Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-05-12
Terrific STORM
Sweeps THE West
sEvERAL PERSONS ARE SLAIN
AS RESULT OF A NEAR
TORNADO. .
BRIDGE WASHED OUT;
WRECK KILLS THREE
French Village, Ill.,, Feels Storm,
Many Houses Being unroofed-
Other Places Also Report Effects
of Wind and Rain.

st. Louis, May ga thunderstorm
of unusual severity, accompanied by
a high wind of almost tornado We
locity, swept over this vicinity Tues
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. En-
gineer Carl Ward, Fireman Chasm and
trainman whose name has not been
learned were caught under the engine
and drowned. The train was piled
up in a mass in Schoenlaub creek,
which was swollen into torrent. The
village Of Edgemont, Ill, was food
ed, and many persons were forced to
take refuge on improvised RATS. The
whole area of lowlands, known as the
American bottoms, east of East st.
Louis, ILL.,, and comprising IS square
miles of territory, is under water.
Many Houses Unroofed.
French Village, town of 1000 in
habitants, one Of the oldest settle
ments in Illinois, was struck by min
iature tornado and many houses were
unroofed. The panic-stricken inhab-
itants fled into the storm to escape in
jury by collapsing houses. Tele-
phone and telegraph wires are down,
and there is no communication with
French Village. Traffic, is impeded
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 Amer.
lean bottoms are flooded and farmers
are utilizing RATS and boats in rescue
work. 1t is believed the loss of live
stock will aggregate large amount
In st. Louis the wind blew down trees
sign-boards, broke in many show-win
dows and crippled telephone and tele
graph wires to large extent. Sew
eral residences were struck by light
ming, and the fire department wal
kept busy.
Recover Wreck Victims Bodies.
The bodies of Engineer Carl Ware
of Evansville, Ind, and Fireman
Chasm of Howell, Ind, were recovered
| from the freight wreck during tn,
morning. The third trainman believed
to have been drowned has not beef
found. Two men comprising the crew
of dredgeboat at Edgemont, ILL.,, ar,
missing, and are believed to have beel
lost. Five dwellings and a salool
We're swept from their foundations b,
the flood that inundated French VII
lage. The long trestle of an electri
line near French Village was have
of refuge for refugees. The trestl
was crowded by persons who had bee
flooded from their homes and man
were engulfed by the rapid flood It'd
and were forced to swim to the bridge
Later they were taken off in boat
and RATS and taken to places O
! safety
II Many thrilling rescues of person
from flooded homes have been report
ed. Arthur Baxter was swept ava
with his house, which brought u
against the electric line trestle, an
Baxter was saved by rope lowere
to him from the bridge
Belleville was left without electri
light or power by the inundation c
the Belleville Gas and Electric Con
pany plant.
II Storm Visits Arkansas.
4 Little Rock, Ark, May 6.-Arkal
sas was visited by a storm which CO,
cred practically the entire state, doin
much damage to property. Wire
are down in every direction and O
this account information is meage
At Marche, hamlet of $50 peopl
ten miles from this city, the larg
lumber plant of the Hammond Luca
: & Devore Lumber Company Wa
completely destroyed. There was n
II loss of life. A great cloud compose
! of limbs of trees and leaves passe
high over the town of MorrilItol
Conway, Ark, is reported to have bee
damaged and Watson, in Desha coul
ty, near the Louisiana line, is repor
ed to have been wiped out.