Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-17
DOMESTIC NEWS.

D0MEsTIC NEWS.
The Fire in ti.e Minnesota Insane Asylum
Further Details.
| CHICAGO, November 16th.-The Times
! Minneapolis special Gays: The loss of lie by
i the burning of the insane asylum is 100 to
! 200.
SECOND DsPATCHI
CHICAGO, November 16sh.-The Tri5une's
| st. Peter Mimi special says: AT half past
| s o'clock to mig hit it was announced that the
| insane asylum was on fire. Everybody was
| appalled, at the prospect of over 800 patients
| being turned out of doors during such ter
I rihle night, and still more at the disagree
| able prospect of going more than mile
across the bleak prairie and facing the cut
ting wind Our people responded nobly.
Many made the trip on foot. but a large num-
| Der of wagons and other conveyances were
soon on the road, while rumors of loss of life
reached town. The sky in the direction of
the asylum was lighted up, and dense vol.
ume of smoke rose over the scene and was
carried across the river. The probabilities
were that the whole structure, costing half
million, would be destroyed. The scene of
| the confagration was grand. The whole
northern wing Of the structure was
| one sheet of flames. AS soon as it was
! found that the FIRE was likely to prove seri-
GUS, DIR. Bartlett, the Superintendent, gave
orders to have all the patients released and
cared for as well as possible, but before the
| fire was discovered one or two of the halls
had become choked with smoke and it was
! impossible to relieve all the patients. No
| one knows how many perished but quite a
| number must have been burned alive. Some
say there were fifty. The fire originated in
the northwest corner of the basement Of the
| north wing, and about the same time there
was fire in the adjoining sections. No fire was
kept in that Part OF the building, and its origin
, is mystery. l would not venture to esti-
mate the number OF lives lost Not even the
officers know, perhaps, Because some of the
patients wandered off and may have persisted
from the cold Most of them were taken to
the large barn, granary and wood-ceilar.
Fortunately there was time TO carry ont
most of the bedding and clothing. The
Court house and large school buildings were
opened, and teams were busy for hours
bringing them to town. 1t is believed that
about all the patients are housed. The fire.
men finally prevented the flames from enter
ing the main building, and thus two thirds OF
the structure was saved. The north wing
was occupied by men and the south by
women.
THIRD DISPATCH.I
| CHICAGO, November 10Th Dispatches TO
| the latest editions of the morning papers in
dictate that the fire in the ST. Peters Asylum
| was not as serious as feared last night Only
one wing of the building was destroyed. The
whole structure, which was ten years il
course of erection, was only finished three
years ago. and cost over 100000 The loss
is $1,000 to $3.50, 600 There was no
insurance. the State having neglected
| this precaution. The origin of the fire
is unknown, though it is located in
/ the basement of the north wing.
which was destroyed. The reports of loss of
| life are indefinite and conflicting. Different
rumors place the number of victims at from
two or three to fifty, but no bodies have been
found and no one is surely known to be lost.
The Superintendent ordered the release of all
/ patients as soon as the danger became immi-
| nent, and it is probable that in the confusion
some were overlooked and buried. This
| probability is increased by the fact that some
of the rooms were quickly filed with smoke,
and could not be entered by the rescuers.
| The citizens cared for the unfortunates last
night.
FOURTH DISPATCH.}
! still Farther ParficnIars-Graphic De.
! scrlptien OF The Scene.
ST. PAUL, November 1Gsh.-A special to
] the Pioncc1. Press from st. Peter says The
number of lives lost by burning and freezing
in the insane asylum disaster is variously
| estimated at from twenty to fifty. The loss
| on the building is S35, COO.
| A special dated at 1 A NJ says: The scenes
were heartrending in the extreme. So APP
palling sight has rarely been witnessed, and
L trust may never be again. The patients in
| the burned wing were males, many of whom
refused to leave the building at all. They
ran up and down the halls, screaming
and crying, and acting ike bedlamites.
| They were of course those who
could not. be coa1ed or forced
| out of the building and became unhappy
victims of the flames. Others were saved.
some by ladders and some by leaping from
| windows. Some were nearly nude, some
shoeless and hatless, and all were exposed to
the exceeding cold OF the night. Many of
| the poor, demented and crazed inmates fed
as if for their lives. and could not be over.
taken or confined. Their sufferings in this
| frightful condition can be better imagined
than described. The whole catastrophe is
| fearful to contemplate and impossible to DE
| scribe. The poor, dazsd inmates of the
| asylum who had escaped the flames,
| were at large half clothed, and were to
be seen in all directions flying Ia
wild fright from those who attempted
to save them. The air was bitter cold, and
| the poor wretches, with half naked bodies
an bleeding feet, were flying about hiding in
alleys and dark corners. 1t was a sight
| once seen never to be forgotten. For some
time the capacity of the building bad been
tried to It's utmost. There were hut GOO pa
! tients, and every inch of space was Utilized.
| What will be done with these poor creatures,
| turned out in the cold and their mslady in
creased by the excitement Of the occasion, is
| serious question. There are two other
| buildings situated in town which ara used,
| but they are already crowded to their full
capacity. The asylum ct Rochester is full,
and will doubtless be unable to provide ac-
ccmnodations for any of the anfortunstes.
FIFTH DISPATCHl
ST. PAUL, November 16th.-The following
additional news regarding the st. Peter fire
| is received in specials While the flames were
slowly progressing the nations of the female
| department made all haste TO get their in
mates ont, and many Of them ran shrieking
! in their night clothes into the snow drifts,
even burying themselves in the snow, and
! had to be dragged into barns and sheds, while
those near by wrapped blankets and shawls
! shout them. Hence intense suffering could
not be avoided, as they had to be taken about
| fifteen or twenty rods through the snow. The
| number burned cannot bs gotten at in any
| way a. the present time. Many are known
! to have wandered away in the intense excite.
premises. Several bodies were taken out of
some of the rooms and halls. Several persons
were gotten out into the halls, when they
would be determined to return to the flames.
| One room occupied by two person was
broken in, and while one was dragged
out the other was determined to remain
! in his warm bed, and when dragged on. in
sisted on waiting to be dressed. at some
windows there were three or four men beg
| cling to be saved from death, while the flames
we're bursting from adjoining windows One
was dragged through half-open screen and
| badly mangled. One fireman was also in
jured by the Mankato Company's force
pump also st. Peter man was injured by
falling on the steps in the main hall
fSIXrH DISPATcH-]
ST. PAUL, November 16sh.-An Is terror
AID excitement. To get complete list of