Evening star., 1927-09-30
The Fury of Nature.

For the second time in it's recent
terday struck by tornado of tremen-
dous force, which. sweeping through
the heart of the city in the early aft
ernoon, without warning. took at least
seventy-nine lives and injured nearly
seven hundred persons. An area of
about six square miles was devastated,
with 5000 buildings destroyed or dam
aged. The loss is estimated in a wide
range. from $4,000, 900 to 100000. 900.
1t will perhaps never be accurately
known. In 1896 a similar storm dev.
astated the city and the nearby coun-
try, taking one hundred and forty lives
in ST. Louis and one hundred and
sixty in the vicinity. The swath then
cut was eight miles in length and from
a quarter to half mile in width. AL.
though the property damage yester-
day was probably greater because of
the higher cost of construction at pres.
ent, the visitation Of thirty-one years
ago was the more devastating.
There is no protection against such
furious assaults by the elements. No
engineering or structural devices are
capable of withstanding the onset of
the wind that comes at ninety miles
an hour, twisting in the peculiar tor
nado fashion. Buildings were wrecked
yesterday that were supposedly gale
proof. Dwellings of the stoutest con.
struction collapsed like card houses.
Entire buildings were lifted from their
foundations. All the phenomena so
sadly familiar through a long series
of whirlwind storms in the middle por-
ton of this country were present on
this occasion. The tales told by sur
vivors make composite of almost un-
believable fantasy. While in the d.
rect path of the storm. which swept
through the residential and outlying
business sections Of the city, nearly
every structure was damaged or de-
molished, there were phenomenal es.
capes as the wind missed its mark by
inexplicable freaks.
Unlike the disaster at Miami and
other parts Of southern Florida about
a. year ago, this storm was over in
few minutes. Five minutes after the
first fury developed the twister had
passed and shortly after the sun was
shining. The Florida storm continued
for several hours. That was a veri-
table hurricane sweeping in from the
sea. The tornado that ravaged st.
Louis yesterday appeared to have had
its origin a few miles outside of the
city, being caused by some strange
freak Of air currents, perhaps due to
sudden change of temperature caus.
ing vortex which, after the manner
of cyclonic developments, swept for.
ward with accelerating speed and, after
scoring a path of destruction for few
miles, evaporated.
Had this vortex formed few miles
to the north or the south it would not
have taken the toll of lives that were
lost yesterday. 1t would have gone
across the open country, perhaps kill
ing a few people and destroying a few
score of buildings. But by a strange
fatality 1t aimed straight at the place
where it could do the greatest dam
age. 1t would seem as though it were
headed by an insensate purpose to
wreak vengeance upon mankind.
Consider this situation: A placid
city, engaged in it's regular activity,
with no sense Of danger; suddenly
black cloud appears, a roar is heard,
and with speed greater than that of
a train a monster rushes cruelty
through the town, crushing, twisting,
killing, manning and screaming its
way beyond; five minutes later miles
of wreckage, silence save for the cries
Of the injured, and the sun shining
down on the scene of desolation and
death.