Dead horses strewed the island on Friday
Street cars were blown some distance and upset
The public park in the Second Ward is a total wreck
The Howe Institute stood it well losing only its steeple
St. Louis suffered a hundred fold more than East St. Louis
The bodies of David Sage and his wife will be interred today
Trains commenced to run over the Eads' bridge again yesterday
It is sad to look on the wreck of the National Hotel at the Stock
Yards
There is kindling wood enough in East St. Louis to last for a winter or
so
John Drury lost 14 houses by the storm with no insurance on any of the
them
St. Mary's Church and the M. E. church look unnatural without their
steeples
The clerks in J. P. Becker Dry Goods store went into the cellar and all escaped
injury
The twisted and bent iron work on the Eads' bridge tells the fury and force
of this wind
Several of the ferryboats were driven quarter of their length up the Front
street levee
The City hall and Police and Fire station were each cut in two but the sum
is equal to nothing
Out of all their ferry boats, the Wiggins Company had but one boat left fit
for immediate use
The "hello girls" are getting a vacation, but the line boys are being put
to the wall with work
In all portions of the city are scattered debris that has been blown from
the wrecked sections
Corner Campbell is reaping a harvest out of the calamity but this is no
reflection as it is his official duty
The streets of East S. Louis are once again in darkness but it is the tornado
evil that is to blame this time
Gov. Altgeld concluded that East St. Louis was able to take care of its
sufferers, and he was about right, too
The city council met last night and instructed Chief Purdy to organize a
fire patrol
There were 14 lives lost in the wreck of the Hallissey house on Front street
near the bridge
Telegrams from all over the country are received here making enquiries of
friends and relatives
At the request of Mayor Bader, Gov. Altgeld has ordered 100 tents belonging
to the Militia to be sent this city
Passengers did not much fancy to go over on the first trains that went over
the bridge yesterday, but there was no danger
The whole surrounding country contains the distributed contents of demolished
East St. Louis buildings and railroad freight cars
The city council at their meeting last night, appointed Chief Purdy and Mr.
Zent to inspect buildings in the course of reconstruction
Another dead body, that of Mrs. Ruby Jones, of Newburg, Ill., was recovered
from the Tremont house wreck on Friday evening
Too much praise can not be given to Frank Tuttle, who threw his doors wide
open and cared for all who came within his doors regardless of their station
in life or their poverty
The city government will take up headquarters in the New Library building
on Broadway and Eighth street and the officials will at once move into
it
When Daniel Kelly was rescued from the Vandalia office wreck, the dead bodies
of Frank McCormack and Eddie Kavannaugh were found upon him. Kelly
had a tough experience but he will recover
If it had not been for John J. Weiss, the Relay depot would have been a complete
wreck. He closed and barred all the doors when the storm
broke
Thomas Griffin, the ex-policeman who was killed at his home, was one of the
600 who survived the famous "Charge of the Light Brigade" at Balakiava during
the Crimean war. While on the police force he won the title of "the
old sleuth of East St. Louis."
Too much credit cannot be accorded to the East St. Louis physicians, who,
one and all, have honored their profession for the untiring and unselfish
work they have done in this great calamity and without fee or reward except
the satisfaction of their conscience
Mary Mock, a domestic in the Martell house was dug from the ruins on Friday
evening, after being in them 48 hours. At first it was thought that
she was dead but upon being exposed to the air she revived and it is thought
that she will recover
A. M. Meints had luck even in the tornado. He was about to build another
story on his store for hotel rooms. Along came the tornado and took
the roof off, and the cyclone insurance company will have to pay him as damages
what he would to have hired done himself
Ex-Supervisor Patrick kelly and his family got into a small room in the rear
of his store on the island. All the rest of the building collapsed,
but this room was spared and Kelly and his family were uninjured. He lost
several buildings valued at $12,000
Mrs. Trump on the island was unable to get her two children out of her house
but she left them surrounded by pillows thus hoping to save their lives,
but the little ones were brought forth dead to the mother's sorrow. The
head of the baby was almost severed
Charles Jenks, the clerk who sought shelter in the Vandalia office cellar,
was picked up by the wind, hurled through a window and landed against the
base of the bridge, 50 feet away. He was uninjured, and he was the
only one of the 35 occupants to escape without a bruise
George Roemer a Vandalia office clerk was seven hours imprisoned in the ruins.
He says that the clerks ran down stairs when the storm came, but most
of them were killed by the crash as they were going down. Joe Franks
and Albert Volkmann were crushed to death in front of Roemer
It is thought that a large number of persons lost their lives in the river
during the tornado storm, particularly among the class that occupied the
shanty boats. There is no doubt that several persons were swept from
the Eads' bridge and drowned
East St. Louis Lodge No. 504 A. F. and A. M. has authorized the citizens
committee to draw on their treasurer for $50 to be used for the benefit of
the sufferers
The East St. Louis Hardware Company is preparing to move into the new quarters
at 315 Broadway, where they will soon be ready for business. For the
present they can be found at the old place
Dr. Harry R. Lemen, of Alton, was the first volunteer physician to arrive
in the city after the storm
Over 200 wounded persons were treated and had their wounds dressed by Dr.
DeHaan and his assistants at St. Mary's Hospital
The clock in the city court room is the only thing left of the tribunal
of justice, and it has turned its face to the wall
Mrs. J. L. Linihan, of 811 Baugh avenue, was over the river when the storm
struck and was forced to go up to the Merchants Bridge and walk across and
walk down from Venice in order to get home yesterday
The Call office was completely demolished. The north wall of the Republican
office is blown out, but the office is in good shape. The Gazette is
allright, so is the Journal, as long as it don't rain. The Democrat
is in fairly good shape except that it is very wet
The tornado itself was bad enough, but it did not hold a candle to the newspaper
reports published about it in Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Boston and
New York
Although much has already been accomplished, much still remains to be done,
and the relief corps hopes that contributions of money, food and clothing
will continue to arrive abundantly
All contributions to the relief fund of East St. Louis, will be conveyed
over the river by the Morrison Express Company, at 305 Lucas avenue, free
of charge
In the Vandalia and the other railroad fright houses there were employed
a large number of Polanders. Since the tornado not one of them has
been seen nor has the body of a Polander been found in the ruins. What
became of them?
Fifteen distressed colored families were discovered in cars belonging to
the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, below the cotton compress and outside the city
limits yesterday. Their immediate wants were satisfied by the Relief
Committee
The relief committee of Carlyle sent a wagon load of provisions and clothing
to East St. Louis yesterday. Messrs. J. W. Maddox, T. D. Shoupe, D.
K------- and Miss Clara Trusdale, the relief committee, are receiving donations
and packing them for shipment
All insurance companies and secret societies in which the victims held policies
and certificates have made arrangements to pay the claims. The stricken families
of those who were killed Wednesday night will suffer no inconvenience or
delay. Some of the claims have already been paid and the remainder
will be promptly
Return To The Tornado Index