The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-12-19
STRUCK CHESTER PRISON.
How the Prisouers aud Guards Met the
Cyeione--- Buildiugs Damaged.


How the Prisouers aud Guards Met the
Cyelone--- Buildings Damaged.
From the Globe.Den ocrat.
CHESTER, ILL.,, December 9.-During
the excitement and confusion Incl
dent to such events, IL was next to
impossible to give last night an au-
tbentic report of the damage done by |
the cyclone which swept over the
penitentiary here yesterday evening.
The penitentiary is situated at the |
mouth of the Okaw river, about one |
mile above town, and has an I'M
broken view of the "Fsther of
Waters for distance of fully five
miles. The cloud-storm appeared to
form at the bluff, several miles above
the prison, coming from the south
west, the center having a dark and
ominous appearance. 1t followed the
river IN direct course TO the peni-
Tertiary, aud it appeared to plow a
deep iurrow in the water rs II APP
preached. Before one could realize
the danger which might follow the
approaching storm, the wind and
heavy rain struck the prison, carry
ing away the iron roof of the chapel
in great sections, the dimensions OF
which building are l20Ni20 feet.
The entire roof was hurled violently
into the prison yard. The convict
kitchen, 40xli3 feet, was almost en-
tirely unroofed, aud the shoe-shop
roof suffered materiol damage. he
roof of the large barn was lifted from
its place. but with not sufficient force
~. IL 10 al
the walls of the building in an irreg-
ular shape The smoke-stack of the
upper puIap house was blown away,
aud stone and brick chimneys, IN
Vulnerable, were blown down.
GALLANT GUARDS.
The prison grounds are surrounded
by heavy board stockade, sur
mounted at intervals with guard
houses, in which the guaads are still
on duty. At seven different points
the stockade was lev,led 10 the
ground, slightly wonnding Officer
| Nichols, who was blown. with his
mouse, into the adjoining ditch. The
guard houses of Officers Cashell,
Heldeman and Lamber were also
blown away, but those officers re-
maiued brayely at their posts until
the storm had passed. Owing TO the
rain and unusually cloudy evening,
the whistle blew for the running in'
OF the men twenty minute earlier
than usual, which prgcaution,
| doubtless, saved the lives or limbs
| of many of the prisoners
When the storm struck the prison
there were still 255 conviots who had
not been "run in" aud of these ITO
were in the yard in line, marching to-
ward the cell house, in charge of
| Deputy Warden Dowell and Officers
Bell, Fits and Grain. They had
nesrly reached the cell house, when
the chapel began descending and OBJ
structing their way. The deputy,
J with great presence of mind and cool
ness, remained in the heaviest of the
storm and ordeeed the men TO fall
back and look out tor themselves,
which they did by laying down and
cling ng to the huge rocks inside the
yard. During the confusion con-
fusion convicts Joe villmore and
Neal Wilkerson, each serving
a life sentence. were blown or
ell into an excavation made
for the foundation of the state work
shop, the former having his right
ankle fractured or badly sprained, aud
the latter having his right leg broken
below the knee. Thirteen others
were slightly bruised or injured. OF
the conyicts in the yard, and which
the storm passed over in all its fury,
sixteen were serving life sentences,
and forty-one sentences ranging from
twelve 10 forty-eight years. The men
all behaved well, and none OF them
made an attempt to escape.