Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-02-19

Tho AnBMne DPphrthbus DuHuTh :
Thirteen or More of the Inmates
DIe by Flame ard Smoke.
The insAne department Of the Ptiisde'-
phia ailnshouss wAs ALMOST totally d :
stroyed " fire Thursday ght, ard la 90
numbsr OF the INN aten burned TO death
sud suffooAted. Ths a mes were iifst
d discovered Nb ut O'Clock in the evening.
Miss Amststter, the mAiron Of the inPsue
department, wRs in her room on the lower
floor In the central part os the buildirs,
when an attendant FAu bfeathlessly III
and told her tile place WAS burning. She
hastily oalled Special 0ficers Hanna and
SHREDDER, who went to the rescue OF the
patients.
The department is in the southern por-
iiOn OF the Rlmshopse grounds. The main
building, north, is 400 fest in length and
has two wings so feet wide and ll6 feet
long. Eaoh OF these wings has an sddi-
tion 125 feet long. The western half and
wing OF the main building ere devoted to
women and the eastern part to men. All
the buildings are three stories high.
II was In the eastern wing that the hte
originated. The flames we're frst seen
In the drying room, ON the second hoor,
In the northeast corner From there
they extended upwards AVID dovnwsrds
When the two special fheers attempted
to enter the buFning portion o. the build
ing they were met with overpoweripg
voiumes OF suuka. Undism aged, they
orswled y, on their hal de- ami kuses ard
made their way to the third story. Here
they were altacet overcome, but pluokily
orept from door to door, unlocked them
and brought ont the terrified inmates.
The ward they we're iu oontsined 80 ir-
mstes. OF these they brought
out eight alive. They experienced
the utmost difficulty In this, as the
patients were in most cases iusensible,
snd had to bs carried ont. After res
ouicg these the brave officers again VEN
tured in, and sucoeeded in bringing out
six more, but all Of them were alrea1y
dead, having been suffocated by the
dense smoke which filed the ward. IL
was Impossible for the officers to reach
the rsmeininR is, who were lett to their
fate.
Meanwhile ftishtful shrieks rang out
ftc.n the b,ild 'ng, in which taere were
b84 patirptt The poor inssi = dashed
M ID v q ~ oil do)re, ard hndi. g no
way 20 efrsp. there, ran To The TindoWs,
brsAkiog the Rlass aud wildly bsasing the
iron hsrs which shut them 10. The oriea
. IN. nearly TOO ieople we,e terrible to
hear, and hirgllng with tae crack,ing
aud roar oi the flames, they hoAted out
into the night air ard straCk terror into
the breasts OF the $500 il macs In the
other departments Of tbs alDshonst
By the lims ,hs ewe arrived The
gAole corner Of she eastern ~iug had
portion Of the Enaiu bulliicg wstesh AZ
The inmates ID that part no lss
pressed against the bsrs, iUr thos- Rh
had not been SAVED were either EN- u ared
or burs sd and Tell hslpts ely back IN
their flaming and smoke filed cella. AL
the employees worked vi orOusly in skvini
those still confined. The task OF unlock
ing the doors OF the cells wss necessarily
slow, and some OF the demeptsd prisoners,
dss.d by the glare Of light, the amoke
and the excitement, obstinstely fought
their resousrs, under the impress
sion that they were being attacked. Others
rushed forth gladly as soon as their
prison doora flew open, bat were guided
out with difficulty.
Those In the wards for women were ell
brought out in safety tetore the flames
reached them, and We're taken to other
departments. The men 81 quickly as
Fesoued wefa sent to the doelors' ward
and to ward No. l.
The iremen worked heroioally, break
| ing in the iron barred windows with
their axes after sxit through the main
building was cut off, and plunging
through the forced windows to hand Gu:
tie bodies which they could reach, AID
most Of which we're thOSs OF inmates who
had slFesdy suoJumbsd TO suffcossion ard
| hsue. Again AMI again heroic firemen
b sved the peIils Of the fire to save life
or bfirs Gut dead hUdY.
By midnight l3 bodies mad been re-
covered. OF these only eight were reoos-
nizd. They were as follows; Jsmes
Burke, Thomas Jones john Koshler, John
aerrigues, Frsnblin Ds Dsshou, John
Lyder, James Brown, Charles Scott,
colored.
Superintendent Smith said that the
tui'dings were iesured, Int ths policies
wers locked up in the Seventh stfeet
ofIile Tas smouat of irsu 'snce could
not be given. As She tuilding was 81
years old, it's vLlus 10 thought to bs com
paratively small.