The herald., 1894-10-04
THE LITTLE ROCK CATASTROPHE
Dire Destruction Caused 10y the
Cyclone.
The Loss Estimated at Million
Dollars.
Fatalities at the Psnitsntisry and insane
Asylzm-The City's Dilapidated
Appearance After the
Storm.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LITTLE Rock, Ark, Oct. 3.-The Losses
by last nights storm will aggregate
nearly 81, 100000. The damage to the
state insane asylum is 5000. 900. DIR. In.
gate, assistant uperintendent, was
killed by falling walls. Two attendants
and two patients are missing. 1t is be.
lisved they are buried under the debris.
The state penitentiary sustained loss
OF $4,000. A convict named James was
killed and several others injured. jack
son Boyd and his three-year-old child
were crushed to death in their home by
> falling wall. When taken from the
ruins, the child was clasped in its
fathers arms.
Last evenings cyclone grows in de-
structiveness as details are gathered.
Dark ominous clouds had been gather
ing from the west and south west, yet
the city was unprepored for the dire
visitation. Tie first information of the
impending catastrophe was when the
Cyclone struck. All the electric lights
wero extinguished. The darkened
streets were filled with flying roofs,
walls and debris of all kinds.
The cyclone swept up from the south
west, striking the city near the insane
asylum male ward, which was demol-
ished. There DR.. Ingate was killed and
several inmates seriously injured. 1t
then passed on to the penitentiary. do
ing slight damage eatintermediate points.
The second and third stories OF the shop
building were blown off, the cell build
ing was unroofed, the office destroyed
and an old building scattered broadcast.
One convict was killed and several Of the
guards injured.
Toward the main part Of the city the
path of the storm was etrewn with debris,
wrecked buildings and tangled telegraph
and telephone wires that had withstood
the tempests OF many decades, Many
residences were damaged, roofs blown
away and walls partly demolished.
The next marked damage was when
the storm struck the Martin building, q
large three.story brick Office building
and apartment house, occupied by the
Arkansas Methodist and several law
yers' offices. Governor Fishback and
General Armistead, who had rooms in
this building. escaped injury. A col
ored porter was seriously injured.
From this point east the scene that
met the view this morning wGs beyond
description. Some OF the most su Dstsn-
tial brick structures in the district lying
along Main and Markham streets, south
50 Fourth and Fifth, were razsd.
The wind was followed by drepchipg
rain that lasted nearly an hour and kept
everyone within doore, go the real extent
of the damage could not be Rscertained
at the time. Telephone wires IN the
business portion of the city were blown
down. Death and destruction were rife.
As socn as the rain had abated some
what, the streets were filed with the
excited populaoe. Pedestrianism was
attended with extreme difficulty and
danger, as there were- no lights, and
tangled wires, heaps OF brick, twisted
tin roofs and great plate glass windowe
filled the streets and sidewalks. Many
were the stories OF marrow escapes and
most sad deaths. 1t is matter of COM
mon wonder that hundreds were not
killed.
The police were on the scene prompt
ly and everything was done to restrain
the disordevly element from creating
disturbance. Saloons that were not en-
tirely destroyed were ordered closed at
midnight by Chief McMahon. Pstrol
wagons were pressed into service and
many injured were taken to the police
headquarters where their wounds were
attended to. The storm proper did not
laet more than three minutes.
The body OF De Ingate was recovered
from the ruine o, the asylum at noon,
but 80 mangled az TO be almost unrecog.
nizable.
A conservative eatimate OF the finan-
oial loss on state institutions is 1925, 600;
on business property, 5000. 600; on dwell
liBgs, $500, 900 more.
HoT SPRINes, Ark, Oct. 3.-The cy-
clone which did 90 much damage at
Little Rock, last evening, passed north
OF this city few miles. Reports from
that section today say considerable dam
age was done to farm property, but no
fatalities are reported.