East St. Louis, Missouri Tornado

March 8, 1871

TERRIBLE TORNADO

East St. Louis Swept by a Besom of Destruction -- Six Men Killed and Fifty-two Persons Injured - Loss Estimated at Nearly One Million and a Half Dollars

From the St. Louis Republican, March 9

Yesterday morning dawned cloudy, and a little sultry. In the afternoon, about 1 o'clock, the gloom in the heavens deepened to the south and west, and there were a few drops of rain now and then.  A brisk breeze prevailed which was warm in its temperature.  Between 2 and 3 o'clock the clouds assumed an appearance alarming to all inexperienced eye.  The gray masses of vapor became ragged and torn along their edges, and here and there fleecy patches were rent of and hurried along by some swift power.  The rain commenced to fall and the wind rose gradually, but not to an extent to create alarm.

A few minutes past 3 o'clock the awful visitation opened its fury, without a moment's warning, blowing from the southwest, coming up the river in a diagonal line inclining eastward in its advance - a terrible whirling force, compacted in a path of about six or eight hundred feet wide, and rushing onward with a roar like an angry sea and the velocity of a bird's flight.  At another time, perhaps, it will be possible to collect particulars of the coming of the tempest, but yesterday hardly a witness could be found who could give a coherent sistement.  They all seemed to think that it smote the earth as with a sudden blow and they knew not it was coming until it was upon them, but only felt its awful seizure.  The tornado seems to have barely touched our southern limits, but to have kept east of the city, and no very alarming damage was done until it struck East St. Louis.  Here it manifested its dreadful power, with a space of three minutes, in a manner never before equalled in this part of the country, and almost indescribable.  Let the reader imagine an irresistible air-torrent rushing against the frail, artificial structures of man, situated on an exposed river bank.  In a moment the air is filled with splinters, dust and fragments of all kinds.  Houses, sheds and other structures disappear as if levelled by the blow of a Titan, or fly to pieces and are borne along in the stream of the storm.  The East St. Louis elevator was the first edifice struck on the Illinois shore, a strong frame building.  The roof was torn to ribbons, and a large portion of it, like a black meteor, shot northward and fell far away in river.  Then came the destruction of other houses; some were unroofed, and some were rent to pieces, walls and all, and the unhappy inmates buried in the ruins.  The stately steamer Mollie Able, lying at the East St. Louis wharf, had here texes torn off and buried in the river.  The bridge tug "Hewitt" had her wheel-house disposed on in the same way, and became a wreck.  The whole forest of frame work over the east abutment pier of the bridge was twisted up like a bunch of reeds in the fingers of the storm, and crashed down in a pile of chaotic ruin.  Railway cars and engines were dashed down on their sides or whirled off the tracks as they were paper boxes.  Whole trees were either struck to the earth, as if the trunks had been severed by a cannon shot, or lifted bodily and carried yards away from where they a moment before stood.  Put all these destructions together with a hundred others; fill the air with a maze of whirling objects, and imagine the sky as black as ink, seamed every moment with tongues of lightning, and reverberating with thunder-crashes, while there is a steady roar of a great rushing on the earth, and some idea may be gained of the outburst of the tornado on East St. Louis.

The tornado did not last more than three minutes.  As above stated, it seemed to come from the north-northwest, and touching the Illinois shore  first at the elevator, passing along the river bank, inclining eastward, and terminating at the track of the Toledo, Wabash, and Western Railroad, nearly to the head of Bloody Island, and at this point about eight hundred yards from the river, its speed is estimated at between sixty and seventy miles an hour, and its strength was almost irresistible where any flat surface was exposed.  What damage was done south of the city was not definitely ascertained, but no reports were received last night of any serious consequences.

The scene in East St. Louis during and immediately succeeding the storm was thrilling beyond description.  The destruction of so many buildings, and the killing and wounding of so many persons, caused universal dismay and excitement.  Hardly had the wind and rain deluge ceased, before men, women, and children might be seen running about in all directions, some in the very insanity of fear aimlessly flying for security somewhere; others seeking help for some loved ones buried in tempest-made ruins, or looking in an agony of suspense for some relative or friend of whose safety there is uncertain.

THE KILLED

First of all was Mr. John Bodkin O'Neil, purchasing agent of the Southeastern Railway.  Mr. O'Neil was at the time of the catastrophe standing in front of the Southeastern passenger depot.  He was struck by a flying piece of timber in the head and instantly killed.  Mr. O'Neil was an estimable young man, and leaves many friends to mourn his sad fate.

John Vogel, foreman of S. Mayo's lumber yard, was killed by the office, in which he was writing at the time, being blown completely down, terribly crushing his head.

Daniel Collins was in the house of Mr. Patrick Conway, which was blown down.  His head was terribly cut, and he also received internal injuries.  He died five hours after the accident.

Timothy Drumm, an employee of the Chicago Transfer Company, was immediately killed by the harness shop of the company, in which he was at the time, being blown down and crushing him by the falling debris.

Probably the most horrid death which occurred was that of Isaac Evans, an engineer on the Chicago Railroad.  The time the Chicago Railroad round-house was blown entirely down.  Mr. Evans was asleep in one of the rooms of the upper story of the building.  As the building was carried to the ground Mr. Evans was carried with it, and then his body burned to a crisp by the fire which immediately ensued.  His body was recovered about 6 p.m., with nothing but the trunk remaining.

A driver in the employ of Timmerman & Co., of this city, lumber merchants, was immediately killed by being crashed beneath the falling mass of one of the Chicago freight depots.

John Eisley, a brakeman on the Toledo & Wabash Railway, was on a car which was blown from the track into the slough, and was immediately killed.  Up to a late hour the body had not been recovered.

James Halpin, and employed [sic] at the bridge, was killed at the east pier.

THE WOUNDED

The wounded, some of them, were in a terrible condition, and doubtless before this report reaches the public some of them, too, will be numbered among the dead.

Mr. H. C. Creueling, General Superintendent of the Wiggins' Ferry Company, at the time of the accident was on the ferry-boat Mulliken.  He had with him in his carriage a young lad named Hawkins.  The smoke-stack of the boat was blown down, and fell immediately across Mr. Creueling's carriage. Mr. C. received a painful wound on the head, besides having his right shoulder seriously injured.  The escape of Mr. Creueling was really miraculous, as had he been one foot from the position he was in he would have been among the dead.  The lad who was riding with him escaped unhurt.

Mr. George Schone, Master Mechanic of the Chicago Railway, was in the shops of the Chicago Railway when the buildings blew down.  He received a terrible cut on the head, and had one of this legs painfully crushed.

Mrs. Margaret Conway had both of her legs broken.

Michael Conway was seriously cut on the head.

Maggie and Willie Conway were both fearfully cut in the head and body.  They were all in their house when the building was blown to the ground.

Louis Parron, employed by the Chicago Transfer Company, had his head terribly cut by the harness shop of the company, which he was in at the time, being blown down.

Marcus Miller was in a passenger car of the Southeastern Railway, which was blown from the track, and had his head terribly cut.

Mr. Schufakegel, of Mount Vernon, Ill., was in one of the cars, and received a terrible cut in the head.

Mr. L. Marks, of Nashville, Ill., was also in one of the Southeastern cars, and had his head shockingly cut.

Charles Perry [or Parry] and Thomas Hamilton, employes of Chicago Transfer Company, were both seriously injured by flying timbers.

Peter Flynn, a resident of East St. Louis, had one of his legs broken by a falling piece of timber, in the Southeastern freight depot.

Frank Dunnegan and wife were seriously injured by the house in which they were living falling upon them.  They were carried to the Sherman House, and received every attention by the humane proprietor.

George Belknap, an employe of the Chicago Railway Company, had his leg slightly cut by falling timbers.

Milton McFarland, an employee of the Chicago Transportation Company, was terribly cut in the head by a flying piece of timber. 

Aaron Stannus, agent of the Adams Express Company, was badly cut in the head by the office of the company - in which he was at the time - being blown down.

George Hassett, a brakeman on the Ohio & Mississippi Railway, had one of his hands seriously cut by a piece of timber.

George Crump was also injured in the same way.

Barney Stackman, yard-master at the Wabash Road, was terribly cut in the head by some flying object.

Timothy Donahue, chief car repairer of the Wabash Railway, had his head terribly cut by fragments of timbers.

William Dennett, fireman on the engine of the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway, which was blown from the track into the slough, had his shoulder dislocated.

William Hill, blacksmith, in the employ of the Wabash Railway Company, was in the shop at the time the building was blown down; his head was badly cut, by falling bricks, and in all probability he will not recover.

Peter Philihon, conductor of one of Pullman's palace sleeping cars, which was blown from the track of the Wabash Road, was in the car at the time, and was seriously injured.

Mrs. Sarah Smith and one of her children, Hugh Smith, were seriously injured by their house being blown down.

Lucy Glasgow and Barbaria Sincraft were seriously injured; the latter will probably die.

Mrs. Margaret Richardson and child were seriously injured by their house blowing down.  The probability is the child will die.

Bridget Nolen, a child of 5 years of age, was seriously injured, and will probably die.  Her mother, Margaret Nolan, was also terribly cut in the head.

A boarding house and saloon, owned by Mr. Chas. Schauner [or Schatner] was partially destroyed, and a saloon and dwelling house owned by Mr. Frank Dunnigan was completely destroyed.  Loss Probably $2,000.

Mrs. Ellen Dalton's house was completely demolished, and Mrs. Dalton was seriously injured.

The freight house of the Southern Railway is a total wreck.

Two passenger cars and eleven box cars were blown from the track.  The car-house was also destroyed, and the engine buried in the ruins.  The loss of the Southeastern Company will probably reach $35,000.

Mr. A. H. Barnes, of Jersey County, Illinois, had an arm broken by flying timbers at the Chicago Depot.

Timothy Howard, employe of the Chicago Railway Company; head terribly cut by flying timbers.

William Petty, Roadmaster of the Southeastern Railway Company, had his head cut by being blown from the platform in front of the passenger depot.

John Papin was in a passenger car of the Southeastern Railway, which was blown from the track, and had his head seriously cut.  Mr. Papin, with one or two others, crawled out of one of the car windows.

Mr. W. F. Keicher had his head cut by being struck by a piece of wood which was flying through the air.

Mrs. Eliza Powell was terribly cut in the head, the house in which she was living being blown down.  An infant of Mr. Frank Shields was blown from a second-story window to the ground, and seriously injured.  The probabilities are that the child will die.

John Mc Gerrihan was run over by a run-away team, and his head badly cut.

Wm. Stark, pilot of the ferry-boat Edwardsville, was seriously injured by the pilot-house of the boat being blown away.

Larry McGlynn was seriously cut in the head, as his house was blown down while he was within.

Mat. Quinn, an employee of the Vandalia Railway Company, had his arm broken by a heavy box being blown against him.

John Moran, brakeman on the Southeastern Railway, terribly cut in the head by flying timbers.

A child named Mary Brown was dangerously injured; the house in which the child lived with her parents was blown level with the ground.

An omnibus driver in the employ of the St. Louis Transfer Company, was blown from the omnibus which he was driving, and one of his legs broken.

Mat Cooney, a laborer at the Vandalia Railway Company, had one of his hands mashed by being blown underneath a hand-car which was passing at the time.

Harry Hawkins and Charles Christy, laborers, were seriously injured.

Frank Edwards, engineer on the Vandalia Railway, was terribly scalded by an escape of steam.

Mr. W. F. Gainey, foreman of the Vandalia round house, had his left arm broken by a heavy door blowing against it.

BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY DESTROYED OR DAMAGED

The amount of property destroyed will in all probability reach or exceed $1,500,000.

The upper portion of the East St. Louis elevator was completely blown off, and landed 200 yards away from the building.  There were 8,000 barrels of flour and 45,000 bushels of corn in store.  The estimated loss is $15,000.

Twelve cars loaded with grain, standing on the trestle work of the elevator at the time, were blown from the track and a portion of their contents strewn on the ground.  One car was blown into the river and is a total loss.  The cars were owned by the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railway Company.

The roof of the freight office of the Indianapolis Company was blown off, as also was a portion of one of the freight houses.  The loss of the Indianapolis Company is probably $8,000.

Two buildings now in course of construction were blown down, which were owned by J. B. Livingston.  Loss probably $1,200.

The freight house of the Vandalia Railroad was blown down and four cars blown from the track.  The loss of the Vandalia Railway Company probably will reach $75,000.

The office of the Wiggins Ferry Company was blown down.  At the time Mr. Edward Newkirk and Sam Gilbert, master carpenter, were in the building and strange to say, they all escaped unhurt.

A four horse team of mules, which was approaching one of the ferry boats, was blown off the apron, and three of them drowned.

The ferry boat Edwardsville, which was crossing to the east side, had her pilot house carried away.

The ferry boat Mullikin, had her smoke-stack carried away, and a portion of her upperworks injured.

The tug-boat Ram, owned by the Wiggins Ferry Company, had her deck swept clear of every movable object.  The loss of the ferry company is estimated at $5,000.

A boarding house owned by Mr. Patrick Conway was blown down and several small dwelling houses owned by the Ohio & Mississippi Railway Company.  The loss of Mr. Conway, including personal property, is probably $2,000.

The passenger depot, two freight depots, the round house and water tank of the Chicago Railway Company were blown down.  The round house took fire, and all the wood work burned after it had fallen.  Isaac Evans, the engineer, was killed in the building.  One engine was in the house at the time, and she, too, is a total wreck.  Seven freight cards were thrown from the track, and all out-buildings destroyed.  The loss of the Chicago Company will, probably, reach $350,000.

The Ohio & Mississippi Railroad suffered severely.  Three freight houses, the passenger car house, water-tank, Adams Express office, were blown down, and twenty-two cars were blown from the track.  The loss of the Ohio & Mississippi will probably reach $300,000.  A number of small tenement homes, owned by the company, lying north of the depot grounds, were also blown down.

Of the Toledo & Wabash Road, the round house was blown down and two engines were burned in the ruins; three passenger coaches and one Pullman palace car, also an engine, were blown from the track into the slough.  Seventeen box cars were blown from the track; all of the out-buildings of the company were destroyed.  The loss of the Wabash Company will probably reach $200,000....

The suffering among the unfortunate families in East St. Louis is really pitiable.  About thirty families were rendered homeless, and many poor people had their little all buried in the ruins of their once happy homes.

THE WRECK IN THE EAST ABUTMENT

One of the extraordinary results of the storm was shown at the east abutment pier.  At the time of the outburst about twenty-two men were at work in the air chamber, and over 100 others were dispersed about the works, some on the masonry and some aloft in the purchase-boxes and other points.... The tornado... struck the framework like a rushing sea. There was a moment of dreadful creaking - a shivering, as if a furious spirit was assailing the whole - the workmen looked aghast; hardly a moment was there for a man to change his place, before the dreadful downfall came.  The whole frame work no so much gave way as was gathered up and piled like a lot of dry twigs into a chaotic heap, and it dashed down and stamped upon by the storm, the great mass inclining in a northeastwardly direction.

The noise at first was positively deafening, and men were bewildered and hardly knew what had happened.  But the storm passed as quickly as it came, and then came the terrible realization of the calamity.  Cries of wounded men came from the awful wreck, pleading for assistance.

Superintendent McComas, who escaped unhurt, although his office was badly rocked and strained, quickly recovered himself, and calling his men together, all that were able to go to work directed their united energies to the business of extricating the wounded.

So far as was possible for them to ascertain last evening, only one man was killed at the pier.... His name was James Halpin, a sheet-iron worker by trade.  He was killed close by the office of Mr. McComas, receiving a terrible blown on the head and upper part of his body.  He was on the platform, east of the office, at the time he received the death-blow.

The following are all that were ascertained to have been wounded:

John Clarke, shoulder and arm shattered.  This man, who has a wife and family, was sent to St. Luke's Hospital.  He was promptly attended by Dr. Jaminet, who, in view of the condition of the patient, postponed amputation until this morning.  The case is a bad one, and fears were entertained that he would not live through the night.

William Grovin, seriously hurt.

P. Gannon, resides at 1425 Broadway, seriously.

C. W. Smith, resides at 933 North Second, seriously injured, but not considered in immediate danger.

D. Collins -- This man was employed on the bridge, but was on shore at the time of the storm, and was injured by a falling house.

The Bridge Company tug Hewitt was lying near the east abutment when the storm struck it.  The wheel-house, and part of the cabin, such as it was, was torn off, and Captain Montgomery went into the river with the wreck, but succeeded in getting out safe.  Two or three men employed on the tug were also through overboard, but all managed to escape a watery grave.

John Applegate was painfully hurt on the head, either by a fall or a blow from a piece of flying timber.

There were some twenty-two men in the air-chamber at the time of the catastrophe above.  The smashing of the timbers and the interruption of the machinery quickly apprised them something was wrong, and as soon as practicable they were got out.  Not one of them sustained any injury, and in fact, as things turned out, they were in the safest place on the pier.  Mr. DeCourey was in charge of the air chamber gang at the time.  Thos. Malvin, who was in charge of the air-chamber work, was in the main shaft at the time of the general smash up overhead.  He heard the giving way, and, looked up, saw the collapse.  He wisely retreated down the shaft some distance, and, no timber falling down on him, escaped without any injury.

Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL 10 Mar 1871

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