Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-19
Seventeen Invalid Inmates OF an H.
linois Insane Asylum are Ore
mated Alive.
The Mindless Creatures, When Forced
Into the Freezing Atmosphere, Rush
Back Into the Flames.
The Bodies Of the Hapless Victims are
Reduced TO Little shapeloss
Heaps Of Ashes.
A Supposed Fire.Proof Building Burns
Like a rinder BOx--No Water, Nor
Even Fire Alarm at Hand.

kANEAlkEE, ll,L., Jan. iS,--The
louth iufirmRry OF the Illinois Eastern
hospital for the insane burned NJ 4:60
his morning. The lire originated in
The furnace room and secured a strong
Roadway before II was discovered The
OF the building being pine
il burned very rapidly. The building
was occupied by forty five patients, ak
one might Waterman.
Seventeen patients nTe m'sHing.
BODiFs HAVE nEEN RECON-
EREn
They are burned beyond recognition.
All OF the patients were inhrm and
incurable, The bedrldden ones were
rea ued first and those who were able
to help themselves did not realize the
danger and they We're the ones who
perlsned The attendants lost all their
personal etir cts ana many narrowly
escaped wi h their livta, one Of them
TO escape by a window. There were
no facilities
FOR PUTTING OUT TIRE FIRE,
the stale having made no "A lpropria-
tiOn. The building was new one
aud cost about seventy-Hlx thousand
dollars. II 10 n total wreck.
The following persisted by the
flames:
Henry Brown, Rock Island
s. IA. Webel, GAlesbuTg,
George Bennett, Morris.
Joseph Colbert, Chicago.
Orlando Ellie, Pontiac.
j. w. Galloway, Macoupin.
Thomas Hickey, Springfield.
Mathew Hogane, Chebanae.
-- ThaQhner, Stevenson county.
Thomas Hereby. Ohicego.
John Johnson, Nermillion.
Mick Jordan, Chicago,
j Noithan, Chicago.
A RunyWd. Winnebago county,
q. btrniE, Chicago.
j. w. Taylor, Chicago.
II w plymouth, Putnam county.
ThOs. n reby was the brother OF the
late Senator Hereby. The building
was two-etory stone anu brick with
no wood about Il except the lOors and
stairs. II was completed lest August.
II WAS used AZ an ibfirmary fer forty
| five Insane inmates, twentyethre0 be
| Ing on the first liDur and twenty-five
on the second floor. The attendants
| Brown, Ruse and his wife were sleep
|
ants Reid ana Williams and the fire
man, Lebert slept on the iiHt floor
The building was heated by "A hot air
furnace,
1T WAS TWELVE DE0RRRs BELOW
ZERO
when the watchmRn, named Cobb,
discovered smoke from lhe floor Inn
mediRtely above the furnace. He
AwOke the attendants. The smoke at
once became drawn through the hot
air flues and along the halls and stair
ways 10 all parts OF the building The
Gre spread so rapidly that all Efforts to
save the building, In the absence Of a
fire-Rlarm 10 summon help aud for
want OF facilities TO fight The flames,
were found In vain. w. A. Reid be-
gan dragging and conveying the pa
Ilents out. Many patienis. clad In
their night clothing only, rushed from
the bitter old air
BACK INTO THE BUILDING.
Attendant Reid, &c the rick Of hif
own life, struggled on until twenty OF
his twenty-four patients were reacuedi
when he became exhausted and wa
carried away.
On the second door attendant Rost
and his wife heard the alarm and es
capped just before the stair fell. At
lendsnt Brown, who WIS sleeping on
the Ranie door, was awakened by ths
smoke and attempted TO save the pa
tlents in the adjoining room, bu
failed; sliding down by meauB Of I
sheet from bis window, he jumped q
the ground Superintendent II. s
Dewey reached the scene aud will
ladders climbed 10 a Becond-atory
10 nr.auata1 Nha .f,trtAntts 1,
and was able to rescue some of the pH
tients thereby. Almost all the patient
refused 10 cooperate Ia the efforts
save them, and vert only rescued b,
being
DRAGGED PRoM THE FLAMES
aud fOrciblg prevented from returning
A marvellous escape WAS that 81 an n
mate who fell with tho second fiooi
struck the burning debris above Tia
furnace and bounded fhrou h q windol
10 the ground iInlI jured. The remain
Of the bodies Of ~ eve patients hay
been taken from the ruins, burned I
fragments, only 70 be Identified by "a
loca ion In which they were found
THE DEAD WE'RE THUS IDEETiFIKI
Q Their ages and residences were give
aJ the eOroner's inquest this evrninl
Superintendent Dewey said ntl the Il
quest that he had asked the legiAlhtul
tgo years ago for $500 10 protect the
detached wards from fire One thou
and doliars WIS allowed, all of whiC
was used 10 mains aud hydEanfs. III
amount was insufficient 10 answer Il
. purpose. The observation-disclosures su
gtsted that the floor above the hot q
furnace be changed, II being shown
his evidence that II was but four inch
from the oulside and ten inches fro
the inside OF the furnace 10 the pil
OIsts. He gave two reaaons for Il
great number OF deaths. Flfht, ther
tleniB were
ALMOST ALL huFFOcATaD
BY the .smGke before they cnuld