The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-11-16
A HUMAN HOLOCAUST,
Horrible Results Of a Fire in tho
Poor Asylum at Halifax.
Twenty-three Women and Eight
Men Consumed Almost Be-
yond Recognition.
Awful Scenes In the Blazing Structure
Among the Doomed and Fren.
zied Inmates.

dispatch from Halifax, In Nova Scotia,
says that at midnight, while all hands were
sleeping, fire broke out in the bake-house,
In the basement Of the Poor Asylum build
Ing Exactly how it originated is not very
clear, but the smoke OF the smouldering
wood spread through the building into the
dormitorfes and caused the utmost terror
among four or five hundred inmates of the
institution. There was no immediate
danger, so the officers OF the ASYLUM did not
take steps to remove the inmates.
An alarm was sounded and the stroke
bell had scarcely mmenced when reels
We're run out OF the engine houses. as one or
two men happened to be about. A few peo-
pie who had not retired, and others who
live in tho neighborhood, ran to the build
ing. They found smoke issu ng from the
windows all over the building. hut no flames
wers to be seen. In the west wing old wom-
en- and children were seen Mt the Windows,
crying to be let out and. ns hey began break
ing glass, it was feared they wou d throw
themselves to the ground A sturdy AK man
dashed at the door leading from this
wing into the yard and with a few vigorous
blows OF his AK knocked it in The
stairways We're crowded, and out came a
procession of women nursing infants. old,
gray-headed grandmas, and feeble old men.
All We're roaming, and MS they reached the
fresh air without they calculated their
thanks, and then began calling for this one
and that ore until all was babel of confu-
sion. Then it became known that those In
The upper wards Of that wing were helpless
Some Of the lircmen and fire wardens and
aldermen and clergymen, and others who
We're among the early arrivals, fastened up,
and willing hands were soon getting the
blind, halt and lame down the long winding
stairs The work was a very slow one, but
finally that wing was emptied
In the meantime the II mes in the base
ment, which the Superintendent engineer
and officials were trying 10 keep under,
spread to the base OF the long air shaft or
elevator reaching to the top of the main
building. The draught here swept the
flames upward with tremendous force and
in few secondG the heaviest part of the
confiaeration was in the top OF the man
building The story just under the caves in
tn building was nsed as hospital, and In
1t were about seventy patients, most of them
perfectly helpless. The fire was now
fierccly burning right in the ho, pital
tense that lead poured down from the
roof in streams of brilliant fire, and
states flew everywhere in deadly showers,
rendc ing any Near approach to the building
almost certain death Notwithstanding this,
there wcrA hundreds standing outside who
would Willingly have entered the building if
they could have found their way through
the nlaee. Indeed severai did o IN, Dut
Nithhnt Guidance could do nothing In thu
immense building, md had TO return TO the
yard. In attcmpt aas madc 20 raise ladders
TO the windows, but the ladders were too
short. and after fireman was knocked do n
j by falling brick, and it was seen that the
ladders even Nould be swept away in a few
minutes. the attempt ceased. The fire
hurst through the roof, and the scene
was one never to he forgotten
Far above the roar OF the flames and
/ crack Of burning slatcs were hard the cries
OF the wretrhea Iat'tn's IL the no pitai,
who were roasting to de til No t Of them.
as before stated, we're a'lless, and cou d
/ not leave iheirb is, and perhaps We're titled
\ before the cruel flames reached them, but
Others We're seen to dash themselves against
/ the windows and cling to the sa. hes till their
4 strength was exhausted or their han is
burned off. and they iell ba k into the seeth-
4 ing calron or iiames A woman was seen
! to drag herself to the corner window, ard
/ forcing her body halt out tn ough the iron
I bars iii she could breathe cool air, ska re-
/ m ined in that posi- ion Till her head burned
/ of
As lar as can he asccrtained, til rty- one
! pei ons We're burned 10 dcath-ei, Int men
/ and twenty / re- women
The building was constructed In 1865. It
/ cost $4,000. and was In ured for S5o.uO.