New-York tribune., 1885-01-19
INSANE PATIENTS BURNED.
FLAMES IN AN ILLINOIS HOSPITAL.

TIE MASIACs REFUSE TO LEAVE THE BUILDING
OFFICIAL NEGLECT.
| KANKAKEE, ILL.,, Jan. 1s.-The South Infirmary
of the Illinois Eastern Hospital for the Insane
burned at 4:25 q. m. to-day. The fire originated
In the furnace room and had a strong headway be-
| fore 1t was discovered. The woodwork of the
building, being of Southern pine, burned rapidly.
The building occupied by forty-fiye patients,
! SIX attendants, and one night watchman. Seven
teen patients i'll all are missing. Thirteen bodies
have already en- recovered, buried beyond recog-
nltlon All OF the patients nfirn and incura-
| Bile. Tie bedridden were rescued first and
| those who were able to help themselves did not
realize the danger in ii ne and they were the ones
| WHO perishcd. The attendants lost all their per-
sonal effects and many narrowly escaped with their
lives cne of them having to tie bed clothes to-
| gether to escape from window to the
| grounl. There no facilities for putting
out the fire, the State not having made any appro-
priation for the purpose, The building a new
one and cost about $4,000. 1t is total loss The
names of tn who pershed Henry Brown,
! Rock Island; II. w. Beden. Gaesburg; George
Bennett, Norris Joseph Colbert, Chicago; Or
| lando Ellis. Pontiac; j. w. Galloway, Macoupin;
! Thomas Hickey, Springfield; Matthew Hague,
| Chebanse: L. Hachner, Stevenson County; Thomas
| Hereby, Chicago John Johnson. Vermion; Mi
chacl jordan, Chicago; j. Nathan, Chicago; A.
Runyard, Winncbago County; G.. Strotz. Chicago !;
j. ". Tyler, Chicago; T. Weymouth, Putnam
| County.
| Hereby.
1 The building was a two story house Of stone and
| brick, with no wood except the floors and stair
! ways. 1t was completed in August 1t was used
| az an infiTmary for insane inmates, twenty-three
| on the first floor and twenty-five on the second.
The attendants, Brown. Rose and the iatters wife,
we're sleeping on the second floor Attendants
| Reid Williamsa and tho fireman, Labarge slept on
the first floor. The building was heated by hot-air
| furnaces. Ii was twelve degrees below zero when
| tho watch nan, Cobb, discovered smoke issuing
from the floor immediately above the furnaces. lie
at once awoko the attendants. The smoke was
| drawn through the hot air huo and
along the halls and starsway to all
| parts OF the building. The fire spread so
rapidly that all efforts the building, in the
absence of afire-alarm to summon help and for
want OF facilities to quench the flames; were found
| 10 he IN ,ain. Attendant Reid began dragging ana
| carrying out patients. Many patients. clad III
night clothes only rushed from the bitter cold air
| back into the building. 80,
| Reid at the nsk of his own life, Struggled on TIL
twenty -one OF the twentyt hree patients were res,
| cued. when he became exhausted and was carried
| away. On the second floor Attendant Rose and
wife heard the alarm and escaped down
tho stairway just before il fell. Attendant
| Brown who slept on the same floor. was awakened
| by the smoke and attempted to save patient IN
an adjoining rooiu but failed and sliding down by
the AID OF a sheet from his window jumped 10 the
! ground.
| to the second story windows. smashed the win
| dows aud was able to rescJe some Of the patients
| bv tins means Most Of the patients resisted the
efforts made to save them and were only rescued Dy
! being dragged from the tanes and held
| 10 prevent their return. A marvellous escape was
that OF an inmate VINO zen win the sscona noor;
ho me- above
| bounded through a window to the ground unin-
juroi -, -, ....
! h,y. boe., taken frum the RUNS They could only
| 10 identified by the places IN which thcy were
found ne renainS, %ih one sntre m.re
relics of ten Of the victims were spread on small
| table 20 feet square.
| The Corolcr's fury il investigating the question
whether lie furnaces were defective. The fact
! tnaf there IA no general fre-ilarn between the
various buildings OF the hospital, nor any system
of water works 10 protect life aud property there,
accounts largely for the loss OF lite.
At the Coroner's inquest this afternoon Superin-
tendent Dewey testified that h. had as ed tne
Ic islature two years ago for $1,000 10 protect
these detached wards from fire; tnat Sl,oJo was
allowed. all of which was used IN mains aud ny
drant6 and that the amount was Insufficient to
answer the purpose He suggested that tho floors
above the Jlot-alr furnaces he change u oe,ng
snown urine evidence that II was only four inches
fom the outside and ten inches from the inside Oh
the furnace to the pine JoIsts.
INCIDENTS OF THE FIRE.
H. W. Bclden age ffty, of Galesburg, H., one of
the victims and the only one whose body retained
even the semblance of a human form, was
prominent man III his part of the state. He was on
the second floor was an invalid aud was unable TO
help himself superintendent Dewey, aided by an
attendant. placed a ladder to his window, and
ascending it broke the glass with his
hands. but being unable 10 break the
i eash descended for some implement to break II.
Meantime Belden's shrIeks for help were loud ana
agoniZIng bu' az Dewey rcascended his cries dieu
away. The smoke aud flames poured from the win
Dewey. hearing calls for heIp from another
window, hastened TO the rescue, ana. though
a man of lIgnt build, dragged a patient
weighing $50 pounds through the window ana
carried him safely 10 the ground. The only chance
for obtaining water from the small wasn-stanu
faucets; no. even tire buckets or barrels Delng on
hand. ,
Night Watchman Cobb testified before the Coro-
ner's Jury that he registered report OF his calls
every half hour. he register showed that he Wis,
tied the iurnace-r .Om at $40 ana f0und IL az
right then. At 4: 10 he discovered the hre. CODb
also testified that the floor immediately over tno
furnaces had frequently been noticed by attendants
furnace was rooted by sheet iron, then ov TWO
layers OF o1ck laid in mortar with space OF only
SIX inches between them ana the pine
The State does not nsnre It's property, put com
parativey slight Appropriation added 10 the present
incomplete facilities would furnish for the hospta
adequate defence against fire. An appropriation
for that purpose has already been asked OF the
present Legislature.
A SUGAR REFINERY DESTROYE ID.
THE LOSS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN 100000 AND