Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-08-23
City ann County Sntslligentr.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS,
At the State Lunac Hospital in Worcester for the week
ending Aug q, 1853.
m --.....sa.. III Rnin
The westboro' FIre-verdict of the Jury.

The westboro' Fire-verdiet of the Jury.
The jury of inquest concluded their investi-
CATION, Monday forenoon, about half past IL
o'clock, and rendered the following
VERDICT.
The jury FOUND after hearing the evidence
presented, that the fire was discovered imme-
diately after the boys had left their sleeping
rooms, by one of the boys, who at once in
formed the officer in attendance, whopromptly
repaired to the dormitory designated by his
informant and there found one end of the bed
sack placed against the ventilating aperture of
the apartment on fire. heard the roar of the
blaze in the ventilating place, but could not
reach it with water. Very little smoke and
but little fire was in the room, which was
quickly extinguished. The officer immediate
| ly endeavored to enter the attic from the hos
pital which was situated some two hundred
feet from the origin OF the fire, but finding the
| heat and the smoke so great, was obliged to
retreat. The engine belonging to the institu-
ton was then brought into play, and worked
| by boys belonging TO the school; but little
| could be done to arrest the flames, as they
were for the most part confined TO the
| attic, under a slated roof; and there being
no partitions of either brick or iron, through
nearly the entire length of the east wing,
with the utmost rapidity, sweeping south to the
main or three-story section on the front, where,
meeting with no fre-proof walls, it soon ad
vanced to the chapel section, till it reached the
eastern tower wall, where its progress was
| finally stayed in this direction. Starting again
| from the origin of the fire, near which was
brick partition wall to the root, itquickly COM
municated through wooden doors and an I'M
broken roofing to the north or rear wing,
.@l af,cfr, motto
throughout its entire length, distance of
three hundred and eighty five feet to the
northwest corner, where an unbroken brick
wall to the roof enabled the firemen to arrest
its further advance in this direction; the mid
die section of the structure, dividing the en-
closed area into two hollow squares, being in
the meantime totally destroyed.
The jury further find, that the said building
was designedly set on fire in the ventilating
fiue of one of the dormitories in the third cor
ridor of the east wing, on the morning of the
18th day of August, 1859, between the hours
of five and six o'clock, by some boy or boys
belonging to the Institution. No evidence of
the identity Of the boy or boys has come to
the knowledge of the jury, except confessions
testified to by some OF the witnesses as having
beeh made by the boy Daniel Credan, who oc-
cuped the dormitory in which the fire was dis
covered, and several accompces.
The jury further find, that the destruction of
the buildings could hardly have been effected
under the strict surveillance of the officers of
the institution, by being fired in any other
place than in ventilating aperture, where the
| fire was discovered and that while the system
of ventilation was perhaps the most perfect
and efficient, it at the same time afford
| ed,-from the fact that the fues from
more than two hundred dormitories were
| constructed entirely of wood, and leading to
wooden main conductor, stretching along the
| attic floors before reaching the ventilating
chimneys-so many perfect conductors of fire,
| and wherein. if fire was for moment intro
duced, nothing could prevent its instant
| spread to nearly all parts Of the building. Had
these tiues and conductors been made of iron,
| or some other non-combustibe material or
had the partition walls been fire-proof, in all
probability only small portion of the build
ing would have been destroyed The rapid
spread and ultimate destruction of so large
| portion of the entire structure, may therefore
be ascribed to two causes, mainly First, the
very eOmbuStible materials of which the ven
tilating tiues were constructed; and secondly,
the entire absence of fire-proof partitions
throughout length of building which, if in a
straight line, would measure about eight hun
bred feet.
The jury further find that the supply of wa
| gency OF nre, not commensurate with the
safety OF so extensive structure-there being
no attachments to the cisterns in tower and
attlcs for the connection of hose, to be used in
case OF sudden emergency; and the principal
reservoirs being located in the hollow squares
OF the building, were liable at any time, in
case of fire, to be rendered inaccessible, as was
the case at this fire. Had the reservoirs in
both yards been outside the area of the build
| Of Mt hav
dered most efficient service in saving from de.
struction the whole northern wing of the
structure.
The jury further find, that considering the
extensiveneSs of the establishment and the
great number of its inmates, no adequate pro-
vision has been made for ladders to be used in
case OF fire. The want of suitable ladders at
the lire in question, was serious hindrance to
the staying of its progress.
From the testimony adduced, the Jury
would take this occasion to state that the off
GERS Of the institution, both men and women,
were prompt, energetic and untiring in the
performance of duty in the emergencies of
the contiagration-that large number of boys
belonging to the school deserve well of the
| State and the community for their faithful
| persevering and manly efforts in battling with
the flames, and in removing property from the
| burning building-that the tiremen of West
poro VINO were promptly at their posts, and
on duty at the fire more than twenty-four
hours-the firemen from Marlboro, Woodvie
and other neighboring towns, and citizens
generally, were not only prompt to obey the
call for assistance, but energetic and selfsacri-
ficlng in their efforts to render aid to the ut
most of their powers-all deserve great credit
and the thanks of the State.
Signed, August ODD, 1859.
j. w. SLoCUM, Foreman,
THOMAS w. WARD,
PETER FAY,
| GEORGE C. DAVIS,
| g. c. SANBORN,
TIMO. A. SMITH, Clerk.