Sorry, forgot to paste! March 16, 1871 – Nashville Journal – TERRIBLE TORNADO One of the fiercest storms that ever visited this part of the country was that of last Wednesday afternoon. It was the most disastrous at East St. Louis where it was a perfect whirlwind, and very destructive. Many of the steamers in the harbor were severely crippled, smoke stacks blown down, and others became unmanageable and were driven ashore, or against the wharf-boats and for a time rendered useless. The top of the East St. Louis elevator was blown off; nearly all the depots blown away, while some took fire, especially the round-house of the C. A. & St. R. R., where several were killed or burned. The Southeastern depot was completely demolished and several men killed or severely wounded. The scaffolding on the east pier of the bridge was thrown down and forty men fell with it, some of whom were mortally wounded. Numerous houses were wrecked, and the contents of lumber yards hurled in every direction. On the Southeastern road cars were blown from the track in which were some of the citizens of Belleville and Mascoutah. Philip Schubkegel, of Mascoutah, received an ugly wound; John Thoma, John Papin and W. T. Kircher, of Belleville, were more or less injured. The number of killed and wounded it is impossible to determine. The number is large, however. One of the most incredible incidents related on undoubted evidence, was the lifting of a 32 ton locomotive from the track of the T. W. & W. R. R., and dropping it forty feet distant, not rolling it, but actually lifting it, without touching the intervening soil. The storm seemed to rage along the levee, reaching half way across the river on the west, and fair way across the island on the east. Considerable damage was done in Belleville, fences and chimneys blown down, while the roof of the house on south High street, owned by Mrs. Wm. C. Davis, was lifted completely off and one part deposited in the street and the other in an adjoining yard. The details of the storm at East St. Louis fill four or five columns of fine type in the St. Louis papers, and then no doubt, much remains unnoticed. It was probably the most disastrous storm that ever befell this part of the country.