Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-03-16
THE ST. LOUIS TORNADO.

L ne 81. Louis democrat OF March
9th says of the great storm in East
st. Louis on the previous day:
A sultriness in the atmosphere
was remarked during the forenoon
of yesterday by all who are wont to
speculate upon the weather changes
and prognosticate sunshine or storm,
fair weather or foul. After the sun
had crossed the meridian, the heav-
ems presented a more forbidding
aspect, as heavy patches of black
and angry looking clouds traversed
the sky toward the north and north
west.
Gradually the clouds thickened,
and the darkness became so intense
that artificial lights were rendered
necessary in the prosecution of office
duties.
Shortly after two o'clock, the
heavy t-slushingly falling rain
drops admonished people to seek
shelter. Minutes elapsed ere the
falling water assumed proportions
of a shower. Just before three
O'Clock the rain came down in tor
rents, deluging the streets and
sweeping from the cutters all the
light garbage and filth. In this re-
spect it did US, on this side of the
Mississippi, service. The wind,
although brisk, gave no indications
of the extreme violence with which
it blew on the opposite side of the
river. 1t may be that the dense and
compact mass ofstone and structures
on the West side of the Mississippi
somewhat broke the violence of the
storm; but certain it is that the full
force of the wind was not felt in
West st. Louis. Only short time
elapsed, however, before it became
buzzed abroad that something very
unusual had happened in East St.
Louis and crowds hied toward the
levee. Before intelligence was
brought over 1t became apparent to
the naked eye that a tornado had
visited the opposite side of the Mis-
sissippi for even at that great dis
tance some of the devastating effects
of the whirlwind were painfully ap-
parent. For example, it was seen
that the grain elevator had been un-
rooted; that the smoke stacks and
texas of the Mollie Able had been
blown away, and other casualties
were discoverable from the western
bank. The ferry boats ominously
ceased running, leaving the popu-
lace who lived on our side of the
river to surmise the worst possible
results. We noticed among the
crowd many anxious faces. One gen.
tleman, evidently painfully affected,
was making diligeut inquiries as to
the precise time at which the hurri-
cane broke. The reason for his par
ticularity in this respect became
apparent when he informed one OF
our reporters that his wife and three
children had crossed the river with
the intention of taking one of the
trains from the east side. He had
already heard of the wreck of train
or two, and of course lie experienced
the greatest anxiety lest his loved
ones should have been injured. To
make matters worse he was unable
to cross the river and so end his
suspense, as the ferry boats, as
metioned, had ceased to make trips.
Matters were not improved when,
after the lapse of some time, ghastly
looking men who had been hurt were
conveyed in itters on tugs that were
beginning to arrive from the oppo-
site shore. Those who came from
East st. Louis were piled with a
thousand questions by the eager
multitude; and the descriptions Civ
en- of the extreme force of the tor
nado served to enhance the uneasi-
ness experienced. The best descrip-
ton which we heard of the force OF
the wind was given by gentleman
who likened it to the power,on a
grand scale, of a continuous steam
explosion, hurling everything before
it. Little short of such force could
have lifted, as was done, a thirty
ton engine bodily from the track, as
though it were a child's toy, and
hurled it to a considerable distance.