Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-14
PHILADELPH[A'S HORROR
ESCAPED LUNATICS AT LARGE
IN THE STREETS.

Pitiful Freaks of the Unfortunates-
One of Them SIashes Right and Left
with a Knife-MaDy Regarding the
Fire as JOke-Eighteen the Total of
the Victims.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 13.-The fire last
night at the aims house entirely destroyed
that portion of the institution set apart
for the insane. OF 6S4 lunatics confined
there many were missing this morning,
but it is thought that most of them wan
dered away. Ats O'Clock this morning
two more charred bodies were found in
ward No. >. They had been roasted be-
yOnd all recognition. Several human
forms can be seen in the burning wreck
In the cellar. 1t is now thought that %
OF the inmates persisted. That number OF
violent patients were locked in cells on
the third floor and could not be reached,
Eight have been takenOut dead and others
are not accounted for. During the night
many insane persons were found wander
Ing In different parts of the city, some of
whom were nearly naked.
FREAKS OF INSANE SURVIVORS.
The poor creatures generally seem
unable to understand the situation, and
in some cases begged people piteOuslv not
to throw them in the river. Others seemed
to take it as a grand joke, and laughed
gleefully when the subject of the fire was
mentioned Another came 1iying down
South street early this morning with a
manacle attached to his wrist and a few
links of chain dangling from it. He
shTieked and laughed as he struck right
and left among the frightened people. 1t
was found necessary to use violence and
knock him down before he could be
GnnnFn1 how Il,
panic in street car by rushing in half
clad and with his face scorched and
blackened. He sank covering in a cor
ner and it was soon found that he was
more frightened than those who had run
away. Reports that the streets were full
or maniacs caused much alarm in West
Philadelphia and strangers look upon
each other with much distrust.
HARD WORK OF THE FIREMEN.
The tiremen were still at work on the
ruins at noon. They were weary and
halt frozen, each mans helmet and coat
appearing as hard as aTmOr. Their search
for bodies was continued steadily. There
appears to have been great deal of un-
necessary trouble caused by rotten hose
and scarcity in the water supply, To
remedy the latter falling a dozen brawny
iremen chopped hole in the thick ice on
the SchuyIklll river, but when the hose
was introduced mud and grinding bits of
ice split the leather, and the attempt was
failure. The confusion about the ruins,
the crattiness of the insane people in Sc
cretlng themselves, the prOmiscuOus man.
ner in which they were being cared for,
and the utter WEAKNESS of all those who
have had them in charge, prevented any
accurate estimate being made up to noon
of the loss of life and property.
ELEVEN BODIES FOUND
Altogether eleven bodies were found up
TO tonight in the ruins OF the asylum.
These were removed to the dead house
and placed side by side with seven who
We're suffocated, and removed from the
building last night. The bodies were
horribly distigured, some of them being
burned to a crisp. After days thorough
search the aim house authorities are con
WINGED that these eighteen burned and
sutfocated maniacs were all that perished.