The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-07-07
A Cyclone in Columbia.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF THE
PENITENTIARY CONNECTS.
Third Story Of the Machinery Build
ing Blown OR-List Of the Injured
Damage in Other Parts Of the
fifty
(NcWs and CUuricr.)

(Ncms and COuricr.)
COLUDBIA, July 5.-Ther W Is n general oh
scrvancc here to-day Of he Fourth and Il par.
tial suspension of business. ali the State OH.
was ~fearfuily warm. About | o'clock the city
was visited by q dreadful rain.t winh and hal
storm, the damage resulting from which was
manifested principally at the Penltcn!iary
The usual rules and regulations governing the
institution were suspended on account OF its
being n holiday. superintendent LipScomh
had had collected In the second story of the
new machinery hall lately erected in the III
the hospital. and eleven women. At tho time
the storm arose 2} cOnvictS were in the sec.
ond story Of Machinery Hall, under guard OF
the usual detail. Without prcmunitlun, the
cyclone struck the Enclosure, sweeping away
the entire third story of Machinery Hall, EN-
bracing all four walls, roof and ~raftcrS. The
building was three stories In height, one hun
drcd and fifty feet In length, and nifty feet in
width. The entire third .story was swept
away by the force Of the wind, the bricks,
rafterS, &C., beng carried over the wall OF the
yard, knocking ii down, and all the debris,
being carried in and beyond the Canal, some
even being lodged on stands in the river.
At the time Of the cyclone one of the guards,
whose sentry post was within twenty-five
yards of the demolished building, was SO
blinded by the dense rain that he did not see
the building when 1t fell. AS soon as the dis
aster became known Col. LipscOmb dispatched
Il messenger for DR.. Irrelevant, the surgeon of
| lllC lltSlllJllOIl, " ~ WI Spolt tu, anu SN-
pressed the opinion that If any persons were
under the ruins death must have cnsued, and
il would, therefore, be better to direct attcn-
lion to the injured who had been picked up af-
ter having jumped from the second story win
dow.
AS previously stated, all the prisoners in the
Pcnitcntiary, except women and sick, were In
the second story; and IT was impossible, by
reason of their number, forthcm to escape by
the staircase leading to the story below.
When The first intimatiOn of danger became
apparent to the unfortunate occupants of the
doomed building, but few OF them had Sufli-
ciGnt presence OF mind to try to escape. There
We're but two or three white men among the
number, and all were So frightened that the
opportunity to effect their escape did notserm
to nave been thought OF. or the whole num-
Der in the hall but fifteen or twenty were en-
ablcd TO escape by the regular avenues. The
whole party were panick-strickcn, and the
majority of them made no effort TO escape by
the staircase, but threw themselves headlong
out of The second story windows. When DIR
Irrelevant examined those who were thus in.
ijurcd, he made the following report Of casu-
altiCS:
Bouknight, .colored of Abbeville, left leg bro
ken above ankle. He having jumped OF a
pile of lumber
sam Dickson. white of Chesterfield, contu-
sion of scalp and nose, lip and skin seriously
cut by glass DUNG his plunge through the
window.
George Williams, colored, OF Charleston.
scalp wUund and leg sprain..
Alfred Roof, colored, spinc seriously injur-
cd by fall Of timber. The only one injured in
this manner.
Robert Johnson, colored, Of Richland, leg
and groin Sprained.
Just as early Us was practicable after the
cyclone had passed. Col. Lipscomb, who WAS
present ut the lime, summoned the entire
guard of the Pcnitentiary to prevent the es-
cape of convictS, the wall Of the yard having
been blown down in several places, .i,iiording
the ampleSt opportunity for the escape of all
the cOnvicts. But no attempt was made. All
the prisoners were confined to their cells
and it will be necessary to Increase vigilance
until the damage can be repaired. The results
Of the storm were felt in portions OF the
city, but nothing serious is reported.