Huntsville gazette. [volume] (Huntsville, Ala.) 1879-1894, 1891-07-11
A FURIOUS STORM.

K "
Amount Of Damage Done Throughout
the City--The State Prison Partially De-
stroyed-Ten Persons Killed and Thirty
Six Injured, Some Fataliy-The Tow
Boat Smoky City Wrecked. AR
New ORLEANS, July AT $50 yes
terday morning terrific wind and rain
storm struck Baton Rouge La, and in
few minutes had almost wrecked the
town. Great damage was done to
buildings in the eastern and southern
portions of the city and many persons
were killed. The governors mansion
was demolished. Also the large brick
yard and factory with a wing of the
three-story brick building in the peni-
tcatiary knawn as the hospital and
commissary, with pantaloon factory
on the upper floor, were blown down
and totally destroyed. Forty persons
were at work in the factory and of
these six were killed and twenty-five
were wounded and horribly. crushed.
On the second floor was the hospital,
where twenty-six persons were under
medical treatment. Four of these
were killed and fourteen seriously or
fatally wounded. Ea4es9 .etE
The alarm bells were rung and the
fire department responded. and with
citizens went to the work of rescue.
The scene was one of great horror. A
violent rain was falling, but the men
worked hard and soon had the dead
and injured out of the debris. The
names of the killed are:
Isaac McClelland, of Calcasieu par
ish. ~ 1F~A
J. N. Wagner, of Claiborne. NJ
Fred Gage, of Ouachita- a isEel
James Vannetter, of Natchitoches.
John Gibson, of Orleans Fl
I. Nathan Channer, of East Feliciana.
Henry Cellestino, of New Orleans.
Ed Buckner, of Caddo.
William Willow, of New Orleans.
Beauregard Hardon, of Rassier.
The wounded are: Louis ". Clair,
\ M. j. Finnigan, Harry Mckay, James
Molie, John Duffy, J ohm O'Leary, j ames
Villere, Charles Summerfield, John
Olean, all white, of New Orleans; Jake
Jones, James jackson, Major White
Orleans; Joseph Powell, C. M. Young,
L. S. Stewart, Gus Black, A. L. Dar-
nett, D. E. Campbell, Marion Perkins,
Felix Richards, ]. R. Dolan, Walter
Douglass. John Daley, Frank Aaron,
John Fastland, Meelie O'Neil and Alex
andero Terrell, white, from different
parishes, and Oscar Phillips, VIM.
Perry, Henry Dodson, Beril Peterson,
Robert Comaux Samson Allen and
VIM. Scott, colored. Total wounded,
thirty-six of whom six will probably
not live and seven others are in a very
critical state. The main building and
the woman's department of the institu-
tion were unroofed and the walls badly
cracked. The damage to the building
is about $50, 900.
Ex-Judge Ford convicted for COM
plicity in the murder of Capt. Murphy,
worked gallantly at rescuing the killed
missary department. The prisoners all
acted in a praiseworthy manner and
gave the guards no trouble.
The tow boat Smoky City was wrecked
about miles from Baton Rouge. Sew
eral of the crew were injured, but no
one was killed.
The path of the storm was about 200
feet wide, and nearly every house in its
path was blown to atoms.
In the southern portion of the city
several persons were injured by flying
timbers.
The drug store of Mr.. B. A. Day was
completely demolished and the con-
tents destroyed. Several grocery
stores and small shops in this vicinity
were demolished. The loss on Carrie,
Reddy & Co.'S brick yard is covered by
insurance. 1t is the only place in the
city covered by storm policy.
In the city fifty houses at least were
unroofed or destroyed. J. III. Young
and members of his family were seri-
ously hurt by the collapse of their
house on st. Charles street. Mr.. Col
ton, son and two daughters, living in
brick house on Main street, were in
iured by falling building. Mrs. Col
ton received dangerous blow on the
back of the head and also internal in
iuries, while one of the girls was cut on
the leg. Mrs. Cotton may recover.
The storm approached from a south
western direction and swept path 800
feet or more in width diagonally across
the city. leveling everything as it went.
A visit to the capitol and other state
buildings showed them unharmed by
the winds as was also the business por-
ton of the town on Main and Fero
streets unaffected by the storm. The
southern portion of the city, styled
Catfish town. suffered great loss and
damage of property. In this section OF
the city several persons were seriously
hurt and bruised by flying timbers from
falling houses and fences.
The extent of damage done through
out the city by the storm cannot ac-
curately be estimated at this time but
it can be said that this is the greatest
loss Baton Rouge has ever sustained.
either from a cyclone or fire. The
total damage done will reach several
hundred thousand dollars .
A number of very narrow escapes are
reported Charles Day was in his fa-
theirs drug store when it collapsed, and
although the room was turned upside
down and the tim bers twisted in every
o.,.,,aI xri+l, 81; hrr,i a