The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-23
ROASTED ALIVE.
Terrible Death i'm a Blazing In
sane Asylum.
Many Of the BedriddeI lnmat'Se
Burned to a Crisp, -

A Kankakee I'M dispatch says that the
south infrmary of the Illinois Eastern Hospi-
tai for the Insane was burned this morning
at 42j A. NJ The fire originated in tie fur
mace room and had obtained a strong head
way before it was discovered. The wood
work being OF Southern pine, it burned very
rapidly The building was occupied by forty
Eve patients, six attendants AL night
watt Imam. Seventeen patients in all are
missing. All of the patients were infirn and
ncurable.
The belridden ones were rescued first, and
those who were able to help them elves did not
realize the danger in time, and they persisted
The attendants narrowly escaped with their
lives. One of them had to tie bed clothes to
gether to escape from window to the ground
There were no facilities for putting out the
fire, the State not having made any appro-
priation for the purpose. The building was
new one and cost about 81 700. The fol
lowing are the names Of those who persisted:
Henry Brown, Rock Island; II. w. Belden,
Jsalesburg; George bennett Norris Joseph
Calbert, Chicago; Orlando Ellis, Pontiac; j.
W. Galloway Macoupin Thomas Hickey,
Springfield; Matthew Hague, Chebanse; T.
Hachner Stevenson county; Thomas Hereby,
Chicago; John johnson, Nermilion: Michael
jordan, Chicago; j. Nathan, Chicago A.
Runyard. Winnebago county; c. Strotz. Chi
cage; }. W. Tyler Chicago, and f. Wey-
mouth, Putnam county
1t was II degrees below zero when Watch
man Cobb discovered smoke issuing from the
floor above the furnaces. He at once awoke
the attendants. Smoke was drawn through
the hot flues and along the halls and stair
ways to all parts of the building. The fire
spread so rapidly that all efforts to save the
building were in vain Attendant Reid be
gan dragging and carrying out patients.
Many patients clad in night clothes only
rushed from the bitter cold air back into the
building.
Reid struggled on till twenty ono patients
were rescued, when he became exhausted,
and was carried away. On the second floor
attendant Rose and his wife heard the alarm
and escuped down the stairway Just before it
fell Attendant Brown, sleeping on the same
floor, was awakened by the smoke, and at
tempted to save a patient in an adjoinin z
| room. but failed, and sliding down by the
aid of n sheet from his window, Jumped to
the ground.
Superintendent r. S. Dewey. with ladders
climbed to the second-story windows, and
was able to rescue some of the patients by
this means Almost all the patients refused
to cooperate in the efforts being made to
save them, and were only rescued by being
dragged from the flames and held from re
turning. A marvellous escape was that of an
inmate who fell with the second floor, strik
ing the burning debris above the furnace and
bounding through a window to the ground
uninjured
The remains of the bodies of twelve pa
tients have been taken from the ruins burned
to fragments A coroners inquest was held
at which Superintendent Dewey testified that
he had asked the legislature two years ago
Tor S!,1OO, to protect these detached wards
from fire; that 81 600 was allowed, all of
which was used in mains and hydrants. He
gave two reasons for the great number of
deaths; first the patients were almost all
suiioCated by smoke before they could be
reached and second the insane were unable
or unwilling to help themselves.
The remains of the bodies with one excep-
ton were simply handfuls OF charred ashes
II. w. Beldon, aged fifty years, of Gales
1 burg, the only victim whose remains pre-
served even the semblance of a human being,
was a prominent man in his part of the
State He was on the second floor, was an
invalid, and was unable to help himself SUI
perintendent Dewey placed ladder to his
window and broke the glass with his hands but
being unable to break the sash descended
for some implement to break it with.
Meantime Be,den's shrieks for help
were loud and agonizing, but as Dewey re
assembled his cries died away The smoke
and flames poured from the window that
10 help could be given him.
DR. Dewey, hearing calls for help from an
other window, hurried to the rescue. and
dragged lsO-pound patient through the
window, and bore him safely to the ground.
Attendant Harry Brown who was sleep
ing on the upper floor, escaped by
tying his bed sheets together, let
ting himself out Of the window
ami dropping fifteen feet to the ground with
out receiving any injury. All the twenty
one inmates on the first floor, except two
We're saved. Patient Hague, who lost his
life on the second floor, refused to follow two
of his companions down n ladder, and an in
slant later disappeared from sight, overcome
by suffocation 1t is probable that all the
victims We're first made unconscious by sutfo.
cation.