Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-11-10
A Frightful Holocaust.
FIRE IN A POOR ASYLUM.

tlhk IN y fpQR ASYLUM.
HALIFAX, Nov. About 10 O'Clock
last night, while all hands were sleep
ing, fire broke out in bakehouse in
the basement of the immense poor
asylum building. Exactly how ii orig
mated is not very clear, but the smoke
of smouldering wood spread through
the building, and caused the utmost
terror among four or five hundred III.
mates Of the institution. There was
no immediate danger, so the officials
of the asylum did not take steps to re-
move the inmates. An alarm wss
sounded, aud the stroke of the bell had
scarce commenced when reels were
run out of engine houses, as one or two
men happened to be about. A few peo-
pie who had not retired snd others
who lived in the nesghborhood, ran 10
the building
THEY FOUND SMOKE
issuing from windowssl over the build
ing, but: no. flames to be seen. On
the west wing old women and children
were seen at windows crying to be let
out, and as they began breaking glass
it was feared they would thrust them
selves to the ground. A sturdy axe
man dashed at door leading from
this wing into the yard, and with few
vigorous blows of his axe Knocked it
in. The stairways were crowded, and
out came p procession of women, nurs-
ing infants, old gray headed grandmas,
and feeble old men.
ALL WERE SCREAMING,
and as they reached the fresh air with
out, they calculated their thanks and
then began calling for this one and
that one until all was babel of confu-
sion. Then it became known that
those in the upper ward of that wing
were helpless. Some of the firemen
and afterwards an alderman. clergy
man, and others who were among the
party arrived, hastened up and willing
hands were soon getting the blind, halt
and lame down the winding stairs. The
work was necessarily slow one, but
finally that wing was emptied. In the
meantime flames IN the basement, which
the superintendent engineer and officers
were trying to keep under, spread to
the base of the long air shaft to the
elevator reaching to the top of the
main ledge. The draft here swept the
flames upward with tremendous force
and in few seconds the heaviest part
of the confiagrstion was in the top of
the main building. The story just un-
der the caves of this building was used
as a hospital, and in it were about 70
patients. Most of them were perfectly
helpless.
THE FIRE WAS NOW FIERCELY BURNING
right in the hospital, and above it the
heat was so intense that the lead poured
down from the roof in streams of bril-
liant fire, and states flew everywhere
in deadly showers, rendering my Aear
approach to the building almost GER
tain death. Notwithstanding the
terrible danger there were hundreds
standing outside who would willingly
have entered the building if they could
have found their way through. The
fire burst through the roof, and the
scene was one never to be forgotten
far above the roar of flames and crack
of bursting slabs were heard the cries
of the wretched patients in the hospi-
tai, VINO were roasting to death. Most
of them could not leave tneir beds, and
perhaps were stitled by smoke before
the cruel flames reached them. But
others were seen to dash themselves
against the windows and cling to the
sashes till their strength was exhausted
or their hands burned off and they fell
back into the seething cauldron of
hames.'
One woman was seen to drag her
self to corner window, and, forcing
her body half out till she could breathe
the cool air, remained in that position
till her head burned off 1t was known
that there were over seventy patients
in the hospital, and as far as could be
ascertained only six were carried out
before the flames cut off all further ap-
proach to the place. A medical man
who is in position to know, estimates
the loss of life at not less than fifty,
and these patients in the hospital
The poor old people and little children
rescued from other parts of the building
we're huddled together in a barn some
little distance away, and were there
packed around with straw and blankets
to keep them comfortable till morning.
The building is still burning fercely,
and there is no doubt it will be totally
DESTROYED. Insured.ss
LATER.
HALIFAX, Nov. As far as ascer-
tanned, 81 persons were burned to death
in last nights fire, s men and % wo-
men.
Great Fire in Pittsburg.