Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-07
SCENES OF HORROR.
A Cyclone Creates Havoc at
Baton Rouge.
The State Penitentiary Badly
Wrecked.
Ten Prisoners Killed and Thirty
six Wounded.
Some of the Injured Expected to Die.
Much Damage Done to Other
Property in the Path
of the Storm.
Associated Press Dispatches.

passed over the lower portion of town
this morning, unroofng houses, tearing
up immense trees and carrying pieces of
wreck through the air for many blocks.
The boulevard is Uttered with trees that
were torn up by the wind, and pieces of
house tops and other timbers. The
penitentiary walls were blown in. Ten
persons were killed and thirty wounded.
A factory building was demolished, and
the hospital and penitentiary are mass
of ruins. The steamship Smoky City
was blown to pieces, there being nothing
left but her hull. Several of her crew
were badly injured.
In the city no one was killed, though
several persons were seriously injured.
Following is list OF those killed at the
penitentiary: White-Isaac McClelland,
J. A. Waggoner, Fred Cage, James Van
Meter, John Gibson and William Will
low. Colored-Nathan Chancery, Henry
Buckner. Of thirty-five injured, five re-
ceived dangerous wounds.
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 entirely demolished the
second and third stories. There were
others in the hospital in the second and
third stories. and it is miracle that any
escaped with their lives. In addition
to the north wing, the cell building was
unroofed and partially destroyed. The
women's ward was also unroofed. 1t is
impossible to form any estimate of the
damage.
Property was more or less injured in
the city. Fifty houses, at least, were
unroofed or destroyed. j. H. Young
and members of his family were serious
ly hurt by the collapse of their house on
st. Charles strret. Mrs. Cotton and son
and two daughters, living in brick
house on Main street, opposite G. D..
Waddill's, were injured by the falling
Of the building. Mrs. Cotton received
dangerous blow on the back of the
l head, and also internal injuries, while
one OF the girls was cut on the limb.
Mrs. Cotton, it is thought, will recover.
There were no others seriously hurt.
There were forty prisoners at work in
the pants factory at the time OF the
crash, and of them six were killed and
twenty-five wounded and horribly
crushed. On the second story, or CEN
tral floor, was the hospital, where
twenty-five sick prisoners lay undergo
| ing medical treatment. OF these four
were killed and fourteen seriously, ifnot
fatally, injured.
The fire alarm was sounded and the
entire fire department summoned. To-
gether with citizens and the prison Off
cials, aided by the uninjurea prisoners,
they worked vigorously for the rescue of
the unfortunate.
Scenes of horror greeted the eyes of
those engaged in the rescuing work, and
| frightful walls and death groans from
men buried out of sight by massive
heaps of brick and mortar, could be
heard arising from every part of the
wreck, imploring help. Altogether the
scene was heart-rending. The storm was
attended by a most violent rain, in
which the rescuers worked and toiled
for several hours, or until both living
and dead we're extricated from the
ruins. Thirty-six in all were wounded,
and of these six or more will die.
A Memphis, Tenn, telegram received
in this city this afternoon reports that a
cyclone passed through Madison, Miss,
| this morning. Several buildings were
demolished and considerable damage
done. No further information is OBJ
tainablea as the wires south are all down.
The trees on many streets were up
rooted. A visit to the capitol and other
state buildings showed them to be un-
harmed by the winds, as was also the
business portion OF the town. The
southern portion Of the city, styled Cat
fishtown, suffered great loss and damage
of property. In this section several
persons were seriously hurt and bruised
by flying timbers from fall
ing houses and fences. The ex-
tent of the damage throughout
the city cannot be accurately estimated
at this time, but it can be said that this
is the greatest loss the town has ever
sustained, whether from cyclone or fire.
The storm did not make straight sweep
through the city, but would strike the
ground and bound forward like bounc-
ing ball, passing over several houses at
time. The trunks of large oaks were
taken off like pipe stems. So sudden
was the storm that number of vehicles
were caught ard wrecked in the streets.
A number of very narrow escapes are re-