Washington sentinel., 1856-05-24
The Burning or the city Hospital in st.

Il -
We find in the St. Louis papers of the l6tl
| instant full particulars of the destructive con
/ hagration which occurred in that city the morn
ing before, and by which the city hospital was
entirely consumed The fire broke out between
| four and five o'clock in the morning, and as
| soon as il was discovered the first suggestion
was to save the patients IN the institution
numbering about ninety-six. Dr. Bannister
| the resident physician, Immediately went to the
cells where the lunatics were locked up, anc
with some difficulty they were taken out 1T re
quiring force in some instances to save thes'
unfortunate creatures from the terrible dealt
which threatened them.
All the lunatics and all the sick patients il
the institution were saved with the exception
of lunatic by the name of Jose, an Italian
who, after being taken out, rushed frantically
into the burning building in spite of the efforts
Of a gentleman who was severely burned
trying to detain him, and perished. His char
red and blackened remains were taken out
yesterday morning, and presented horrible
appearance. The excitement and confusion
among the poor sick inmates is described as
being very great, but the energies Of the officers
of the institution, aided by those in the neigh.
borhood who had collected, soon relieved them
OI Tie lLpTcSSiOu tudt unu ociZSu upOl
their minds that they would be burned. As
soon as practicable those patients who were
unable to take care Of themselves were sent to
the Sisters Hospital and provided for.
The fire engines were soon on the spot, but
not before the upper stories of the building
had been completely gutted The lower stories
only were saved.
The hospital had been built at cost to the
city of over one hundred thousand dollars
Lately new addition had been made, at a
cost of nearly sixty thousand dollars; and the
entire building was furnished with all the con
veniences and comforts that generosity and
philanthropy could suggest.
The building was an imposing edifce, sur.
rounded by beautiful and highly cultivated
grounds and the institution was one of which
the citizens of st. Louis were Justly proud
The building was insured in st. Louis for $35,
900 in seven companies, each of which loses
about the same amount.
There was considerable machinery connect
ed with the building, put up at great labor and
cost, and all of it of course destroyed.
The steam fire engine belonging to the city
was, for some unaccountahle reason, not brought
on the ground, and the fire was entirely extin
guished by the ordinary method. Fifty thou
| sand dollars will, it is said, cover the loss by
tiliS uIc, WuiCu is oupPoncu W nave Uccu tus
work of an incendiary, as there was no furnace
or fire in the immediate vicinity where it origi
mated. One of the officers of the institution
thinks the building was fred out of revenge b,
some discharged patient, as it frequently hap
pened that persons " ho were sent to the hos
ptal, after staying until they were cured, re
sisted the idea of being discharged from such
comfortable quarters, and sometimes had to be
| elected by force. 1t is contemplated, says the
! Republican, to remove about forty patients, in
cluding the insane, to the county farm, and the
balance will be provided for at the United
States Marine Hospital and Quarantine.
We have observed an article in the Baltimore
| american stating that the delegates from tn,
| Norfolk District go unpledged to the Cincinnati
! Convention, and that resolutions favoring tn
nomination of James Buchanan for Presiden
were voted down.
The facts are that the delegates and alter
mates declared to the Convention before theil
election that James Buchanan was their frs
choice, and that they would vote for him al
long as their votes were of any avail. Resolu
tions favoring the nomination of Mr.. Buchanan
ioere not roted dotcn. Although it was knowr
| they would pass by tremendous majority, the,
were Withdrawn in respect to the very fev
| Delegates who did not feel willing to make tn
resolutions unanimous.
| We speak advisedy when we positively as
sert that the delegates from the lst Electora
District of Virginia, are Buchanan men, ant
they represent the feelings of nineteenth.twen
tieths of the voters Of this District Southern
Argus, Norfolk, Va.