The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-04
FOUR PEOPLE KILLED
AND THIRrY-THREE INJURED BY
THE LITTLE ROCK TORNADO.
Property Loss Still Estimate at 81
D -,OOO-scenes at the Insane Asy-
lum and the Penfteniary.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark, Oct. 3.-Four peo-
pie were killed and thirty-three seriously
injured by last nights tornado. The prop
erty loss is about 100000 Following is
the list of casualties:
Dead-Dr. j.. t. Ingate, Jackson Boyd and
three-year-old son, j. t. Griffin.
Injured-C. T. Monroe, john Eaton, Jerry
Donahue. Samuel o. smith, VIII Ward.
Mrs j. Janka. Mrs. Lulu Prewitt, Joe Hol-
loway, Joe Swift, John Fonterousse, w. ID.
Trotter, Miss Lucille West. w. A Lang
Houser, George 3. Cross, Calvin Prather,
J. NJ. Ryan, j. c. Biggs, j. ID. Bowlin. DIR.
Timothy Mitchell, convict, probably fatally;
Gilbert Baker. convict; Lee Hinson. con-
Wet; VIII Singleton, convict; j. j. Smith,
guard; John Witt, guard.
The disastrous effects of the tornado were
not fully realized until this morning. From
the moment that it struck until daybreak
the city was enveloped in darkness The
streets were filled with bricks. mortar and
debris of ruined buildings and an inextrica-
bic mass of telegraph, telephone. electric
and trolley wires. making pedestrianism
difficult If not dangerous. Thirty thousand
of the forty thousand inhabitants of the
city slept peacefully in their homes undis-
turbed and unconscious Of the dread visi-
tation which had wrought ruin and desola-
ton In the business portion of the city.
The path of the tornado lay along the
Arkansas river, sometimes touching 1t, but
never crossing il to the north. The Office
OF the weather bureau lay in the storms
path, and its instruments, with the excep-
ton of the thermometer. were swept away.
so that nothing officially relating to the
origin of the storm or it's course after leav-
ing the city could be obtained.
COURSE OF THE STORM.
The storms course was almost directly
east, the first disastrous effects, SO far as
reported here, being at the insane asylum,
situated on a hill top, three miles west of
the city, and where its destructiveness was
great, killing DR.. j. T. Ingate. second as
sistant physician, and injuring eleven in
mates. Thence in a direction almost due
east, the funnel-shaped cloud, in a slightly
zigzag course and with fearful velocity,
now rising and again descending, plowed
it's way through two miles of residences
and the business portion of the city, a dis
lance of nearly four miles. before emerging
from the city limits. entailing a loss in
property which will reach a million dollars.
the loss of four human lives and the injury
of nearly forty people, some probably ia
tally. The Western Union telegraph office
was wrecked, and not until about 1920
could news of the disaster be sent to the
outside world. a railroad wire at the Iron
Mountain depot to st. Louis being the only
one available for that purpose.
From daybreak and during the entire day
Main, Markham and Second streets were
filled with thousands of people viewing the
ruin wrought by the tornado. Hundreds
OF workmen were busily engaged in re-
moving the debris from the streets and
sidewalks, repairing the damage to build
ings and ~restringing telegraph. telephone
We're passable. and tonight the electric
car and electric light services were re-
sumed- So quickly did the work progress
would have realized the extent of the dam
age except by a close inspection OF build
ings and stocks of goods.
Beyond the unroofing of about two hun
dred structures, the damage to buildings is
confined to the insane asylum, State peni-
custom house, and the large Wholesale
grocery house of c. F. Baucum, but nearly
every mercantile establishment In the
many stocks of goods being almost a total
loss from the deluge of rain The calamity
but one tornado insurance policy has been
reported, and that on a dwelling, the loss
to which does not exceed 500, owned by
+. NJ. Cork. But five tornado policies were
in force in the city, 1T being supposed that
this place was exempt from such vista
tions. Last nights tornado was the first
in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
So great is the demand for labor in re-
pairing damage that the local supply of
timers, roofers and bricklayers is made
quate, and st. Louis and Memphis have
been telegraphed to for assistance.
AT THE INSANE ASYLUM.
Thousands of people in buggies and horse
back visited the insane asylum and peni-
tertiary during the day. A large force of
men had been engaged since the storm in
removing the four floors and tower. under
which the body of DR.. Ingate was sup
posed to be buried. DR.. Ingate's body was
found at HIS a M in the vestibule of the
front entrance to the main building under
the debris of the front tower. He was in
a kneeling posture, facing the front door.
The supposition is that he had started to
alarmed him., and before he could return
TO the ONCE the mass OF bricks and timbers
fell, bringing him with 1t. When the body
was found his watch was uninjured and
still running, the hands indicating lbs.
The face of the dead man was swollen and
distorted beyond recognition. The head
was almost mashed to a pulp and very lit
Tie hair remained.
The patients confined in the wards de-
molished by the tornado were removed i'm
mediately after the walls fell and taken to
the chapel or dance hall OF the institution.
them to safe quarters. The main building'
the south half of which was destroyed,
was was erected twelve years ago at a cost Of
structures Of the kind in the United States.
Eleven patients were hurt In the crush of
the asylum. Seven other patients are still
unaccounted for.
The storm did great damage at the State
penitentiary. where the loss Is stimate
at 3 10000. The dollhouse was torn away
and carried outside the walls. But little
damage was done to the interior. Many
of the convicts were in their cells at the
time and were not hurt. The new work
house, chapel and kitchen were badly
wrecked. 1t Is a three-story brick. The
third story and the east wall of the sec
ond story were blown down and are lying
between 1t and the house. a vast mass of
brick and mortar. The west wall was
cracked at the floor and inclined to the
east about forty-five degrees. 1t was In
this building where the only death c.
Cured. j. E. Griffith, a white man, sent
up from Clay county for incest, was de-
scending the stairway from the third story,
when the wall caved in and buried him in
the debris. He was ffty-nine years old.
The two-story stable, blacksmith shop and
woodshed were badly wrecked. The four
guardhouses. apparently frail structures.
perched on the top of the walls,
were uninjured. There were several
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