The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-02-19
ANOTHER HORROR.
Thousands Witness Their Fellow-Men suf.
fering in the Burning Pile without the
Power to Save Them From Their
Terrible Fate,

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, February 12.-That
Part of the Fhiladelphia Alms-house and
Hospital set apart for the insane was
burned to the ground tonight. From
twenty-five to forty insane patients, most
of them in the violent department, per-
ished in the flames. There were 6S4 in
sane persons in the building, many Of
whom were rescued, almost suffocated
by the smoke. Only seven of the
bodies of those who perished were brought
out of the burning building. At
eigt O'Clock Mrs. Umsted, the head
nurse in the Department for the Insane,
discovered fire in the wall in Ward M.
which led from the first floor to the top of
the building. She called her women assist
ants and endeavored, with their help, to
put out the flames, as they appeared to be
of a trifling nature, by dashing upon them
buckets Of water. A few minutes work con-
vinced the women that this method of ex-
tinguishing the fire would prove ineffect-
ual. The watchmen from the different
buildings mustered with all possible
speed toward the burning building,
and turned on the hose. But the force Of
men soon saw that they could not succeed
in the combat with the flames, and an
alarm was sounded from the Twenty first
District Police Station. The order was
then given by superintendent SmlGh TO
remove the 6S4 unfortunates to place of
safety. By this time the smoke filled the
long corridors and penetrated every
iron-barred cell in the building, arousing
the patients to sense of danger they knew
not what. In very short time the cells
were unlocked, those of the patients who
were well were told to flee for their lives,
and the attendants began to remove the
sick. Scores of these wretched beings
nearly. suffocated by the smoke, which
grew denser every moment, were placed
in blankets and stretchers and carried
Many of the other insane, who had been
liberated from their dungeons in order to
give them a chance for their life, fed Wild
ly out of the building, and large number
swiftly as they could in all directions. Some
of those who ran off were clad in nothing
but their night clothing, and others had
only the additional covering of a blanket
on them. The fire burned fiercer
every moment. The entire upper
portion , of the southern end of
the insane department was mass of red
flames, and step by step the faithful nurses
and watchmen were driven back, forced to
leave many helpless creatures in the violent
crowd, attracted by the fire from all parts
of West Philadelphia, watched the efforts
of the firemen, and when the first man,
with dripping helmet and smoky garments,
appeared upon the head of the ladder
bearing in his arms a sick patient they
cheered again and again with mighty en-.
thusiasm that animated the men to in
creased exertions. The roar of the flames
sounded like the noise of Niagara as
they enveloped the doomed building;
but when the flames at last reached
the cells of the miserable wretches
| who had been left there came out
of the fire cries and wild shrieks for help
that chilled the blood of all who heard
| them, and rose above the roar of the des-
| troying element. Wall after wall of an
| guish told the fate of some poor creature
who was being burned to death in the hear
| ing Of thousands of spectators.