Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/476

 416 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI officers below the ledge of rocks in front of the college. She was loaded with 1,500 kegs of powder. On the night of February -Ith, the boat was discovered to be on fire, and at about midnight the captain of the boat aroused the people in the college and warned them of the danger which confronted them. They dressed as hurriedly as possible and ran out of the buildings and away from the river toward the west. The last man had hardly left the building when a terriffic ex- plosion was heard. No one was hurt, but all were pretty badly shaken by the force of the explosion. The building itself was consider- ably damaged ; every pane of glass was broken, the doors were torn from their hinges and broken into splinters, and every foot of plastering from ceiling and walls was torn down ; the roof was lifted several inches, but settled back into place with but little injury. The windows and doors were closed with sheets and blankets iintil new ones could be secured from St. Louis. The plastering was not replaced until the following summer. The second calamity which befell the col- lege occurred on the 27th of November. 1850. On that date a tornado of terrific force struck the building. All the outhouses, tailor shop, shoemaker shop, clothes room, baker .shop and barns were literally torn to pieces and blowTi awa- with the storm. The roof of the college itself was cleared away and not a particle of it was ever found. The walls, of the southwest corner of the main building and both gables were blown down. No one was killed except an old colored man who lived in the house in the garden, though several persons were slightly injured. The students were sent away and the college closed for four months, during which time the necessary repairs were made. On the 15th of June, 1861, at a meeting of the faculty, it was decided that it was for the best interests of the college to suspend its operations owing to the war. A resolution was passed that the examinations should take place immediately and that the students should cpiit the college as soon as possible. This action of the faculty was taken because of the great state of excitement then existing in Southeast Missouri. There were companies of soldiers drilling on the streets of Cape Girardeau and there were rumors that the town would be the .scene of a battle between the forces of the north and the south. There was strong feeling even among the citizens of the town and it seemed that any attempt to carry on the work of the college would ex- pose its students to danger. The examinations were held and the usual commencement exercises were dispensed with. Following the examinations the students re- turned at once to their homes, most of them entering the armies of the north or south. About twenty .students, however, remained at the colle'ge, and most of the faculty. On the 25th of July it was determined by the faculty to send the students who still remained, in charge of the procurator, Rev. F. Guidry, to the college farm. This action was taken be- cause of the rumor that the city was to be attacked by the Confederate troops. The students remained at the farm until August 10th. On this date they were recalled, for it had been decided that it was for the best interests of the college to open session in September as usual. There had been talk of the college buildings being taken by the United States government as a military hos- pital. The college authorities very naturally opposed this and it seemed their opposition would be most effective if the college were in operation. The session began September 1st, 1861,