Morning journal and courier., 1891-07-07
A DESTRUCTIVE CYCLONE.

A Southern Penftentiary DemOl1sh ed Ten Prisoners Killed and Thirty. Five Injured - Fifty Houses Un. roofed and Partly Destroyed. NEW ORLEANS, La., July 6.-The Pica
 yune's Baton Rouge special says A ter rible cyclone struck this city little afte,
 o'clock this morning, passing from southwest to northeast. It entered the city at the Garig brick yard, passed up through Catfshtown and. struck the hill just to the east of John Johnson's resi- dence. Its path continued in a north easterly direction, crossing North boule- yard ten yards east of the governors mansion. It then went north, striking and almost demolishing the penitentiary building and the J. A. Dougherty resi- dence on North street and thence beyond the city. The cyclone was 300 yards wide and ricochetted along it's course like a cannon ball, devastating everything as it went In the city no one was killed, though several persons were seriously in jured. Ten convicts were killed in the penitentiary and thirty-five injured. The following is list of the dead
 Whites-1saac McClelia, J. A. Waggoner, Fred Cage, James Van Netter, John Glib son and William Willow. Gibson was one of the Mealy murderers.
 Colored-Nathan Chancey, Henry Gales tin, Beauregard Harden and Edward Buck ner.
 The convicts were at work in the jeans pants factory in the third story of the north wing when the storm struck the hui1dinn and ontira1xy oo1iohal ond and third stories There were others in the hospital in the second story and it is a miracle that any escaped with their lives. John Rhodus, one of the guards, was sitting in third story window opening to the south when he was blown out into the yard along with bricks and other debris. He escaped uninjured. Ex-Judge T. J. Ford was in the commissiary on the first floor when the building collapsed. He says he got near wall and stood still, muttering @ prayer, as he felt that his hour had come. When the materials quit falling he and knees into the yard uninjured. He immediately went to work to save and to assist others less fortunate.
 In addition to the north wing the cell building was unroofed and partially de- stroyed. The woman's ward was also un- roofed. It is impossible to form any esti- mate of the damage to the buildings. In the city fifty houses at least were un- roofed or destroyed. MT. J. H. Young and members of his family were seriously hurt by the collapse of their house on St. Charles street. Mrs. Cotton, son and two daughters living in brick house on Main street were injured in the falling of the building. Mrs Cotton received dangerous blow on the back of the head and also in ternal injuries, while one of the girls was cut on the limbs
 There were forty prisoners at work in the pantaloons factory at the time of the crash and of that number six were killed and twentyty-two were injured and horri- bly, crushed. On the second story or cen- tral floor was the hospital, where twenty sick prisoners lay undergoing medical treatment, of which number four were killed and fourteen seriously if not fatally injured. The fire alarm was sounded and the entire fire department was summoned to the scene of tho dreadful catastrophe and together with the citizens and prison officials, aided by the uninjured prisoners, unfortunates confined under the great heap. The storm was attended by a most violent rain, in which the rescuers worked and toiled for several hours, or until both the living and the dead were e1tricated from the ruins. Of the thirty-si1 wounded about six are expected to die before night, and the recovery of several of the others is extremely doubtful. The total damage to the penitentiary buildings is estimated at $30,000.
 The tugboat Smoky City was caught in the cyclone at 5:30 a. m. eight miles below Baton Rogue. The entire cabin was blown down. The escape of the crew from death was something wonderful, considering the fact that they were all asleep, and the greatest possible damage was done to the boat by the violence of the storm, but no one was dangerously hurt. A negro fire man is missing. None of the officers were iniurpd