Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-11-27
The Burning Of the Central Luna
Ife As4lum.
- 81 THE -


true however. is origin must be Fraced
TO careiessness in the construction OF
the building. It viii be remem bered
that the flames broke ont in the upper
part of the northeast wing, occupied by
intractable female 72atients., The JOurn-
al saws that the IRE was discovered
about nine o'clock and that appearances
indicate that il had been burning tor a
considerable time, though the attend
ant claimed TO have been absent but
about fifteen minutes The Statesman
says:
The opinion of those connected with
the institution in regard to the origin of
the IRE is that some one Of the patients,
in a spirit Of mischief, lii piece of pa
per at the gas burner in the hall, just
after the attendant had passed through,
and set fire to her he'd. On no other
be accounted for. The building was
heated by steam. and no story of 'tde-
fectfvB Huesf viii answer. The gas
burner in this portion Of the building
was in easy reach, the ceilings being
low, and although the stricteSt orders
are issued to prevent PATIENTS approach
ing the lights, yet the cunning of mad
ness often is too much for the WaCchfu-
ness Of sanity.
Al the time the FIRE broke out large
mum Der Of the patients We're in the
Amusement Hall, engaged in their usu-
2
spread rapidly. and it was with difHcul-
~ that the most violent patients were
rescued. The general panic made them
perfectly frantic. They danced, sang,
and now led like tiends, waving their
hands and laughing as the flames ap-
preached them. All the efforts of the
attendants were unaYailing. They
seemed 10 have forgotten the faces OF
those around them, and refused to
leave their rooms; and at last it was
found necessary to call upon the citi-
zens TO taks them by force, to other
parts of the building.
At IL o'clock the amusement hall pre-
sented a strange appearance. Such as
had partiei paGed in the dance were ar
rayed in all The finery that only he in.
sane person knows how 10 contrive
Oraa zzInaHaara Eaaz11Ez- aaalzad -nz-z.al1tad a
fancy dance on the sOp Of the piano,
and II was with difficulty that clothes
were put on her.
Others paraded the hall with sheets
folded in the shape of shaWls, and
seemed perfectly quiet and happy.
! Others were quarrelsOme and needed
constant watching. Others wept in si-
/ lence, not seeming to care whether they
lived or died. One elderly lady insist
ed in comforting all the ladies and kiss
| ing all the gentlemen present. Several
stood near the door and made constant
efforts TO escape.d
The Journal says: The alarm brought
I the three engines promptly to the
ground, and work was at once com
menced. The t.John Miller" was disa-
/ bIed early, and the HRidgeway" was
/ sent to replace It. The engine is the
one which was laid aside some Time
since on account of some disarrange-
ment, aud WAS of but little service. In
about an hour after the engines COM
! menced throwing water. the supply in
the Asylum cisterns was exhausted.
4 Says the Statesman:
/ The proVeEbial fate of household
\ goods on such occasions was fully ex-
\ empiified. One stalwart man stepped
carefully over piece of charred tim
with a boy bearing an empty basket,
sirOde far to the rear with a pillow
snugIy tucked under each arm Scarce
! ly had he issued from the perishing
structure, when a. fine dressing bureau
/ came tum bling after him, which was
dashed to pieces on the stone tagging.
\ A barrel of potatoes, duly hOoped and
Theaded, was rolled away from the fire,
I while Fairbanks scales came down on
! the stony surface with a vim, which
I was heard above the roar of the flames,
/ suggesting serious doubts of further
usefulness.
MIR. Louis Seibert, of the firm Of Sci
bert d5 Lii1ey, exhibited true bravery in
returning again and again to the burn
I ing rooms of the east wing, bearing
away in his arms on each occasion an
Inmate, until at last encrOaching fire
seriously threatened to cut off his own
1 retreat. In his last visit to the fatal
capped death. Against renonstralce, he
dashed through a-seaO of fire, followed by
a noble attendant carrying the keys OF
| the hall, until they together reached a
roOm, the door OF which was found
| already to be a sheet of flame. Dash
| ing through, Mr.. Seibert directed the
light Of a small lamp which he held
in his right hand, to the only bed in the
room, but finding it-aaeecu pied sprang
4 aaIlt ! elsez zizssft3 telling the aUTenuaHJ
/ thai the room was not. occupied by a
/ patient. On being assu red that the
room was occupied, Mr.. Seibert again
eni cred, and casting the light from his
| lamp around the room, discovered fe-
male crOuehing 10 a corner, to spring at
his throat. In her mad rush at him he
fortunately caught her right hand in
his left, and throwing away his lamp,
trusted in the fierce ensuing grapple in
| the darkness to secure her other hand.
He succeeded, and although powerful
/ man, found it necessary TO exert all his
strength in bringing the inmate TO her
1 knees, in which position he dragged
her through fire and suffOcating smoke
| to n place of safety. The great exertiOn
( of the wfestle, together with the long
I eNt tJoSure to the suffocating smoke and
Z
and he sank fainting TO the floor. Drs.
! Peck and Smith Immediately admins
tered restOratives, and in a short time
he was again on his feet and away to-
ward the west wing.
One poor creature, a girl of about
eighteen, whose arms were confined be-
cause Of her mischieyous propensitles,
on being brought out, called plteously y
for her mother, and died with the pray
er ON her lips that she might be allowed
| to lay her head upon her mothers
breast, sit pains me So" she said.
The specter inmate was the theme OF
universal conversation among the
masses within the area in rear of the
main entrance, during the progress of
| the fire, but careful search by hu-
name hien soon transformed the report
ed spirit into a poor frightened lady,
who, escaping death from the crum-
bling halls, nad evaded her watchers,
and with wonderful agility had climb
ed to the rOOfOf the conservatory in the
rear, where, in white night dress she
nimbly walked the ledge singing the
while, in apparant ignorance of the ter
rible dOings of the Fire King around
her. She was removed in safety.
Another account says:
IN THE UPPER HALL OF THE EASTERN
WING
A sad sight presented itself. Here laid
the six unfortunate women, who were
sutfOcated before they could be rescued,
their pale faces blackened by the ire
and smoke, looking horrible IN the un-
certain light of the burning rooms.
Most ofthe faces of the dead wore d look
of determination, and did not show signs
of great suffering, although the face Of
one Oflhe1 younger women was Clistort-
ed, her mouth being twisted, and her
upper lip sOLneWhaAs burneds
THE NAMES OF THE DEAD
Are Caroline Conner, Lizzie Herr0Id,
and Mrs. Bradford, of Athens County;
Mrs, Parker, of Licking County; Mrs.
Bridget Brop by, of Colnmb bus, Ohio.
vT..y- r., ry.,.--