Evening star., 1927-09-30
FREAK|SH HAVOC
WROUGHT BySTORM
Narrow Escapes Described
by Survivors In Path
of TWiSter.


By the Associated Press
ST. LOUIS. September 30.--Psrsonal
experiences were recounted TODAY nv
many who saw the freakish perform.
ances of the twister OF yesterday.
Edward Stenhauer was collecting
bills on Sarah street when the tor
nado broke.
Things suddenly grew dark" said
Steinhauer, and I could hardly see
where l was going, but I had 10 90
somewhere and mighty quick, to keen
from being crushed by falling walls
or hit by flying bricks or timbers.
Il saw big automobile parked AZ
the curb and / made a dive for il.
threw myself down on my stomach
and crawled under the car where I
thought I'd be fairly safe. But in a
few seconds two-by-fOur scantlina>
came whizzing in under the car and
struck me square across the face.
II was dazed for little while. hut
not very badly damaged. When tho
storm passed over ] got up and helped
to carry three bodies from ruins uf
houses"
Wall Of Room Blown Down.
William II. Buren. a railway postal
clerk, was in his room on i.indell
boulevard when the Tornado came
First came a dash Of rain that
looked white like snow. Then came
the furious blast of wind" he said Il
saw things flying through the air ont
side and ba cked myself up against the
east wall of the room. The west wall
of the house next door was blown
down and a brick hurtled through my
window, but missed me. The west
wall Of our house was blown down.
"A girl rooming above me had a
piano which was turned upside down.
but she was unhurt. Last April /
missed the Poplar bluff tornado hv
just four minutes, but l sure didn't
miss this one
Miss Ariel Cargo. superintendent of
the Shriners' Crippled Children's Hos
ptal, on Kings Highway. said:
II saw a funnel.shaped cloud COM
ing over Forest Park and knew that
it was going to hit us. The roof was
torn off the boys ward. on the north
wing of the building, but none of the
children was injured. The larger ones
the severity of the storm. but the
younger ones were very quiet Ans
the children were very well behaved
during the storm
Two Die Fleeing Storm.
In an attempt to flee from the storm
Mrs. Agnes Stra umann and Mrs. Elsie
Foell<er ran directly into the path of
death and lost their lives.
They were riding in their motor car
on West Bell avenue. They saw the
storm approaching and, aba Hdoning
their motor car, sought refuge I'm
house. Hardly had they crossed the
threshold when the house collapsed,
killing them both.
From a point of vantage in a street
car a newspaper man witnessed the
antics of the tornado and described
it az follows:
LAS / boarded the car I noticed that
the huge black cloud over Forest Park
had been vomiting rain. The lightning
was being succeeded by yellowish
green color and there was a sharp line
of demarca ton between the blackness
and the apparent coming Of brighter
skies.
-Four women sitting in group in
the car were chatting carelessly. Two
men boarded the car and nothing
seemed amiss but the rain.
Suddenly the car staggered under
the impact of the wind from hehind
The front lifted from the rails hut was
set back on them again with scarcely
a jar. 1t rocked from side to side on
its springs.
"A tree fell just in front of it as the
motorman stopped. Two automobiles
standing at the curb began backing
away alarmingly: one of them turned
neatly across the north curb of ttaA-
street. to come to rest in front yard.
The other travelled half a block and
stopped. A big truck crashed into the
rear end of the street car.
Over in Less Than Minute.
1.-The swaying of the car now began
TO have its effect upon the passengers.
was busy looking around when a
wall from the eldest and fattest of the
women indicated that she feared the
end was coming. Her three friends
seemed in little better shape. VIZ
rushed to reassure the women an(
soon the wind quieted down.
The whole thing was over in les
than minute. One blast from th
powerful bellows the wind god va
WI NiIS WIS elfouSn 10 erect all u
destruction he had in mind
'Tumbling forth into the dow b
pouring rain, 7 headed down l.acede
avenue, struggling through debris OF
trees, wires from telephone poles
states and tiles, amid a general desc
latiOn. | could not believe that such
destruction could be accomplished in
so short time. | found the Newstead
police station with much of the roof
blown away and refugees starting to
stream in. excited, harried and calling
for help, fearing repetition of the
blow.
Houses in many places had their
walls completely blown away from the
top stories. In many instances roofs
ana walls were gone and one could
see beds and furniture standing
calmly in their appointed places. At
one house lacking walls Il dinner in a
pack room was still cooking away. At
another man sat on bed. from
around which all walls had been swept
his hands holding his head, baffied nd
looking about him as though he did
not rPa lie what had hannopoJ