In answer to an email I received yesterday.

On 10 January 1921 a fire and water damage from the subsequent efforts to extinguish the fire destroyed and damaged much of the 1890 US Census. Although several groups lobbied to begin salvage attempts, they could not get the money appropriated. From 1922 through 1932 there is little history on the storage and use of the 1890 census schedules.

[In 1932, the Chief Clerk of the Bureau of Census sent the Librarian of Congress a list of papers no longer necessary for business. The Librarian was not asked to report back with any documents that should be retained for their historical interest. On the Chief Clerk's list for the Bureau of the Census was "Schedules, Population . . . 1890, Original." The Librarian identified no records as permanent, and Congress authorized destruction.]

The actual date of destruction was probably sometime in 1935.

In 1942 during a move of the Census Bureau the National Archives came across a damaged bundle of Illinois schedules. It was thought that they were the only surviving fragments. However, in 1953, more fragments were found.

These fragments are from Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and the District of Columbia. There are no fewer than 6,160 names indexed on the surviving 1890 population schedules
If anyone can get hold of it, the National Archives in their quarterly magazine 'Prologue" in 1996 published the full details of this sad tale.

The surviving 1890 schedules which can be viewed on ancestry,com provide the address, number of families in the house, number of persons in the house, and number of persons in the family. Individuals are listed by name; whether a soldier, sailor, or marine during the Civil War; and whether Union or Confederate or whether the widow of a veteran; relationship to head of family; whether white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian; sex; age; marital status; whether married during the year; if a mother, number of children and number living; place of birth of the individual and his or her father and mother; if foreign born, how many years in the United States; whether naturalized or in the process of naturalization; profession, trade, or occupation; months unemployed during census year; ability to read and write; ability to speak English; if not, language or dialect spoken; whether suffering from acute or chronic disease (if so, name of disease and length of time afflicted); whether defective in mind, sight, hearing, or speech; or whether crippled, maimed, or deformed (with name of defect); whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper; whether the home is rented or owned by the head or a member of the family (if so, whether mortgaged); if the head of family was a farmer, if he or a family member rented or owned the farm; and, if mortgaged, the post office address of the owner.