ENPages
1
[Text in top right] St Louis June 4th, 1895
Miss Edith Hartgell
Dear friend:
Your telegram of last Thursday did not reach us till Saturday and then it came in the mail from the city. I found it here when I reached home about two o'clock and could not answer at once, as the wire to the city was not working. I went with Uncle Tom in the evening to take his trunk to the Union Station as
2
the local trains do not run on Sunday. And while at the depot, I answered your telegram. I had written you the evening before, and, of course, you know by the papers why your telegram was delayed.
I was at the office when the storm struck us and stayed there till the worst of it was over. As the storm had blown down all electric wires, no street cars were running and I hurried to the R. R. Station to catch a train, but no trains left the Station after five o'clock till three o'clock in the
3
morning. I did not know, nor did the R.R. officials till nearly one o'clock, that the train would not leave. They expected to be able to get out but, had to give it up. I did not know how, [Garondelat?], had fared and so decided to walk. Another young man and two young ladies and myself walked down to gather. We were fortunate to get a ride of about two miles on a horse car, but had to walk the balance of the way. It is about eight miles from the R.R. Station to our home and it was 3:30 a.m. when I got here, only to find Uncle, Aunt, [Charlay?], and
4
the baby still out. Fortunately, however, they were in North St. Louis, during the storm which did not amount to too much in that section, and, as no cars were running. They could not get home and so they stayed at one of the hotels. They reached home about ten o'clock the next morning, just after we left home in search of them. We saw them pass us in a wagon and father went back with them while I went out to the office.
I suppose you have read all about it in the
5
newspapers which state the number of killed in this city to be over 200 with nearly as many in East St. Louis, while the wounded number over 1,000. The damage to property is estimated all the way from ten to fifty million dollars.
The wrecked district is about a mile wide, stretching across the city from west to east and is about 6 miles from here. Very little damage was done in the end of town. Our damage consisting of a leak in our roof which