Morris tribune., 1891-07-08
CONVICTS KILLED.
PENITENTlARY AT BATON ROUGE,
La, DEMOLISHED BY CYCLONE.

Eight Dead and Twenty-four Wounded
Taken from tho Ruins-Two Entire
Squares of the City Destroyed-Fatal-
tiles Placed at Thirty to Forty.
NEW ORLEANS, July 7.-At $50 a. m.
a terrific wind and rain storm struck
Baton Rouge, La, and in few min
utes had almost wrecked the town.
Great damage was done to the build
ings in the eastern and southern
portions of the city and many persons
were killed. The governors mansion
was demolished; also the large brick
building in the penitentiary known as
the hospital aud commissary with
pantaloon factory OH the upper floor
were blown down ana totally destroyed.
Forty persons were at work in the fac
tory and of these
Sax We're Killed
and twenty-five were wounded and
horribly crushed. On the second floor
was the hospital where twenty-six per-
sons were under medical treatment.
Four of these were killed and fourteen
seriously or fatally wounded. The
alarm bells were Iung and the fire de-
partlnent responded and with citizens
went to the work Of rescue. The scene
was one Of great terror. A violent
rain was falling but the men worked
hard and soon had the dead
and injured out of the debris.
OF the wounded six will probably net
live. and seven others are in very criti-
Cal state. The main building and the
womaus department of the institution
We're unrooted and the walls badly
cracked. The damage to the building
is about $4,000 Ex-Judge Ford, con-
victed for completely in the murder of
Captain Murphy, worked gallantly at
rescuing the killed and wounded. He ID
clerk of the commissary department.
The prisoners all acted i'll praiseworthy
manner and gave the guards no trouble.
Iho Smoky City Wrecked.
The tow boat Smoky City was wrecked
about five miles from Baton Rouge.
Several OF the crew were injured, but
only one was killed. The path OF the
Storm was GbOut 800 feet wide and
nearly every mouse in its path was
blown to atoms. In the southern por-
l4OA VI I-4G Ilt,} Roy q tSI ECISO2l5 WGI0 HI
jUred BY flying timbars. The drug store
Of Mr. b. 4. Day was completely de-
molished and the contents destroyed.
Several grocery stores and stall shops in
his vicinity were demolished. The loss
on Geric, keddy q Co.'S brick yard is
covered by insurance. 1t is the only
place i'll the city covered by storm
policy.
In the city fifty houses at least were
unro0fed Or destroyed. j. Fl. Houng
and members of his family were SER
iousiy hurt by the collapse Of their
house on st. Charles street. Mrs. Cot
ton, son and two daughters, living in a
brick house on Main street, were in
jured by Il falling building. Mrs. Cot
ton received dangerous blow on the
back Of the head and also internal in
juries, while one Of the girls was cut
on the leg. Mrs. Cotton may recover.
A visit to the capital and other state
buildings showed them unharmed by
the wind as was also the business por-
ton of the town on Main and Zero
streets. The extent Of damage done
thrc ughout the city by the storm can
not accurately be estimated at this time,
but 1t can be said that this is the great
est loss Baton Rogue has ever sustained,
either from a cyclone or fire. The
total damage done will reach several
hundred thousand dollars.