Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-08
TWO COUNTIES HARD HIT.
Tornado and cloudburst Kill Several in
Missouri and Destroy Property.

WlSSOuTI ara O0oITVy TTOReTSys
ST. Louis, July S.-A tornado and
cloudburst which swept St Louis and
st. Charles county between and 5
o'clock Wednesday afternoon causeS
damage which may aggregate half a
million dollars. Isolated several small
towns, blew half a passenger train off
the track and deluged parts Of this
territory with four inches Of rain in
half an hour.
Four persons are known to have
been killed during the storm, and a
woman and child who entered the
Borromeo church at st. Charles just
before it was demolished had not
fbeen accounted for at midnight. Mrs.
Thomas Slattery and her two chill
dren were killed when their home
1 at Dardenne' was wrecked. reports
fIs. s.sfaT'fiat ....ca saidsas " l,ntxville aad
Gilmore each reported one man killed.
Mrs. John Minor, OF O'Fallon. Mo-,
and her infant child were dashed to
death In a wheat field two miles south
east OF Gilmore. The wind picked her
buggy off the road, carried the We
hicle, its struggling horse and terror
stricken occupants 200 yards thru the
air and hurled them to the ground.
tornado an area of more than 100
square blocks in the city having been
damaged. The Wabash bridge over
st. Peters was demolished by the
double attack OF wind and water and
west bound railroad traffic was mads
impossible.
Train Blown From Track.
Between Gilmore and Wentzville the
tornado struck Wabash passenger train
No. 8, bound from st. Louis to Kansas
City. and hurled the mail, combination,
chair and dining cars off the track.
The five passenger coaches left on the
track were coupled to the engine and
the train proceeded. From Montgom-
cry City. the crew wired General Man
ager Cotter that no one was seriously
hurt.
The damage at st. Charles alone is
estimated at more than a quarter mil
lion dollars. The ST. Charles Borromeo
church erected in 1869 at cost Of
100000 was razed, the roof and west
wall Of the Second Baptist church
We're blown away as were the roof and
south wall of the st. Joseph hospital
The Sacred Heart convent was badly
damaged and the shrine of Madame
Duschene. founder Of the American
branch Of the order, was blown down.
Several hundred residences were part
ly wrecked. Instruments at st. Charles
showed a wind velocity of 80 miles an
hour during the tornado.
City in Darkness.
Wednesday night st. Charles, a city
OF more than 10000 population, was
In total darkness except for kerosene
lamps and candles. The electric plant
was put out Of commission and many
miles OF wire were down. The front
Of factory No. Of the American Car
and Foundry Company was blown in.
The storm came from the south
west. but as 1t struck the city it
swerved due north and swept the en-
tire central population. The first vol
ley OF wind was followed by the heavi-
est rain In the memory of q generation,
and this by hail Tho storm then
swept across the Missouri and Missis-
sippi rivers and into Madison county,
illinois, but there its fury seems to
have been spent.
st. Peters lswsiIsd.
An automobile party which rushed
to st. Peters. returned to st. Charles
late Wednesday night and reported
that while every house in the town
had been badly damaged and many
demolished. no one was killed and few
persons were hurt. The town, how
ever, was almost buried under stacks
Of wheat which had been carried from;
neighboring fields by the wind and
water. It is believed the damage to
wheat alone will be 100000.
Mexico. Mo-. reported an Interview
with Mrs. George Ross Of st. Louis,
passenger on the train. part Of which
was blown from the track at Gilmore,
in which Mrs. Ross said she saw q
dead man lying on the platform at
Gilmore.
cloudburst In lliinois.
Rock Island, July s.-A cioudburst
here Wednesday evening flooded base