Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1881-02-09

Financed. Ramaley, Geo. II. Hamilton, J.
H. Pennock
Printing!. H. Stevens, J. H. Bryant, w. A.
Poland
THE INSANE ASYLUM.
Investigation by the Special Committee of the
State Legislature.
The legislature having ordered an investiga-
ton into the calamitous fire recently at the in
sane asylum at St. Peter, Minnesota and having
appointed H. B. Wilson, j. N Castle. L. w
Collins, and DR.. S. B. Sheardown, to conduct
the same, the committee repaired to St. Peter
on the LIST inst, and commenced their labor.
Upon the arrival of the committee DR.. Bart
lott and Steward Dryer were met at the depot,
and the members were conveyed to the Nicollet
house, where they dined After dinner the COM
mlttee adjourned to one Of the parlors and held
hurried consultation as to the line of policy to
be pursued in the investigation, but did not de-
eide definitely upon course of action, after
which they rode out to the hospital to make a.
preliminary examination of the ruins, On ar
irving at the hospital, the committee visited and
carefully examined the ruined and blackened
walls, with their grim rows of barred windows,
CHASTITY monuments to the thirty-six victims
who persisted therein on that fatal 18th of
November: The committee made an entire tour
OF the building and were struck with horror
upon viewing IN one of the wards, Allie An
dreWs, the woman who a few weeks ago killed
IL shocking manner Mrs Hayes, a companion
patient She is closely confined in crib, and
is very violent at times After close inquiry in
to the manner of treatment and close inspection
of every ward of the hospital, the committee re-
turned to the city, having arranged to hold
meeting in the evening, and which the asylum
officers were invited to attend
In the evening the committee met in one of
the parlors of the Nicollet house. DR.. Bartlett,
being requested by the committee, took the
stand to make his statement, which is regarded
as a semi-oficial statement of the position of
the trustees upon the subject under consider
ation
He said: The burned wing is divided into
length is about 1O3 feet; the burned wing is
three stories high; the part where the fire COM
menced was the last part of the building erect
ed; the building is heated by steam, which is
generated in the boilers; heat is conducted from
the pipes to the halls by f1ues; all the steam
coils are In the basement; each flue has an in
dependent f1ue for heating, and one for ventila-
ton; nothing in the basement but heating APP
paratus; main hall, first floor, used for Offices
Where the fire originated was thirty feet from
the food elevator and separated from it by stone
wall. We had hose on each of the upper and mid
die floors and seven babcock fire extnguishers.
and reservoir on the hill, which supplies the
house with water, and asteam pump, the hose for
which was kept on a reel; kept no hose in the
halls for fire purposes; it was all on the reel;
feared tire IN the attic most
There were several ladders at the hospital;
had none long enough to reach the third story,
had axes in the halls; hose was not used only to
test; nobody but the engineer knew anything
about fire drill I attribute the bad condition Of
the hose to the extreme cold; it was rubber
hose; had it 6 year or more; did not test it in
cold weather; had rules for the government Of
was especially called to these rules; there were
no fire escapes whatever; stairways were plen-
ty, there being three on each hall,
the windows were all barred; there were
243 men in the burned wing; can fur
nish the names of all the missing patients:
think can give all the names; the building is
lighted by gas made on the grounds; the gas
house is about 200 feet from the place where
the fire originated used naptha to make the gas;
Kept more in cans in the basement, used it to
Kill yermin; the attendants had charge of that;
1t was only got in small quantities, not more
than quart at a time; patients mi ght get at it,
II they were SO disposed: don't know of my per-
sonal knowledge that all the patients were at
supper:
An attendant came to me on November Is,
at1:3O IN the evening, and said that smoke was
coming up through his register; I went and
saw at once that the fire was in progress; went
to one hall door and found it locked; went to
another and found it was open; went in and
found the place full of smoke, and several pa
tients IN senseless condition; saved the pa
tlents and then tried to turn the hose, but the
house was so full of smoke that it was impossi-
Die; very few of the patients had gone to bed,
and but few were in bed from sickness; then +
went and tried to get the hose to work; when
we got 1t In working order the house was burn
ing in two places, at least 100 feetapart; if the
q hoo nf1lT r
seen.
l was busted opening windows and helping to
get out patients; did not notice much confusion
m the building; patients were all collected in
the first halls; the doors are locked about 8
O'Clock after the patients retire; did not bring
the hose to bear on the fire for about ten min
utes after the alarm; the night was very cold:
have no idea what was the origin of the fire;
am of the belief that it was set on fire by some
individual; there are thirty eight men about the
house IN the various capacities; there were
twenty two present on the night of the fire;
TOUR sleep III town; there were eleven away for
the evening; they went away after supper; one
was out OF town BY permission; had a patient
by the name Of Ben. Husselton he was very ex-
citable; he came in March he came from Worth
ngton; he was very willing to help; he had ac-
cess to the naptha
Sometimes he had the liberty of the building:
we give them liberty when they are supposed
to be reliable; he had no serious quarrels with
the engineer or attendants; regarded him as a
safe man; every man who is not in at meal time
is reported to me. Husselton was not at supper
on the evening of the fire; he was in the engine
room; after supper he could go anywhere where
the tire was; ne Liked the engineer very much;
naptha house that evening without being no
tced; he might take naptha in any quantity, if
go disposed. After the fire requested Sheriff
Downs to lock him up; my reason for having
him sent to jail was on account of his language
mind that he fred the building; there was moth
ing in the way of his obtaining naptha, but I
doubt that it was Husselton who fired the build
ing; think some one fred the building; don't
know of anybody who had better opportunities