The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-07-19
FOUR DROWNED
IN CLOUD BURST
Disaster Said to Be Most Destructive
in Eighteen Years.

st. Louis. July 14-A eloudburst,
reported the most destructive in many
years, struck ST. Louis and surround
ing cities at o'clock this morning.
The greatest damage was done at AL
ton, H., near the junction of the Mis-
souri, and Mississippi rivers. Four
persons were drowned in the cloud
burst at Alton when nine-foot wall
of water from Piasa Valley raced down
Belle and Piasa streets, deluging two
homes.
The dead are:
/ Mrs. Frances Mcguire, As years old,
and her 3-year-old daughter GoIdie,
who were drowned in their home at
ninth and Belle streets; and Mrs. Hes
ter Moss and Arthur Boyce, negroes,
who were drowned when the wall of
water reached their home. a block
from the Mcguire residence.
Mrs. Mcguire, who was deaf and
dumb, died clinging to her baby daugh-
ter and the child was ierked from her
arms by the sudden flood, washed out
of window and lodged on fence a
short distance away where the body
was recovered.
Many Narrow Escapes.
Mrs. Mary Moore and her son, Wes-
ley Moore, bearded at the Mcguire
home and they, with two of Mrs. Ma
CURES other children, Fanny, aged II,
and William, 10, had a narrow escape
from drowning.
Moore succeeded in rescuing his
mother and the two Mcguire children
by carrying them to the roof of the
house until the wall of water had pass
ed. He attempted to rescue Mrs. Ma
guire, but found it impossible to get
her on the roof and when he found it
ispossible to save Mrs. Mcguire he
attempted to take the 3-year-oId daugh-
ter from her arms. Mrs. Mcguire
screamed and chung to her youngest
child. Moore was forced to fee to
save his own life.
The damage to property at Alton
totals $250,OOO. The Alton gas works
were destroyed. The torrent of flood
water was seven feet deep in Atoms
main streets. There were many heroic
rescues of inhabitants Of that city
from the flood
Lightning struck many buildings in
st. Louis and surrounding cities. A
bolt of lightning destroyed the main
building of the East st. Louis Cotton
Oil company at National City, H., two
miles from East ST. Louis. At Ed
wardsyille, Ill., the storm caused
property loss totaling $4,000. The
heaviest loser there was the Banner
Clay Works, a st. Louis corporation.
Charles Shaw's 1-year-old child went
into conVulsions from fright when the
storm was at it's height at the home in
Mitchell, near Edwardsyille, and died
in few minutes.
Three persons We're seriously iniur-
ed by the cloud 1rust and electrical
storm within ST. Louis city limits, and
scores were routed from their proper
ty. The river Des Peres, which flows
through Forest park and the most
fashionable residence part of the city,
overflowed. AS a result Forest park
and the surrounding section resembled
a lake before the flood began receding
today.
The flood conditions in st, Louis,
according to the estimate of the park
keepers, are the worst in the last eigh-
teen years. All the lakes, with the
exception of Murphy lake and Music
Park lake were overfiowed in the
storm and the water swept over the
drives, carrying mud and debris, en-
failing loss estimated at several Lon
sand dollars
The fish hatchery ponds were over
flowed and it is feared thousands of
young fish escaped