The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-14
Worst Since 1896.

ST. LOUIS, April IA storm of
unusual proportions that caused more
damage than any visitation since the
great tornado of May 81, 1896, broke
upon St Louis at 4:59 o'clock yester-
day afternoon. 1t indirectly occasion
ed the loss of two lives, injured many
people and destroyed several hundred
thousand dollars worth of property.
Downtown and in the extreme north
and south sides of the city the wind
appeared as no more than heavy
thunder storm, with much rain; and
some lightning and thunder, but in
the West End the damage was I'M
mense.
1 The bulk of the damage was occa-
/ stoned by a heavy fall of unusually
large hail stones in the West End aud
4 ST. Louis County. Practically all the
4 windows on the west sides OF build
ings from Boyle avenue west to the
4 city limits and between Forest PARK
and the cemeteries We're broken Dy
Fl the giant pellets, which varied in slze
from Ia to more than 3 inches III
diameter. The size OF the stones anc
/ the fury with which they fell can be
apprecjated through the fact that, al
though the fall lasted only three
minutes. the loss on broken glass
| alone will amount to several hundres
: thousand dollars.
The magnificent stained glass WIN
dows in several West End churches
: were among those broken. Secon'
4 Baptist Church, at Kings Highwa.
E and Washington boulevards, and Pli
e grim Congregational church, Unlol
and Kensington avenues, suffered 'n
: most severely.
V Florists suffered enormous los
: from the hail beating in the panes Q
!. their green houses and destroyih
n their valuable plants and blossoms
J., ready for the Easter season. This los
II to plants is total, as there is no II
n surance for them. BY mutual hail II
s surance system among florists apoo
!, one-half the value of the glass d'
j. stroyed can be recovered.
The Burlington Elevator Company
"a Grain elevator at the foot of Gano a
# enle was one of the largest bulldlns
q n be wrecked by the thirty-mie-al
4 honr wind which accompanied th
,e storm. Several of the top storie
i, were blown into the river ana part
II million bushels of grain stored IN
nf went with these stories. The damas
10 IS estimated at S150Ooo
MANY small frame buildings, on
m houses. buildings in course OF co
nc struction. signs and trees were DION
no down. People ia such buildings
arous instances we're injured
n. had narrow escapes.
- - Al Sportsman's Park, the wiha al
st hail broke up the game between y
~ browns and the Cleveland team al
drove the bleacherites to the sheit
of covered stands. A panic was ave
I'D only bv the short duration OF
90 storm. tor &c
af said TO have been the tallest stfals
=. no,a in the country snapped III .
" hr +be wind and carried away parl
the center field bleachers in It's "a "a
ooo,nants of these bleacher seats u
- narrow escapes and an 'lnVeriheu
na m' NOR had one man injured :
lG ~, In the grand stand the patrons !
az "a litt1e hetter, the wind sweep
na t the large hail stones in upon tne
3Ht ~ l,,;ciny them and co
ga pelling them to seek shei's'
,ee 100 crouching behind the seats, -
ace o'gp Pedestrians on West End sire
nrasented a panic-stricken appeara1
'n'na the storm. The fierce sting
the large hailstones' ayeras,ns aanst r,s
rer size of hen egg, caused peues'i :