June4i '896.
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
3
WRECK AT ST. LOUIS,
Missouri's Metropolis Swept by
Cucione.
THE LOSS OF LIFE IS IMMEJjSE.
Fully Five Hundred Said to Have
Perished.
PIEE AIDS THE DESTRUCTION.
ELECTRIC LIGHT AND CAS
WORKS USELESS.
Convention Hall Unroofed Storm Jfewa
from Other Folate In Mlaaoorl Eighty
School Children Reported Killed M
-1
C2 Drake, Ilk, and lfty at tbe village
of Dye.
Death and destruction reign supreme
in St Louis and vicinity as a result of
the most terrible storm that ever visit
ed that section. - Buildings of every
description are in ruins, and, as a re
sult, hundreds of people are reported
dead and injured, but, until order is re
stored, it will be impossible to make
any definite statement. Reports are in
circulation that seven steamers lying
at wharf boats have been sunk, with
all on board.
The city was left in darkness, as the
electric lights and trolley wires were
blown down.
The storm broke out about 6 o'clock
Wednesday afternoon after a most op
pressively hot day, and the rain began
to fall. It soon developed into a fierce
thunderstorm, with the wind from the
east A little later the wind had
gained a velocity of eighty miles an
hour, driving the. rain before it and
tearing loose signs, cornices, chimneys,
and everything in its way. Many
buildings of every description were de
molished, and others set on fire by
lightning and crossed wires.
The streets were full of people going
home from work, and a panic ensued
as soon as the storm broke. Men were
buildings, horses and carriages were
sent flying-here and there,, and falling
wires, full of deadly fluid, added to
the horror of the scene.
Suddenly the wind veered around to
tie west and completed the destruc
tion. It is asserted by some of those who
have traversed the down-town part
of the city that there are but few build-
ings in St. Louis that have not suf
ST. LOUIS CITY
fered in some way from the storm.
The wagon way of the Eads bridge
on the East. St. Louis side is a crumb
ling mass of mortar and stones, and
parts of the tower and pier No. 1 have
also been torn away. Thousands of
dollars will not cover the damage to
the bridge. An outbound accommo
dation train on the Chicago and Alton
road was wrecked by a broken rail,
but fortunately nobody among the pas
Jsengers were hurt. The tanks of
the Waters-Pierce Oil company on
Gratiot street blew up, spreading
destruction on every hand. Three
stories of the Coe Manufacturing com
pany's building, Ninth and Gratiot,
and nearly half of the Wainwright
brewery were blown down. The Sum
mer high school, at Eleventh and
Spruce; McDermot's saloon, Eleventh
and Chesnut; the central emigrant sta
tion on the opposite corner, and Jere
Shohan's livery stable, Eleventh and
Walnut, were unroofed.
The roof of the republican convention
ball was blown off.
The scene in the river was appalling.
Steamboats moored at their landings
were torn away, turned over and sunk,
drowning all on board. Many people
were seen clinging to floating wreck
age, and piteously appealing for help.
At present it is impossible to estimate
the lives lost. The hospitals are full of
Injured, and the morgue contains many
dead, while numbers of slain He every
where among the ruins of the demol
ished buildings. Many of the dead will
never be identified.
The Plant flour mills, the St. Louis
iron and steel works are demolished,
and the immense Cupples block is par
tially destroyed.
A terrible feature of the storm was
the blowing down of Old City hospital.
The entire north wing of the ramshack
le old structure was blown away. Two
patients were killed and a number se
riously Injured. How many of the un
fortunates of the city resting in the
hospital walls at the time the storm
struck will die as a result of the expo
sure to the elements cannot be conjec
tured. Returns from the St. Louis races are
received at the track at Lakeside, Ind.,
and a few minutes after 5 o'clock the
, operator sending the report of the
FILLED vItH INJURED VICTIMS OF THE CYCLONE.
races stopped his work long enough to
remark: "There goes the grandstand."
Then his wire collapsed and nothing
more was heard from him. In a few
seconds the same message was re
ported from Lexington, Ky., with the
additional information that fully 150
people were dead. This Information
was subsequently corroborated by the
operator of the Wabash road at Deca
tur, who said that in his second mes
sage received 'from East St Louis it
was declared that the grand stand at
the races was down and that fully 150
people were buried in the ruins.
At East St. Louis the destruction
seemed greatest. H. C. Rice, Western
Union manager at the relay depot,
climbed across the demolished bridge
and reported the National hotel, the
Tremont House, the Martell House, the
DeWolf cafe, the Hezel Milling com
pany's mill, Horn's cooper shop, and
a great many dwellings east of there as
far as Fifth street, gone and many peo
ple killed. The Baltimore and Ohio
and Vandalia round-house, the Stand
ard oil works, the East St Louis and
Crescent elevators, and twelve freight
houses on the levee, are demolished.
Cliutm on Water.
The steamer J. J. Odell of the Illi
nois River packet was blown from Its
wharf at the foot of Morgan street,
crashed into the second pier of the Eads
bridge, and sank. Her boilers blew up
before she disappeared. She had a
crew of 12, and three women passen
gers, besides her captain, George Town
send, an old riverman, who had Mb
home In St. Louis.
Three of her crew, Jack Morrissey,
Pat Milan, and a man named Moore,
reached land safely. The two former
jumped before the explosion and caught
driftwood. Moore was blown overboard
by the explosion, and was cut about
the head, but managed to swim ashore.
Three others of the crew clung to the
pier and made their way up to the
bridge proper. There is no way of es
timating the number of lives that were
lost on the river craft.
Belle of Baton Rouge Lost.
The tug Belle of Baton Rouge, which
was anchored up the river, was carried
far down the river, rolling over and
over, and finally struck the raft of the
Wiggins Ferry Company at the front
of Choteau avenue, where it sunk.
As the first evidente of the approach
ing storm began to appear every en
gineer on the river got up full steam
in order to be able to 1 combat the ele
ments. Had it been anything but a tor
nado it is probable this would have
aided the crews of the steamers in sav
ing their craft. But the onslaught was
so violent that the crews found their
efforts only sufficed to aid them slight
ly in directing the course of their
boats.
The steamer Pittsburg of the Dia
mond Joe line, the steamer City of
Vicksburg and the Providence of the
HOSPITAL.
Columbian Exposition Company, the
Captain Monroe of the Anchor line, and
many of the smaller craft were pitched
and tossed about until the final blast
rent them from their anchorage.
The storm swept diagonally across
the river and struck the Illinois bank
with increased fury. The loss of life in
the water on the east side seems to have
been light, as everybody was cautioned
not to jump and everybody was carried
safely to land.
The Belle of Calhoun and the Libbie
Condor, which were moored near Cho
teau avenue, were almost totally broken
up. The Ellen G. Smith, the harbor
boat, was blown away down the river,
and was wrecked near Arsenal island.
It is thought no lives were lost on this
boat. The steamer Ed Harvester of the
Missouri Valley Transportation Com
pany, was also torn from its dock and
carried down the river.
Many Heroic Acta Performed.
Many heroic acts were performed in
the saving of lives as a result of the
storm. When the City of Monroe had
listed away from the Anchor line wharf
there were about 40 passengers on
board and a full crew, as the boat was
just making ready for the trip to New
Orleans. When the moorings finally
gave way the boat lurched over on its
side and nearly capsized. The move
ment threw nearly all the freight to the
starboard side and served to hold the
boat in its perilous position. Capt.
Viegler made a reassuring speech to the
passengers, which slightly quieted the
extreme excitement He said they were
all safe. When the boat struck the Illi
nois bank the captain was not to be
found.
The crew of the tug Dolphin No. 2
had a marvelous escape from drowning
when the boat was blown from its moor
ings at he foot of Washington avenue.
On board were three men and two
women, the latter Jennie Mitchell, a
cook, and Emma Nolan, chambermaid.
When the storm broke the men were
on deck and the women below. The
mate saw that the storm was to be a
hard one, and began to ring the alarm
bell. Then the steamer Dragon, which
left its moorings, was blown out into
the stream. At the same moment the
Dolphin's ropes parted, and the tug
began to ship water. The wind blew
her against the bridge. While this waa
going ou the women and the other men
on the boat climbed to the upper
decks.
When the boat struck the bridge
those on board had to dodge to escape
the iron work of the structure. The
mate saw there was no hope if they
stayed on board. Jennie Mitchell was
the first to climb on the ironwork. She
was assisted by two of the men, while
the mate stayed on deck to help Emma
Nolan. As she swung herself to the
MAP OF ST. LOUIS AND EAST ST. LOUIS.
SHOWING LOCATION OF THE FAIR
beams the boat drifted away, and sank
before the eyes of the horrified crew,
' Slowly, with the wind blowing at a
force that caused the big structure to
rock like a cradle, the three brave men
assisted the women on the laborious
climb to the roadway. Several times
they were nearly blown off. They final
ly reached tfc.e railroad track on the
bridge, where they lay down until the
full force of the storm was passed. Then
they crawled to the Washington avenue
station.
There were rumors Thursday that
the excursion steamer Grand Republic,
belonging to the Columbian Excursion
Company, had gone to the bottom with
500 excursionists. An officer of the com
pany promptly denied this. He said
the boat left St Louis at noon to go
to Alton, where it was registered for an
excursion at 8 o'clock that night The
storm might have blown the boat away,
but in that case only thecrew would
have been imperiled, and these men
could swim to safety. She is safe.
Wild Race with Death.
While the storm was at its highest
the passenger train on the Chicago &
Alton railway pulled out on the bridge
from the Missouri side. It was on its
way east. Engineer Scott had only
proceeded a short distance when he
realized the awful danger which threat
ened the train. The wind struck the
coaches, at first causing them to careen.
At that time he was about half way
across. Overhead the poles were snap
ping and tumbling into the river, while
large stones were shifting loose from
their foundations and plunging into
EADS BRIDGE
THE EAST END OF
the water. Realizing that any moment
his train might be blown into the water
or else the bridge be blown away Scott,
with rare presence of mind, put on a
full head of steam in an effort to make
the east side shore. The train had
scarcely proceeded 200 feet and about
the same distance from the shore when
an upper span of the bridge wa3 blown
away. Tons of huge granite blocks
tumbled to the tracks where the train
loaded with passengers had been but
a moment before At about the same
instant the wind struck the train, up
setting all the cars like playthings.
Luckily no one was killed, but sever!
were taken out severely injured. The
wrecked part of the bridge it Just east
of the big tower, near the Illinois shore,
and extends east for about 300 feet
The entire upper portion, traversed by
street cars and carriages, is carried
away, while the tracks beneath are
buried in the debris, in some places
eight feet deep. At midnight a report
er penetrated the mud and debris' to
the burning St. Louis refrigerator ware
house. Several injured firemen had
been taken from the wreck, and three
more were known to be in the ruins.
Fire Adda to the Horror.
Fire added much to the storm's loss
GROUNDSAND EADS BRIDGE.
account Down wires, wild currents
of electricity, crushed buildings, all
contributed to this element of destruc
tion. ,
The alarm system was paralyzed.
Approaches were blocked; a 200,000
conflagration on the St. Louis side was
supplemented by a dozen lesser fires.
In East St Louis a mill was burned,
and two other considerable losses were
sustained. To the enormous total the
fires added at least $500,000.
The Catholic church of St. John of
Nepomuk, at the corner of Twelfth and
Soulard streets, was razed to the
ground, except the front, which stands
like a tower, all the side and back walls
being completely destroyed. It was a
very large and handsome church. Now
there only remains the arches and tur
rets of the front and enough of the
walls to show the beautiful style of its
architecture. The debris lies in the
street at the side and Inside the build
ing, the side walls Just projecting above
it - ' -
There Is scarcely any debris in front,
leaving the front view very natural ex
cept for the ghastly vacancy shown
through the windows. '
Deacrlbed by Frankenfeld.
H. W. Frankenfeld, the St Louis
weather officer, was a busy man during
and after the storm. In an interview
he said:
"For the past week the weather in the
vicinity of St. Louis has been charac
terized by low pressure, high tempera
tures, excessive humidity, and prevail
ing southerly windf . The pressure has
also been low throughout the west. At
AT ST. LOUIS.
IT WAS CARRIED AWAY.
the same time it is relatively high In
the south, causing the warm, southerly
winds laden with moisture, to blow
from the gulf of Mexico. This mois
ture has been held in suspense by the
warm atmosphere, and the humidity
consequently increased from day to day.
The mean temperature averaged from 3
to 13 degrees above the normal each
day, while the humidity ranged from
7 to 20 per cent each mean, for this
season of the year.
"Wednesday morning, the weather
map showed the low pressure still over
lying the west with the center of de
pression extending in irregular oval
from the Texas Pan-Handle through
west Kansas and Nebraska. Through
out the state of Missouri high tempera
ture and humidities prevailed with
south winds. The day would be popu
larly termed 'warm, hazy, muggy.'
"Although reports are missing, owing
to the widespread destruction, it is now
evident the storm area moved slowly
east during the day. The barometer
commenced to fall at 9 o'clock and by
noon it had fallen a thirteenth of an
inch. About this time the sky became
covered with dark, thickly-cumulated
strata, which by 6 o'clock formed a
mass pf stratus cloud, which commenc
ed to assume a light-green color in the
northeast
"This green color slowly advanced
from the northeast, spread more to the
west and north. At the same time the
temperature commenced to fall.
"The normal cyclonic circulation thus
brought winds of different tempera
tures and humidities into an upper posi
tion, with the results that a decided
instability was produced in the atmos
phere and a violent secondary storm
center was created. The barometer
continued to fall rapidly and by 5 p. m.
it had fallen .25 of an inch since noon.
The wind was becoming variable, with
a tendency toward a northerly direc
tion until lightning and thunder had
commenced, at 4:30 p. m.
"At 5:04 p. m. the storm broke forth
in all its fury; the wind changed sud
denly to northwest, with rapidly in
creasing velocity, and the rain fell in
torrents. The green cloud still remain
ed in the west and north, but the storm
moved toward the southeast with large,
angry detached masses of cumulus
clouds crossing each other. At 4:15 p.
m. the wind changed from the north,
having the greatest velocity In the his
tory of St Louis. About 5 p. m. the
wind had reached about 62 miles and
later on it changed In its direction to
the southeast
"From 6:04 p. m. to 6:04 p. m. 1.38
inches of rain fell. When the rain end
ed at 9:05 p. m. 1.53 inches had fallen
In all. The electrical storm was of un
usual volume. The sky was almost one
continuous blaze of light and the clouds
extended far into the south."
List of the Dead.
The following is a list of the dead,
according to the latest advices from
the stricken city:
Michael Bradshaw, 81 South Jefferson
avenue; Katie Clayphal, aged 21, and
Mrs. Clayphal, 814 South Jefferson ave
nue; Martin McDonald, 2745 Clark ave
nue; unknown baby, 2745 Clark ave
nue; Mrs. Cheney. 1415 Mississippi ave
nue; John P. Pendy; Jennie Hahn,
Shrewsbury Park; Charles Nee, 406
South Seventh street; William Winkle,
Eighth street and Park avenue; James
Dunn, city hospital; unknown child,
944 Papin street; two unknown men,
Twenty-seventh and St. Vincent ave
nue; unknown woman, Thirteenth and
Soulard street; unknown man, Dallman
and Park avenue; janitor St. Paul's
church; unknown man, Eighteenth
HE STEAMER ODELL.
, 1 5 -
SUNK IN THE RIVER AT
street and Geyer avenue; two unknown
children, 1726 South Ninth street; Mal
achi McDonald, 30, single, 2745 Clark
avenue; unknown baby, 2 years old,
picked up at Twenty-second and Mar
ket streets; Robert Miller, Blair and
Benton avenues; unknown, picked up
at Third and Rutger; William Ottewad;
John Burgess; Wallace T. C. Butler;
Booker Epstein; Bornstein; Fred
Zimmers, chief engineer union depot
power house; unknown child, about 5
years old, California and Ann avenues;
J. Lemeke, manager St Louis Barbers'
Supply Co.; unknown man, at A, B.
Jones' broom factory; Josephine Mar
tini; fifteen unknown men; one un
known woman; one unknown girl; John
Rafferty; Harry Hess; Mr. and Mrs. Da
vid Sade; George Woods, clerk in Van
dalia office; Henry Strieker, Vandalia
railway; J. E. Keene, Vandalia rail
way; Dr. C. E. Neall, dentist; two chil
dren of Mrs. Horace Trump, Litchfield,
111.; Mrs. Rlchey; Joe Frank; Joe Mitch
ell; Phil Strieker; Charles Carroll, bar
ber; John Kent; Mrs. Scott Hayward;
Frank Rose; Ed Kavanaugh; Jacob
Kurtz, Vincennes, Ind.; Mrs. Clenden
ning; Mrs. Bruce; Mrs. Emma Sullivan;
Robert Bland; John Reamer; Charles
Maitz; William Suber; Henry Winter
man; Anderson; Palmsley;
Miss Conley; Mrs. Slide; Charles
Waites, 1519 Collins avenue; William
Surber; Henry Wlnterman An
derson; Peter Walmsby; Miss Conley;
Mrs. Slide; John Hayes; Mrs. William
Hayes; Mrs. Pat Bean; J. A. Porter,
Broughton, 111.; flagman of air line,
name unknown; John Hayes; Mrs. Wil
liam Hayes; unknown boy; unknown
traveling man; Mr. and Mrs. David S.
Sage; George Woods, clerk in Vandalia
office; Henry Spricker, Vandalia line;
J. E. Heine, Vandalia line; Dr. C. E.
Mull, dentist; John Kent; Mrs. Scott
Hayward; Frank Rose; O. Kavanaugh;
Jacob Kurtz, Vincennes, Ind.; Mrs.
Clendennin; Mrs. Bruce; Mrs. Emma
Sullivan; John Brames; twenty em
ployes of the Liggett & Myers Tobacco
company at Tower Grove Park; twenty
men employed in the St Louis Wooden
Gutter and Refrigerator factory, at Sec
ond street and Park avenue.
Dead at EeH St. Lonla,
Great difficulty is being encountered
at East St Louis in the work of identi
fying the dead. The latest advices give
the following list:
David Langg and wife; Philip Stick
ler; George Roose; Miles Mitchell; Mar
tin Martel, proprietor Martel house;
three servant girls in Martel bouse;
James Kent; sixteen unknown dead in
Vandalia freight house; twelve dead in
Louisville & Nashville freight house;
seventeen dead in Big Four freight
house; five dead In Air Line freight
house; twenty dead at the east switch
house of the Eads bridge; four dead
at relay depot; six members of a wharf
boat crew. Charles Carroll, barber;
John Kent; Mrs. Scott Hayward; Frank
Rose; Ed Kavanaugh; Jacob Kurtz,
Vincennes, Ind.; Mrs. Clendennlng;
Mrs. Bruce; Mrs. Emma Sullivan;
Robert Bland; John Reamer; Charles
Maitz; William Suber; Henry Winter
man; Anderson; Palmsley;
Miss Conley; Mrs. Slide; Flagman of
Air Line, name unknown; John Hayes;
Mrs. William Hayes; Mrs. Pat Bean;
John Valentine; City Collector David 8.
Sage and wife; Philip S trickier, Jr., and
mother; Judge Faulk, of Vandalia, HI.;
Mrs. M. Martell; All of the boarders at
Martell House except Judge Hope of
Alton, III.; Mr. and Mrs. John Hayes;
Will Hayes; Sixteen boarders at Tre
mont House; William Mitchell; Irene
Clendenen; William Sullivan and wife;
Mrs. John Reed; Patrick Dean and
family of six; John Bucharz; two
boarders at Stacey's boarding bouse;
Edward O'Brien; John Breen; Ida
Gladdue; Mrs. Roof; Albert Volkman;
Joseph Mitchell; John Sullivan; Will
iam Rickey; unknown man on Colllns
ville avenue; son of Mrs. Ira Kent.
Among the missing are: Eddie Bland,
supposed to be under the wreck of the
Vandalia depot; City Clerk Jerry Kain;
Frank Bland; Frank M'Cormick; Al
bert Volkman; Earl Keene; George
Woods; Mike Klldea; W. E. Klefer;
Alvin Mate; Will Murray; Dan Kelly;
George Romer; W. Frelink; W. Han
ford, all employes in Vandalia depot
and believed to be in its ruins.
Elaewhere In MlaaonrL '
Baldwin, Mo., special: A hurricane
accompanied by a terrific rain and hail
storm, passed over St. Louis County
about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. For
three hours rain fell in torrents and
hall fell to a depth of several Inches.
Great damage was done to crops
throughout this section of the country.
Several buildings were blown down,
but so far as can be learned no one
in this section was seriously injured.
Moberly, Mo., special: Ten people
were killed in a tornado which struck
the village of Labaddle, Franklin
county, Wednesday evening, and th
town of Renick, ten miles from Mober
ly, in Randolph county, was completely
wiped out Nothing definite from elth'
er place.
ST. LOUIS BY THE CYCLONE.
Sturgeon, Mo., special: A cyclone
passed three miles north of Sturgeon
at 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon. At
Renick three men were seriously in
jured, and a family of colored people
were carried over a mile, two chil
dren being badly hurt .Friendship
church, north of town, was demol
ished. '
Mexico, Mo., special: A cyclone
swept across Audrian county Wednes
day evening, doing great damage to
crops and wrecking many buildings.
Seven people have been killed in the
county and probably twenty-five badly
injured. In the Bean creek district a
school house was carried completely
away, and a daughter of Joseph B.
Ware, one of the pupils, was killed,
and Lulu Eubank s and Hilda Blase,
also school children, were fatally in
jured. Others along the route of the
tornado In this district, whose names
cannot be learned, are more or lees in
jured. At the Dye school house, six or
eight miles further southeast, not a pu
pil escaped uninjured, and five children
were killed, three outright, two dying
later at this place. The school house
was utterly demolished and several of
the children were blown a great dis
tance away, and were not found until
several hours afterward, and then in a
mutilated condition.
Eighty Puplle Killed.
Kansas City, Mo., special: Alton
train dispatcher reports eighty chil
dren killed at Drake, near Roodhouse,
111., by the cyclone. They were burled
in a school building.
Drake, where seventy children are re
ported killed, is a small town in
Greene county, and 240 miles from Chi
cago on the Chicago, Kansas City and
Denver short line of the Alton railroad.
It is five miles west of Roodhouse, a
Junction point on the Alton road, and
115 miles southwest of Bloomington,
and directly in the track of the furious
storm. It is approximately sixty miles
northwest of St. Louis, and about mid
way between Chicago and Kansas City.
It has a Western Union telegraph sta
tion, several churches and schools, and
is an educational center for Southeast
ern Illinois.. .