains No casualties are reported.
| Two men composing the crew of q
| dredge boat at Edgemont, ILL.,. are
missing and are believed to have been
lost. Five dwellings and a saloon were
swept from their foundations by the
| flood that inundated French village
The long trestle of an electric line neal
| French village was a haven of ref
uge. The trestle was covered by per.
sons who had been flooded from theil
homes and many were engulfed by ths
rapid flood tide and were forced t.
swim to the bridge. Later they wert
taken off in boats and rafts and ta-
| ken to places of safety.
Many thrilling reScues of persons
| from flooded homes have been report
ed. Arthur Baxter was swept away
with his house, which brought ur
| against the electric line trestle and
Baxter was saved by a rope lowered
to him from the bridge.
Belleville was left without electric
light or power by the inundaton of the
Belleville Gas and Electric company
plant.
Tornado at Springfield.
Springfield, Mo-, May 5.-A tornado
which struck this city wrecked the
Springfield Wagon company's ware
house, blew down steeples, uprooted
trees and interrupted wire service.
Many horses and cattle were killed.
Damage is reported at Pierce City,
Monet, Ozark. STAFFORD and Holman.
No lives were lost so far as is known.
Damage to crops and orchards is re-
ported from Greene, Lawrence, Chris
tian, Wright and Webster counties.