The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-07

New ORLEANS, July 6.-TSpeciall-A
cyclone at Baton Rouge this morning
destroyed many houses and many people
were hurt. The pouitcntiary walls were
blown down and many convicts arc re-
ported killed. Tho steamboat Smoky
City was blown to pieces. there hcinr
nothing left of her but the hull. Several
OF tho crew wore badly Injured.
A special from Baton Rouge SAYS:
a cyclone FROM Tho sonthwesterly
direction passed through the residence
part of the city at GAO this morning,
wrecking many houses. The pcn;ten-
tiary walls were blown in. and it is cs.i-
mated many inmates killed or wounded,
with o0hcr casualties throughout the
course OF tho storm
Latcr-rhc cyclone passed over tho
lower portion of the town, unrooting
houses, tcariug up immense trees and
carrying missiles along tho streets fer
many blocks. Tho governors mansion
was directly in the path OF The HURT
cane, which made a clean sweep Of every
chimney and cleared the front lawn of
is large trees.
The roof OF handsome residence be-
longing TO Il Mr.. Marsh was carried
away and other damage done to the
place. Tho boulevard is Il mass Of trees
that have been torn up by the wind, and
the street is filled with pieces of house
tops and other ti,nbcrs OF almast every
description.
Tho penitcntiary walls were blown
down and ten persons killed and thirty
wounded. The factory building was de-
molished, rs was the hospital of the
penitcntiary. What household goods
. n .s...l. 7
have been ruined 10y water. The streets
and collars are full. and it is feared that
some persons have been drowned in the
lower part of the city. In tho peniten-
tlary tho scene was q horrible one
without any warning whatever the
walls OIL the factory in which ono hun
dred convlcts were at work were crushed
IN as ii they had been mere pastcboard
The guarss were helpless and as moss
OF the men atwork were either killed or
wounded little could be done toward OK
Treating the unfortunate victims until
help arrived from the main prison build.
ing.
10 add to tho horror of the situation
tho ruins caught fire from the furnace
in the engine room, but owing TO the
rain which was falling the threatened
holocaust was avcrtcd The rescuors
went quickly to work and began extri-
eating the dead and dying from beneath
the ruins. OF the force at work when
the storm struck the building it was
discovered than ten had been killed and
thirty seriously injured and all tho
others moro or less bruised. This
was not the worst. The hospital of the
peE;t"ntiary i'll which were lying a
number of manned and helpless convicts
was also lcvclcd to the ground by tho
fury OF the storm.
The work of rescue at the factory
building, where the larger number OF
lives were in danger, diverted attcn.
ton from tho unfortunatcs of tho hos.
pital, and 1t was not until most of tho
working force had been rescued that the
prison officials found time to turn their
atten ton to tho hospital.
Here tho work was more difficult than
at the factory, owing to the weakness of
inmates. who were unable even to givo
the rescuers any indication of their
presence in the debris by shouts. The
work, therefore, proceeds but slowly.
UP TO noon, however, it is believed that
most OF the patients have been rescued.
| Kaln Is still falling in torrents.