New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-08
RITRNED IN THEIR BEDS.

- On >,opr DEATHS RESULTING FROM THE
Ar u.rIFAx-eRAPHIo DESCRIPTION OF
ur.RrRENpING SCENES.
u.,p.x n. S. Nov. About IL O'Clock iast
-, xhile all we're sleeping, tre Oroke ou' III
~. haLahouse Ia the basement of the Poor Asylum
m. origin of the fire is not known. Smoke IRON
sronlaering wood spread throughout the buildlne,
.orsinc the utmost terror among the 4oo OF oVo
occnnauts of the dormitOries AMI other poruohs Va
aha institution. As there was no immediate oahser
The officials Of the asylum were In no haste 10 re-
move the inmates An alarm was Quickly s"unueu
"a ui,hopt delay the reels were sent out of the
engine-bouses. ,s 90 ho IN
A. vic,nitv and a few people who lived IN
.ho Deigbhorhood rushed TO the building lhey
.onnd smoke issuing from all the windows OHt
- flames were TO be seen. In the west Wing Ola
women and children were seen at the windows cry
ina IN he let out, and as they began TO break the
ylass II was feared that they would throw the'u-
.elyes out, A sturdy axeman dashed al inc uooi
leading from this wing into the gard, ana Win
few vigorous blows of bis axe, knocked II H. i"o
stairwavs were crowded. and out came proces>'"u
- women with chi ldren in arms old gray hraueN
womeu and feeble old men. who upon reaching 'no
omen air wildly calculated their thanks
Then il became known that those u ine "P %
,,o-ds of that wing were almost helpless A"o "'0-
,a, and other, who were among the cary "''N"''
basteued upstairs, and wiling hahuS "e'o go
~o1t,na the hind and the lame down the long WIZ
ing stairs The work was necessarily ''O" WIZ
bnt finally that wing was emptled'
L. the meantime the flames in the basement
.-,ioh the snnerIntendent. the engineer aud Other
osio,als were irving to keep under spread 10 inc
- of the long air-shaft or elevator, reacnng ]"
,bs TON Of the main building. The draft here sweep
.ho DANES inward with tremendous force. ami IN
few seconds the heaviest part OF the cohhaeIa'oh
Wa in the top of the main building. Inc STORY
mat uuder the caves in this building was used as
bosp,tal and in II about seventy patients
most OF them perfectly helpless. Inc hre Wa
now burning fercely in the hospital, anu
above IL the hat cracked the roof tll tht
lead poured down in streams OF brilliant hrc' anu
Tn. states flew in every direction in deadly showers
rendering any near approach to the building al
most certain death.
Notwithstanding this there were huhureus VI
rorson. onts,de who would willingly have entered
the building If they could have found their ay
through the place. indeed. several did 60 H. but
without guidance could do nothing IN thai Immense
buildng and had TO return to the yards. An AZ
.amnt 10 raiOe ladders to the windows was made,
I'M, the ladders we're too short, and after fireman
had been knocked down by falling Orcks' ana IL
was seen that the ladders even would he
swept away in few minutes, these attempts
we're stopped The fire burst through the ROOF
and the scene was one never to De forgotten. RAJ
above the roar OF the flames and the crack oil Tue
burstlr states were head the cries OF the fetched
naiieuts IN the hospital who were roasting To
ts,b Most of them As before stated We're help
less and could mot leave their beds ana were pei,
haps sthed by the smoke before tue nan9s reached
them: but others we're seen 10 dash themselves
against the windows and cling TO the sashes tlI
th.ir strength was exhausted or their hands were
burned Off, and they fell back INTO the seeiLIng
eaI1,on of flames. a woman was secn to uTag
herself 10 a corner window and force her bodN baH
Out Mi size could breathe the cool ar outside she
remained in that position till her head was burned
II is known that there about seventy pa
TENTS in the hospital and far as could DC ascer
famed only hal dozen we're carried Out before the
flames cut of all further approach to Inc place
medical man. who Is III a position To know ssti,
mates the loss of life to ue not less than hiv' and
these we're all patients in the hospital. he pOoI
old people and little children got out OF the other
parts OF the building and were hudded together la
the barn some little distance away, ana were tnele
packed around with straw and blankets TO Keep
them comfortable till morning The building Ii sun
burning herccly and there is doubt that 1t VIII
be totally destroyed, it IS utterly beyond the
power of the hremen, with the water power at their
command. rne building was insured.
LQter-So lar as ascerlalnrd thirtl -One persons
were burned To death III last nights hre-elglt men
and twenty three women ~
The ruins OF the asylum are still smOuldering and
are visited by hundreds OF people every hour Inc
fire had exhausted itself by daybreak. TIE Board
of Public Charities met on the grounds and made
hasty arrangements to dispose OF the OaupeIs on
hand. The workshop was cleared out and hLed
with beds and the docile, feeble old women, cuil-
dren and sick were moved INTO II. Later
In the day the old Provincial Fenitentlary
was secured and is being fitted with stoves, DeO-
ding etc. TO accommodate as many as possible.
The old skating rink N the pubic gardens is also
beng fitted up TO receive some of them General
Sir Patrick MacDougall has offered 70 place 500
blankets at the disposal of the Government, if It.
quired.
IL the city prison the news created the widest
excitement among he inmates. as many. especially
OF the young women prisoners, had mothers " no
were ending their days ID the Poor House.
They implored the governor and the matron 10
release them long enough TO learn the fate OF their
parents The Commissioners have gone carefully
over the books, find that thirtyone OF those IL
the hospital persisted. The building was erected III
1o6S. Ii was owned by the province ana Guy. Ii
was taken possession Of about November,
1870. The removal Of old people Oh that
occasion resulted IN the death Of many
of them shortly atterwaTd. The building
cost So3,0OO and was insured for $4,000 in
each OF the following offices: Halifax, PuGuix.
Acadia Lancashire ant Queens, making total of
$4,000.
some fragments of cbarTed bodies were recov-
cred, but extensive search has been or can with
safety be made among the runs IN their present
dangerous condition.