St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-19
The Building Totally Without Protection
or Means to Extinguish
the Fire.
Criminal Neglect on the Part of the Legis-
1ature to Make Proper Provision for
the Safety of the Inmates.


bodies have been recovered. They are burned
| beyond recognition. All of the patients were
| iufirm and incurable. The bedridden ones
were rescued first, and those who were able
| to help themselves did not realize their dan
ger, and they were the ones who perished.
The attendants lost all their personal effects,
and many narrowly escaped with their lives,
one of them having to tie some bed clothes
together to escape. There were no facilities
for putting out the fire, the state not having
made any appropriation. The building was
a new one and cost about S76, 900. II is q
total wreck. The following perished:
Henry Brown, Rock Island.
H. W. Belden, Galesburg.
George Bennett, Morris,
Joseph Colbert, Chicago.
Orlando Ellis, Pontiac.
J. ". Galloway, Macoupin.
Thomas Hickey. Springfield.
Matthew Hogue, Chebanz.
T. Hachner, Stevenson county.
Thomas Hereby, Chicago.
John Johnson, Vermiion.
Michael Jordan, Chicago.
J. Nathan, Chicago.
A. Runyard, Winnebago county.
C. Strotz, Chicago.
J. W. Tyler, Chicago.
7. Weymouth, Putnam county.
Thos. Hereby was a brother of State Senator
Hereby. The building was two-story stone
and brick, with no wood abont it except the
floors and stairways. 1t was completed last
| August. It was used as an iufrmary, with
forty-fye insane inmates, twenty-three on
the first floor and twenty-five on the second
Attendants Brown, and Rose and wife were
sleeping on the second floor. Attendan nts
| Reid and Williams and Fireman Labarge slept
on the first foor. The building was heated
| By hot air furnace. 1t was twelve degrees
below zero when watchman named Cable
discovered smoke Issuing from the floor i'm
mediately above the furnaces, and he awoke
the attendants. The smoke at ouce became
drawn through the hot air lues and along the
halls and stairways TO all parts Of the build
| ing. The fire spread so rapidly that all efforts
to save the building, In the absence Of a fire
alarm TO summon help, and for want OF IA
cilities to quench the flames, were found TO
be IN vain.
Attendant Reid began dragging and car
night clothing only, rushed from the bitter
cold air back into the building. Reid, at the
risk Of his own life, struggled on until
| twenty-one Of his twenty-three patients were
rescued, when he became exhausted and was
carried away.
On the second floor Attendant Rose and
wife heard the alarm and escaped down the
stairway Just before it fell. Attendant
Brown, sleeping on the same floor, was
awakened by the smoke aud attempted 10
save the parties In an adjoining room and
failed, aud sliding down by means OF sheet
from his window, jumped 10 the ground
Superintendent K. s. Dewey reached the
scene, and with ladders climbed to the sec
ond story windows, smashed the windows,
and was able TO rescue some patien Is
| thereby. Almost all the patients refused TO
| cooperate in the efforts being made to save
| them, and were only rescued bv being
| dragged from the flames aud forcibly pre-
/ vented from returning A marvellous escape
was that of an inmate who fell with the
second floor. He struck the burning debris
above the furnace aud bounded through the
window TO the ground unln jured.
The remains OF the bodies of twelve pa
tients have been taken from the ruins,
burned to fragments, only TO be identified
from the location in which they were found.
| The dead were thus identified, with ages and
residence. AT the coroner's inquest this
afternoon Superintendent Dewey testified
he had asked the legislature two years ago for
$500 to protect these detached wards from
FIRE. That 81, 900 was allowed, all Of which
was used in mains and hydrants. That the
amount was insufficient TO an
swsr the purpose. he suggested that
the floors above the bot air
furnaces be changed, It being shown in the
evidence II was but four inches from the out
side and ten inches from the inside Of the
furnace to pine joists He gave two reasons
for the great nun Der Of deaths: First, the
patients were almost sufOcated by smoke
before they could be reached; and second,
the inability or unwilhngness Of the insane
patients TO try aud help themselves.
The remains of the bodies, With one excep-
ton, did not aggregate each but little more
than a handful OF chsrred ashes. The entire
remains Of ten Of the victims were spread on
4 small table two feet square. Friends are
arriving in search Of lost ones. The scenes
/
were necessarily very heartreuding. Tele-
grams are pouring in from all parts OF the
state, from parties asking as TO the safety Of
their friends among the 1900 inmates Of the
hospital.
The coroner's jury. which adjourned until
tomorrow afternoon, Is investigating as to
whether the furnaces we're defective. The
fact that there IS no general FIRE alarm be-
tween the various buildings Of the hospital,
or any system Of water works to protect the
life and property there. accounts largely for
the very large loss OF life.
II. ". Belden, aged City, Of Galesburg,
one os the victims and the only one whose
remains preserved even the semblance
Of human being, was q prominent
man in his section OF the state. He was on
the second floor. was an invalid and unable
to help himself. Supt- Dewey, aided hy an
atiendaut, placed ladder to his window.
Dewey assembled ft, broke the glass with his
I hands, bat being unable 70 break the sash,
descended for some implement TO break it
with. Meantime BeldeR's shrieks sor help
we're loud and 2goniEing- As Dewey reas-
cended his cries died away. The
smoke and flames poured from the
he given him. Dr.. Dewey, hearing calls for
help from another windOs, hurried to the
rsscae, and. although man Of light build,
be dragged $50 pound patient through the
window aud bore him safely 70 the ground
The burned building Vas used as an ir6rm-
ary, many Of the inmates being unable from
sickness 70 walk The only chance Of OBJ
tsiuing water was from the small wash stand