Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-07
THE BATON ROUGE CYCLONE.
Description Of the Path of the Storm and the
Damage Caused.

The storm which caused such damage al
Baton Rouge yesterday. as narrated in TIL
| STAR. passed from southwest to northeast. II
| entered the city at Garig brickyard. passed up
| through Catfshtown and struck the hill just to
! the east of MIR. John Johnson's residence. Its
path continued in northeasterly direction,
crossing North Boulevard hundred yards to
the east of the governors mansion. 1t then
went north. striking the penitentiary building
and j. A. Dougherty's residence on North
street and thence beyond the city. The tor
nadO was 300 yards wide, and ricocheted along
its course like cannon ball. devastating as it
went In the city no one was killed, though
several persons were severely injured.
The state penitentiary was partially wrecked.
Ten conyicts were killed and thirty-hve in
jured, FIVE Of these very dangerously. The
convicts were at work in the jeans pants
factory. in the third story of the north wing
when the storm struck the building and en-
tirely demolished the second and third
stories. There were others in the hospital in
the second story. The guards were helpless,
and, as most OF the men at work were either
killed or wounded. little could be done
toward extricating ,he unfortunate victims
until help arrived from the main prison
building To add to the horror of the situa-
ton the ruins caught fire from the furnace
in the engine-room. but. owing to the heavy
rain which was falling. the threatened holo-
caust WAS averted. The rescuers went
quickly TO work and began the task Of eXtri-
eating the dead and dying from beneath the
ruins. The hospital OF the penitentiary, in
which were living number of manned and
helpless c0uvicts, also leveled to the
ground by the fury of the storm. The work of
rescue at the factory building. where the larger
Humber Of lives were in danger. diverted atten-
ton from the unfortunates in the hospital. and
il was not until most of the working force had
hear hat he off a1s
time TO turn their attention to the hospital
Here the work was even more difficult than at
the factory, owing to the weakness of the in
mates, who were unable even 20 give rescuers
an Indication OF their presence in the debris by
shOnts.
John Raodus. one of the guards was sitting
III a third-story window opening to the south
when he vas blown out INTO tine ward along
with bricks and other debris. He escaped I'M
injured. Ex-Judge T. J. Ford, serving a sen
tence for completely in the murder of Capt.
Murphy, was in the commissary. on the first
door, when the building collapsed. He SAYS he
got near "a wall and stood STILL muttering a
prayer, as he felt that his hour had come.
When the materials quit falling he SAW an
opening. and escaped on his hands ard knees
into the yard uninjured. He Immediately
went to work to save and assist others less
fortunate. In addition to the north wing. the
cell building was unroOfed and partially de-
strOyed. The womens ward was also uuroofed.
ne damage TO the buildings Is estimated at
s3O,O The prisoners gave the guards no
trouble.
In the city fifty houses at least were unroofed
or destroyed. Mr.. j. ii. Young and members
of his family seriously hurt by the col
lapse of their house on ST. Charles street. Mrs.
Cotton. son and two daughters, living in a
brick house Main street, opposite Mr.. G.
Waddells. were injured i'll the falling of the
building. Mrs Cotton received dangerous
blow on the back of the head and also internal
injuries while one of the girls was cut on the
limbs. Mrs. Cotton, it is thought will recover.
There were no others seriously hurt. Carrie.
Reddy 4 Co.'S brick yard was demolished. 1t
is the only place in the city covered by a
storm insurance policy.