The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-02-19
A HUGE CREMAT0RY.
Fierce Flames in a West PhiIa.
deIphia AImshouse Claim
Many Victims.
Nineteen Persons Meet Pisry Fate.
Awfrl Scenes In and About
the Building,


Eighteen raving mantacs were burned to
death IN the insane department OF the Blockley
Almshouse tonight In . conhagration which
needed nothing to make II the most horrible dis
aster OF the kind In the history Of the city. The
FIRE originated In wing Of the old building
There were sixty separate ceHs for violent pa
tients. twenty on each floor. In addition to this
there was a large room on each floor I'm which
cells for 125 men were placed. All Of these were
second floor was the dry-room, heated by steam.
and here the hames originated. but from what
cause Is not known
Attendant Schroeder TINS relates some Of the
horrors OF the dreadful night: AS soon as
heard Nadine cry i rushed to the stairway, and
after q short attempt to check the fire Mt once
locked the door of the room in which Nadine
and his companions were They ran out at
once. BY this time the flames were gathering
In fury, and dense volume OF smoke as-
cending into the upper stories / succeeded in
unlocking the doors of all the cells on the first
floor and got the Inmates out had no time to
look after them, for the flames were getting so
fierce that IL was almost impossible to breathe
In the flercely burning building. The smoke in
the upper stories was so thick that breathing was
impossible. While 1 was getting the men out
below Attendant Williamsstrain was dong the
same for those on the second floor. i met
Hanna, the nightwatchman- and we went up TO
the third story but were driven back by the
flames, which had forced their way through the
stairway and were creeping along 70 the cells Of
the inmates We ran around 70 the other
stairway and by that time some OF the fremen
had arrived All the inmates had been got out
OF the second story, 20 that there remained
about twenty eight on the third floor, twenty in
the cells, and eight In the large common room
Attendant Schroeder further said: THE un-
fortunate occupants OF the cells were being
tered and burned by flames. Their cries were
heartrending. Some OF them cursed and
swore. others laughed hideouslyy, and
Oh. rfx.l
would have appalled, the hardest heart The fire.
men, myself, and patient named Rafferty,
crawled on our hands and knees to such OF the
men we could reach. and dragged out four
teen. Eight of them were alive, four wese
suffocated TO death, and two were SO hor-
ribly burned that they died before we
could NO not see any Of the men In the
cells, but could hear their piercing cries above
the roaring OF the flames az they came TO realize
the horrible fate which was In store for them.
While Schroeder was going through this ter
rible experience flames were extending 10 the
main building. The wing in which the victims
were being burned alive was wrapped In flames,
which were shooting many feet into the air and
illuminating the city for several squares. When
the hremen arrived the fire was enveloping
about one-third of the main building and was
burning fercely. The two fire. plugs In the yard
gave but indifferent supply of water. lad
der was quickly run up u the third-Door win
dows The bremen attacked the. l. on grat1ng.of
the cells and succeeded in taking out seven
men. -Four OF them were suiiocated to death,
and three were still alive. All the inmates in
the insane department were secured safely ex-
cept those in the third, >story Of the wing in
which the ire originated.
Waterman Hanna said he drove six men out
of the bedroom. Il drove them out, he says,
"and then ran TO cell lG and unlocked the door.
Jacob Glassman occupied il. and he wanted me
to leave him alole. i knew IL was useless TO
talk TO him, go j grabbed him and hurried him
out When was Iassini through the bedroom
from which had driven the six men only a mo-
ment before, j found two OF them had returned
20. . haa. lkarn hon arls fIa fire. IN "
down on them from the ceiling. compelled
them TO leave, and then helped Get about
thirty feeble men out OF the infirmary.
The inmates turned out OF the various wards
were. as far as possible, provided for In secure
parts of the almshouse Many of them, how
ever, escaped into the city, and wandered
about the streets, where some were secured by
the police and either returned to the institution
or lockedup
The total number of inmates in the institution
is placed at G76. OF these, eighteen are known
to have persisted. 1t is said there are seventy
five missing, but of these probably al have
been picked up in different parts Of the city by
policemen.