Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-25
FRIGHTFUL CALAMITY IN PHILADEL.
PHA,

Fall OF n Portion of the WOman's Ward
Ofthe Insane Eighteen
Maniaes Killed and Twenty WOnnd-
At about quarter before six o'clock this
morning, a dreadful accident occurred
near the north western end of the Insane
Department of the Aims house, in the
Twenty-fourth Ward, causing the death
of quite large number of the inmates
and the severe injuring of at least twenty
others. The structure in, which the ca
lamity occurred, is three stories in hight
and three hundred feet long 1t Is built
of stone and brick 1t is divided into
thirty six rooms or wards, twelve wards be-
ing on each story.
The portion OF the building which fell,
comprised the ground space, occurred by
one of the wards, viz: about thiIty-four
feet square. The central pier seems to
have given away in the cellar, with crash.
The first floor followed with a louder crash,
and the second and third floors soon tum-
bled into the wreck, falling upon the ru-
ins ofthe first floor.
The first floor room or ward was occu-
pied by female epileptics. The second floor
was occupied by the ordinary insane fe-
male, and on the third floor was the infrm-
airy for female patients.
The inmates of this part of the institu-
tion generally rise about five o'clock in
the morning, and take breakfast shortly
before six O clock. The breakfast bell was
/ lust about to ring when the accident occur
red. If it had taken place few minutes
later the inmates would all have been
saved, as they would have gone to the
/ room appropriated to eating purposes
As it unfortunately was, they were all
within the apartments, when the tooI
gave way in the middle, the Tafters and
| floors on the sides resisting the pressure
for more than minute, and the floors
falling almost in funnel shape, leaving the
sides Of the different wards comparatively
protected. To this circumstance quite a
/ humber of the parties owe the preser-
vations of their lives and limbs.
As we saw the wreck it carries out the
above description, a portion of the lower
floor being sound; the joists of the upper
floor still clinging to the walls at one end
/ while in the middle they were sPlintered
and hanging down. The roof was in q
| dangerous condition.
The debris had mainly fallen through
| into the cellar, and it was surnised thai
bodies might still be beneath the ruins
When thesrubbish is removed from,the eel
lar 1t Is supposed that the cause Of the dis
aster can be learned positively. We un
derstood that the theory this morning was
that the weakness of the pier whichrfel
wss due to the fact that the heaters in the
cellar were built in the pier in such man
ner as to weaken it. However, nothing
can positively be said as TO the cause o
| the calamity, until the debris is cleared
out ofthe cellar.
The first floor used for .epileptics, con
tanned 80 patients; the second floor-ordt
nary insane-17 patients, and the third
story-infrmary-93 patients.
After the accident the injured were re
moved to the Surgical Ward, and the
sight was truly amelancholy one. The un
fortunate females who were able to sit UP
in their beds or talk did not seem to know
how they had been hurt or even that they
were injured at all, while on other beds
were stretched the. motionless forms oi
others from whom al cnsciousness hod
departed, for the time. All around then
were also several victims of insanity, who
appeared totally ignorant that anything
/ unusual had happened.