The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-19
Seventeen Patients Burned to Death
in the Illinois Hospital for
the Insane,
The Building, Supposed to be Fire.
Proof, Had No Means to
Extinguish a Fire.
HORRIBLE HOSPITAL HOLOCAUST.
Seventeen Insane Inmates OF the Illinois
South Infirmary Hospital, at Kanka-
kee, Burned to Death.


EaNKAKEE, H., Jan. 1S.-The South In.
Urinary OF the Illinois Eastern Hopital for
the INSANE burned this morning at 4:5O
The fire originated in the furnace room, and
had secured a strong headway before it was
discovered the woodwork of the building
being of Southern pine it burned very
rapidly. The building was occupied by
forty-fve patients, SIX attendants and
one night watchman. Seventeen patients
are missing and thirteen bodies
have been recovere They are burned be-
yOnd rscogni tion. All OF the patients were
infirm and incurable. The bed-ridden ones
were rescued first and those who were able
to help themselves did not realizs their dan
ger, and they we're the ones who perished.
The attendants lost their personal effects,
and many narrowly escaped with theirl ives
one OF them having TO tie the bed clothes
together to escape. There were no facil-
ties for putting out the fire, State not hay
ing made any appropriation, The building
was new one, and cost about $40 900. II is
total wreck.
The following perished; Henry Brown, of
Rock Island; IA. W. Belden, Gslesburg;
George Bennett, Morris; Joseph Colbert
Chicsgo; 0rland Ellis, Pontiac; j. w. Gala
way, Macoupin; Thomas Hickey, Spring
field; Matthew Hague, Chebanse; T. Hack
ner, Stevenson County; Thomas Hereby,
Chicago; John Johnson, Vermillion;
Michael Jordan, Chicsgo; j. Nathan, Chi
cago; A. Runyard. WinDebsgo County: G.
SIotz, Chicago; J. w. Taylor, Chicago; p
| Weymouth, Putnam County. Thomas Here
| by was brother Of State Senator Hereby.
| The building was a twostory stone and
| brick, with stairways. 1t was completed last
August. 1t was used as an infirmary, with
| forty-fye insane inmates, twenty three on
| the hrst floor and twenty-five on the second.
Attendants Brown, Rose and wife were
| sleeping on the second floor Attendants
| Reid, Williams and Fireman Lsbarge slept
| On the first floor. The building was heated
| ~ hot.ar furnaces. 1t was twelve degrees
below .zeroswhen the watchman, named Cobb,
| discovered smoke issuing from the floor i'm
mediately above the furnaces. He awoke
| the attendants The smoke at once became
! drawn through the hot air hues and along
the balls and stairways to all parts OF the
| building
The fire spread SO rapidly that all efforts to
save the building in the absence of FIRE
alarm to summon help, and for want OF
| facilities TO quench the flames, were found
| to be in vain. Attendant M. A. Reid began
dragging and carrying out the patients.
| Many patients, clad In their night clothing
only, rushed from bitter cold air back in to
the building. Reid, at the risk of his own
|
| twenty-three patients were reecued, when
| be became exhausted and was carried
away. On the second floor Attendants
| Rose sDd wife heard the alarm and
escaped down the stairway Just before it fell.
Attendant Brown, sleeping on the same
| floor, was awakened oy the smoke, and at
| tempted to save a patient IN the adj Dining
room, bat failed, and sliding down by means
] of sheet from his window, jumped TO the
/ ground. superintendent r. s. Dewey
| reached the scene, and with ladders clini bed
to the second story windows, smashed the
windows, and was able to rescue same of the
| patients thereby. Almost all the patients
| refused to cooperate in the efforts being
made to save them, and were only rescue 4
by being dragged from the flames and fore .
bly, prevented from returning.
marvellous escape was that of an INNS ,
who fell with the second story, struck ,
burning debris above the furnace g.
bounded through the window TO the grour 1
| unin jured. The remains of the bodies of the
twelve PATIENTS have been taken from the
ruins. were burned to fragments, and were
orly TO be identified by the locatio IN in which
they were found. The dead thus identified,
with their ages and residences were st the
Coroner's inquest this afternoon.
Superintendent Dewey had asked the Leg
islature two years ago for s.. 500 to protect
these detached wards from fire; thst $1,000
was allowed, all of which was used in main
cient to answer the purpose. He suggested
that the floors above the hot air furnaces b'
changed 1T being shown it evidence tnstitwE
but four inches from the outside and ten
inches from the inside of the furnace to the
pine joists. He gave two reasons for the
great number of deaths: CD patients who
were almost all suffocated by smoke before
they could be reached; (2) the inability or
unwillingness of insane patients to try and
help themselves. The remains OF the bodies,
with one exception, did not aggregate each
but little more than q handful OF charrea
ashes. The entire remains of ten of the vic
tins were spread on q small "a BILE two feet
square.
Friends are arriving IN search of the los.
ones. The scenes on their arrival and the
view of the remains are necessarily very
heartrending. Telegrams are pouring in
from all parts OF the State, from parties ask
ing as TO the safety of their friends amo os
the inmates OF the hospital. The caroner's
jury, which adjourned until tomorrow
afternoon, is investigating as TO whether the
furnaces were defective The fact that there
is no general alarm between the various
buildings OF the hospital, or any system of
water works to protect life and property, ac-
counts largely for the verv large loss of life.
81. W. Bslden, aged fifty, of Galesburg,
one OF the victims, and the only one whose
remains preserved even the semblance of a
human bsirg, was prominent man ia his
section of the State. He was on the second
floor. and was an invalid that was unable 70
help himself superintendent Dewey made
an attempt to save him. and plsced ladder
| to his window. Dewey ascendsd IT, and
| brcke the 81 ass With his hauda Int b,ipp