Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-07-11
A TORNADO'S WORK.
Over One Hundred Houses Destroyed at
Baton Rouge, Among Which Is the PEN
tentiary-Forty-S of the Inmates Either
Killed or Wounded.

Over One Hundred Houses Destroyed AZ
Baton Rouge, Among which Is the PEN
tentiary-Forty-Si of the Inmates Either
Killed or Wounded.
A terrible cyclone struck Baton
Rouge, little after 6 o'clock Monday
morning. passing from southwest to
northeast 1t entered the city at the
Garig brick yard, passed up through
Catfish Town and struck the hill just
to the east of Mr., John Johnson's resi-
dence. Its path continued in north
easterly direction, crossing North
Boulevard 100 yards to the east
of the governors mansion. 1t then
went north, striking the penitentia.
ry building and the j. A. Dough-
erty residence on North street, and
thence beyond the city The cyclone
was 800 yards wide, and ricochetted
along its course like cannon-ball, de-
vastating as it went. In the city no
one was killed, although several per-
sons were seriously injured. j have
just returned from the state peniten-
tiary, which is-partially wrecked Ten
convicts were killed and thirty injured,
five of these very dangerously. The
convicts were at work in the
jeans pants factory, 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 story, and it is a
miracle that any escaped with their
lives. Mr.. 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 es-
capped uninjured. In addition to the
north wing, the cell building was un-
rooted and partially destroyed. The
women's ward was also unroofed 1t
Is impossible to form any estimate of
the damage to the buildings, as all the
property is more or less injured. In
the city one hundred houses, at least,
we're unroofed or destroyed. There
were forty prisoners at work in the
paint factory at the time of the crash,
and of that number six were killed and
twenty-five We're wounded and horri-
bly, crushed On the second or central
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 the dreadful catastrophe, and
together with the citizens and prison
officials, aided by the uninjured prison.
ers, worked vigorously for the rescue OF
the unfortunate souls who lay, some
dead and Others dying, confined under
the great heap of debris that was thick
ly strewn over every quarter
of the premises Scenes of the
greatest imaginable horror greeted
the eye of those engaged in the
ruscung work, and pitiful walls and
death groans from the men buried out
of sight by massive heaps of brick and
mortar could be heard arising from
every part of the wreck, imploring
help, and altogether the scene was
heartrending The storm was attended
by most violent rain, in which the
rescucrs worked and toiled for several
hours, or until both the living and dead
we're extricated from the ruins,