The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-02-19
SIMPLY HORRIBLE.
Burning of the Insane Ward ofthe
Philadelphia hospital
Six Hundred and Eighty-four Patients
Hemmed In BY Fire-HerOic Efforts for
Their Rescue-A Large Number
Burned In Their Cells.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, February 12.-
That portion of the Philadelphia Aims
House and Hospstal set apart for the in
sane, was burned to the ground to-
night. From twenty-five to forty insane
patients, most of them in the violent de-
partmcnt, perished in the flames. There
were 6s4 insane persons in the building,
many of whom were rescued almost suf-
located with smoke. Only seven of the
bodies of those who perished were
brought out of the burning building.
At eight O'Clock Mrs. Amsted, the head
nurse In the department for the insane,
discovered fire in the wall in ward M,
which led from the first floor to the top of
the building. She called her women
assistants and endeavored, with their
help, to put out the flames, as they APP
peared to be of a trihing nature, by dash
ing upon them buckets of water. few
minutes work convinced the women that
this method of extinguishing the fire
would provo Intellectual. The watchmen
from the different buildings mustered
with all possible speed toward the burn
ing building and turned on the hose. But
the force of the stream was very feeble,
and the watchmen soon saw that they
could not succeed in the combat with the
flames, and an alarm was sounded from
the Twenty first District Police Station.
The order was then given by Supe rim
tendent Smith to remove the GS4 un-
fortunates to a place of safety. BY this
time the smoke filed the long cOrri-
dors, and penetrated every iron-barred
r.Fv
the patients to a sense of danger of they
knew not what.
In very short time the cells were an
locked, those of the patients who were
well were told to fee for their
lives, and the attendants began
to remove the sick. Scores Of
these wretched beings, nearly suffOcatcd
by the smoke, which grew denser every
moment, were placed in blankets and
stretchers and carried to other build
ings in the grounds. Many the cthar
insane who had been liberated from their
dungeons in order to give them
chance for their life, fed wildly
out of the building and
large number escaped from the ground
and departed as swiftly as they were able
in all directions. Some of those who ran
off were clad in nothing but night cloth
ing, and others had only the additional
covering OF blanket on lneln.
The fire burned flercer every moment.
The entire upper portion of the southern
end of the insane department was a mass
of red flames, and step by step the faith
full nurses and Watchmen were
driven back, forced 10 leave many
helpless creatures in the violent ward in
the third story to their terrible fate. An
immense crowd, attracted by the fire
from all parts of West Phiadel-
NH ufrh hnd fhn off # hr
1iremen, and when the first
man, with dripping helmet, and
smoking garments appeared upon the
head of the ladder, bearing in his arms a
sick patient, they cheercd again and
again with mighty enthusiasm that ami
mated the men to Increased eXertions.
The roar OF the flames sounded like the
noise of Niagara, as they enVelOped the
doomed building, but when they at last
reached the cells of the miserable
wretches who had been left, there came
out of the fire cries and wild shrieks
for help that chilled the
blood of all who heard them,
and rose above the roar Of the destroying
element. Wall after wall of anguish told
the fate of some poor creature who was
being burned to death i'm the hearing Of
thousands of spectators.
The fire is supposed to have originated
from an overheated stOyepipe or defective
flue. The number of insane patients con-
fined in this department was over six
hundred. Every effort was made TO
remove the poor, helpless creatures,
but so rapidly did the flames
spread that It was impossible to get
them all out. In the confusion scores
of patients escaped from the grounds and
found their way TO the streets, and are
now wandering through the city. A num-
Der of these have been captured by the
police and are locked up in the various
station houses.
LATER.
1890 A. MA telephone message Just
received from West Philadelphia states
that it is now reported that sixty Of the
insane inmates perished.
1t is now believed that at least half
hundred souls have pcrishcd In the
flames.
The fire is now believed to be under
control, and will be confined to the in
sane department.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 10, A.
M.-The fire is still burning, but under
control and will be confined to the Insane
Department of the Aims House. No more
dead bodies have been taken out and it
will be impossible to tell the exact num-
Der that perished until the fire has been
extinguished and an examination Of the
ruins made.