Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-03
THE INSANE ASYLUM.
The Legislative Committee Endeavoring
to Discover the True Inwardness of the
Late Fire.
[Srecial Telegram to the Globe.

ST. PETER, Mimi, Feb. 2.-Thc legislative
committee appointed to inquire into the origin
and circumstances the fire, which occurred
at the States insane asylum, Nov. 18th last,
consists of H. B. Wilson, chairman; DR.. S. B.
Sheardown, j. \. Castle, L. W. Collins and
John F. Norrish. The last named is unable
to sit with the committee, being confined to
his room by illness. The others are patiently
listening to evidence, for which Attorney Gen
eral Start is the chief examiner. Up to this
writing the following witnesses have been eX.
amined: DIR. c. X. Bartlett, superintendent OF
the asylum, Francis Dunno, supervisor of
the male department of the asylum;
B. BornemaD, a saloon keeper; Charles
Kohl, bar tender; John Palmcrton, a rail
road bridge watchman: ]. NJ. Tuelhz; Joseph
Latour, half breed; and John Dietz. Bart
lett and Dunno testified as to their first knowl-
edge of the fire, its location, the plan of the
building, the situation of patients and attend
ents, etc. Mr.. BOrneman, who was not pres
ent at the fire, submitted list of names
of witnesses he desired called, flor
whom subp9naS were issued accordingly
and related what they had told him. The
others testified as to what they saw and did
at and during the fire. The evidence as taken
in detail for the committee, is more volumi-
nous than interesting. IT may be summarized
as follows:
The fire alarm was given at 7:30 to s P. NJ,
on the evening Of Nov. 18th. 1t appears to
have been set in two or three places in the
basement of the extreme north wing and pro-
badly in at least one place in the basement of
the section next to the central wing. There
is no knowledge of any condition ofapparatus,
refuse or anything else to sustain theory of
spontaneous or accidental fire. An eXcitable
but supposed harmle, patient by the name of
Ben Hasselton had the liberty of the central
basement and might have gone, if unobserved,
to any part of the basement at any time.
After supper on the evening of the fire he
might have gone anywhere in the basement
without being observed. He might have fired
the building, and is the only inmate of the
building who could be suspected of setting
the fire, who could have gone into the naptha
room (of the gas house, and obtained guam
tity of naptha without being observed and
stopped. He was absent from supper that
evening and vas the ouly inmate not account
ed for at supper time. He acted as fireman in
the engine and boiler room. In DR.. Bartlett's
opinion it was possible that the fire may have
been set by some person from outside
the building. He thought the fire
started over Il steam coil in
the basement near the floor, where
if bunch of wiping rags had been placed they
might have ignted from the heat of the pipes
When the superintendent and others con-
nected with the asylum sought to enter the
burning part Of the building they fonnd en-
trance from the outside limited TO the main
doors; the smoke in the extreme south wing
and second return so dense and suffocating
they could not move into it; and the fire hose,
where they could reach it, was stiff and un.
wielly from disuse, the extreme cold, or lack
of care. d.
The windows of the asylum are barred with
heavy wire; the doors between the wards in
to which patients are separated, according to
their condition, and for convenience of at
tendance, are, as a rule, locked; and the doors
of lodging rooms are, as rule, locked,
whether patients are in or ont of them
A. the hour when the fire broke out there
were 243 patients, all males, in the north
wing, in charge of nine attendants. The SUI
perintendent, the supervisor of the depart
ment, the cook and his assistant, and a few
villagers first to arrive from the village, made
such exertons as they we're capable of to
bring out all the patients in safety. The avail
able ladders were too short to reach the third
story of the extreme north wing, and the
smoke inside that wing was too intense to
allow Of q possibility of rescuing patients
from the inside. The VIKINGS at the windows
outside were knocked off with axes, and most
Of the patients in that wing taken out from
the windows. One man only was rescued from
the third story window, after long ladder
had been brought frem the village. This man
sat in window, his feet through the cash,
and was badly burned on his back before the
long ladder was brought. Another was seen
at window and seen to fall back, as if into
the flames. DR.. Bartlett is of opinion that
the twenty-four lost patients were suffocated
by the smoke which passed through the reg
listers and densely filled all that part of the
building. The patients in the other wards of
the burned part appear to have been all res
cued, mostly from the Inside. In some in
stances they were taken from locked rooms,
and in some instances they had to be taken
from danger by force, they striving TO escape
from their rescuers and return TO their rooms
The witnesses this afternoon have been Rob-
ert McAdam, a teamster, Otto Behncke, the
asylum cook, and w. H. Pierce, the asylum
engineer. The latter testifes- as To the
condition in which he found the hose-stuck
together by frost or decomposilion: that his
fire pump worked we'll; and that the asylum
reservoir was not reduced by the working of
that pump and In supplying the fire engines
all through the night. o.
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