The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-03
INSANE ASYLUM DAMAGED
And Some of the Inmates Lying
Mangled in the Wreck.
Penitentiary Also Struck by the Twister
Total Property Loss May Reach
a Million Dollars.

portion of the city. several people are
known to have been killed and injured,
while it is feared scores of others have met
the same fate. The main portion of the
business section, bounded on the south by
Third street, on the north by the river
front. on the west by Center street, and on
the east by Commerce street, is practically
in ruins. The total property loss will prob
ably approximate half million dollars.
The tornado was accompanied by terrific
rainstorm. and the stocks Of goods in those
business houses which were unroofed were
ruined by water.
The storm struck the State penitentiary,
which stands on hill In the western part
of the city, with fearful force, destroying
the dining room, tearing down the stable
and shops, unroofing the main cell build
ing and demolishing the warden's office.
Several convicts were seriously injured,
one of whom died an hour afterwards.
Down town lightning struck the Martin
Block. corner of Spring and Second streets
and wrecked the third floor. A man named
Eaton was fatally injured there. The TILES
building. corner Center and Markham
streets. was unroofed. and a part of the
fourth floor of Gleason's Hotel was blown
away. At Main and Second streets the tops
describable heap. The worst damage, how
ever. was done to property on Markham
and Commerce streets. Nearly every build
ing in that district is unroofed and many
are wholly wrecked. The large three-story
building at Market and Cumberland streets,
occupied by the b. H. Mccarthy Company,
is wreck, as is also the two-story build
ing on the opposite corner, occupied by Max
Elkans as saloon. The third story of the
old Deming House was blown off, and the
stores under it were flooded by water and
filled with debris.
The streets are strewn with tin roofs,
electric wires and other wreckage, and 1t
will be several days before the extent of
the damage can be accurately known. The
large cotton warehouse situated at Sec
ond and Scott streets, owned by j. III.
Bacum, was wrecked. 1t fell on the
Western Union telegraph Office, next door,
aid wrecked ii. thus cutting off all tele-
graphic communication with outside points.
The city is in the densest darkness and
the streets are veritable stream Of mud.
Rescuing parties are busy searching for
the wounded, but a complete list Of cas-
ualties will not be obtainable tonight.
Among those known to have been serious
ly and probably fatally injured are c. P.
Monroe, member Of the Arkansas Legisla-
ture, and - Eaton. Samuel Smith.
prominent cotton buyer, is also badly
wounded. Others are known to have been
more or less hurt, but the names cannot
be obtained, owing to the confusion.
All kinds of rumors were af1oat, one to
the effect that the insane asylum, in which
six hundred patients are confined,
had been blown down and many patients
in illred hut the rlrunor was uot confirmed
A number of escaped lunatics were cap
tured near the Union Depot. and this fact
gave color to the rumor.
Another Story of the Storm.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Oct. "A dispatch
from Little Rock says: A tornado swept
over the business portion of this city at
7:So o'clock tonight, carrying death and
destruction in it's path. Shortly after dark
a heavy storm came from the west, accom-
panied by vivid flashes of lightning and
heavy crashes of thunder. The skies
cleared and the storm was thought to be
over, when suddenly heavy gale from
the southwest appeared and for three min
utes the city was in the throes of death
and destruction. The wind was terrific in
the extreme. Trees, telegraph, telephone
and electric-light poles were uprooted and
SoiiiCu d ulSldnCe Ol tWO uUuQTcu ydTuS.
The roofs of about thirty of the largest
buildings in the city were torn from the
houses and hurled against buildings on the
opposite side of the street, leaving the oc-
cupants and property within to the mercy
of the drenching rain, which began to fall
in torrents shortly afterward.
covered that the resident portion of the
city had escaped, but Main street TO Third,
and second from Center to Cumberiand
were almost total wrecks. This territory
cSvers GOV st, the & principal business portions Of
office is located in the center of this dis
trict. This building was wrecked beyond
recognition, the operators who were at
work at their keys having narrow escapes.
operator Culbert was struck on the hip
at work tonight, however.
AT II o'clock tonight message was re-
ceived from the insane asylum, situated
two miles from the city, and the State PEN
ftentiary. just west of the Union Depot.
calling for corps of physicians and other
assistance. 1t is reliably stated that
number of patients at the asylum are fatal
ly injured and great damage done to the
buildings. Reports from the penitentiary
say. six convicts were badly injured by
falling timbers. two Of whom will die
out the entire fire and police departments
and sent ten hackloads of physicians and
citizens to the insane asylum and peniten-
is utterly impossible to learn the names of
the killed and injured. All kinds of ex-
dSScIdltu TtpOTtS are III n.
Through the heroic services of Mayor Hall
and Chief of Police Mahon the injured and
helpless are receiving the best of attention.
The loss to property alone will amount to
at least million dollars. About every
building situated in the district was more
or less damaged by the wind and water
The damage to the insane asylum will
reach 100000. that at the penitentiary $50,
600. and the Capitol and Richeeu Hotels
were badly damaged. Every window in
both buildings was either broken to pieces
or cracked. The business houses on East
Markham and Main. from Markham to
Third are damaged to a great extent The
roofs of a majority of these buildings We're
torn away and stocks of goods entirely
ruined.
Up to II o'clock the known dead and in
tured are: Representative-elect C. T. Mon
roe was so badly cut on the head and body
by falling timbers that he will probably die.
John Eaton. employe at the Martin
Block. the home of Governor Fishback, re-
ceived internal injuries from which he will
die before morning. Capt s. o. Smith, a
prominent citizen and resident agent of the
firm Of z. Allgeyer & Co., cotton factors.
was in his Office writing a letter when he
heard the noise the outside. Just as he
reached the sidewalk q portion Of brick
fol 1xxsfII