The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-22
CYCLONE IN LOUISIANA.
A Penitentiary Building at
Baton Rouge Blown Down.
Ten Convicts Killed and Thirty
six Injured.

1Qe UrSC CyClOue UlldG uas NiSi00u Ao1i''SAAeA
in the memory of the living generation
struck Baton Rouge at $50 o'clock on re-
cent morning, wrecked the steam tug Smoky
City, demolished 100 houses blew down the
second and third stories of the penitentiary
killed ten convicts and wounded thirty-six
others. OF the wounde1, five, on the day
after the accident, were not expected to live.
Baton Rouge is situated on the LETT bank
of the Mississippi, on a succession OF high
bluffs. The cyclone whirled upon it from
the southwest 1t was 900 yards in width,
and appeared to ricochet, jumping over some
obstluctions and ruthlessly grinding others
into unrecognizable debris. The ter.
rible wind entered the town at
Garig's brickyard, passed through suburb
OF novels inhabited by the POOR classes OF
whites and blacks. and then went northeast
erly TO point 100 yards east of the Cover.
nor's residence, when it turned north and
struck the State penitentiary. The second
and third stories of the north wing were
entirely demolished. The second story was
used as hospital and the third as a
manufactory of jeans clothing, and both
were filled with prisoners. Ten of them were
killed outright. viz:
Whites. John Gibson, convicted of MUIR
dering Patrick Meaiey, a prominent city
politician, and William Willow, of New Or
leans; Isaac McClelland, of Caicasien: j. A.
Waggoner, the famous desperate of Clal-
borne; Fred. Cage, Ouchita: James Van
Meter, Natchitoches.
Colored. Nathan CLANCY, East Feliciaua.
Henry Celes:in, New Orleans; Beauregard
Harden, Bossier; Edward BucSner, Caddo.
The five men fatally wounded are Nelly
O'Neil, Joe Vallere, Frank Arons, Henry
Mckay and Louis Claire, the latter also
convicted Of the Mealey murder. john
Rhodus, guard, was seated in a third-story
window and was blown out, but the wind
landed him gently on the ground. In ad-
dition to- the north wing the cell building
was unroofed and partially destroyed, while
the roof of the women's building was torn
away.
Excepting the convicts, no one was killed,
but J. II. Young and members Of his family
were seriously hurt by the collapsing Of
their house. Mrs. Cutting, son and two
daughters were painfully injured when their
house fell. and Mrs. Cotton received
dangerous blow on the back Of the head and
internal Injuries by the falling of beam.
Beyond these there were no serious casual
ties in the town proper.
At the penitentiary after the passing Of
the wind the scene was heartrending. A
mass of brick and heavy wooden beams
covered scores of human beings, whose cries
and groans were most sickening. Relief
came promptly. The fire alarm brought the
entire department to the scene, and the un-
injured convicts worked with strained
vigor to rescue the entombed living
and bring out the lacerated bodies of the
dead. Forty prisoners were at work IN the
Jeans factory when the crash came. or these
six were killed and twenty-one wounded. In
the hospital were twenty sick men. Four
were instantly killed and fourteen badly
wounded. A pouring rain followed the
storm, and yet the workers labored mantul-
", end from the pile of mortar and the
mound Of brick the bodies were steadily ex-
cavated, until by 9 o'clock the full extent OF
the fatalities was known.
The tugboat Smoky City, belonging to
Pittsburg, wes lying at her moorings five
miles below Baton Rouge, at the time Of the
storm. She was swept out into the river
and her top works literally torn to pieces.
Only ont man was drowned, but several OF
her crew were badly injured. They were
rescued by the steamboat Alto and carried
to Baton Rogue.
Shade trees on many Of the streets were
uprooted. The southern portion OF the
city, styled "Cat6shtown," suffered great
loss and damage OF property. In
that section Of the city several parsons were
seriously nuIo anu ofuissu ny n.y. eHn
from falling houses and fences. The drug
store of B. A. Day was completely demol-
ished and guttei of its contents, the loss
amounting to $4,000. Several of the small
grocery stores and stall shops in that vicinity
were destroyed. The brickyard OF Garig,
Reddy G. Co. was badly damaged.
The cyclone did not make a straight sweep
through the city, but would strike the
ground and bound forward like bouncing
ball, and pass over several houses at time
and descending again tear its way for hum
dreds of feet. The trunks of massive oaks
were popped off like pipe stems. So sudden
was the storm that number OF bread carts,
express and other vehicles were caught and
wrecked in the Streets and it departed as
suddenly as it came.