Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-02-13
ALMSHOUsE BURNED.
OF THE BLOCK.
LEY INSANE DEPARTMENT-
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE.

tai, discovered fire on the first floor,
at the northern end of the insane wing.
The room In which the fire originated
is known as the Dry ing room, used for
the purpose of drying bedding, quilts,
ETC., and IN directly over the steam /
heating furnaces.
Every effort was made to put out the
fire with buckets of water, there being
no other means at hand of extinguish-
ing the flames, but the fire quickly |
grew beyond their control, ana made
its way up stairway at this end to the
upper floors.
other atte ndants gave a general alarm |
throughout the institution, and all the
employees hastened to the rescue of the /
inmates. The place where the fire
originated ID that occupied by the
males of the Insane Department, and
at the particular point noted the most
violent of the patients were kept, there
being about ninety inmates on each
one of the three floors. On each floor /
were placed about twenty cells for the l
safe confinement Of the most ungovern-
able.
When 1t was seen that the fire was
beyond control the Fire Department !
WAS notified, and while the nearest |
companies were on their way to the |
scene of the fire another alarm was
sent out, followed q few minutes after |
by third or general alarm.
Some Of the men availed themselves
of the fire escape in the rear of the
building, but others who did not com.
prehend fully the situation had to be
dragged from their beds and down the
staircase. In some instances the patients
1 han ta hat haAa nd h.,rf fx.A
themselves under the coverings. Be-
fore all hands could be got out although
every effort was made to save them, it
is believed that fifteen or twenty who
were confined in the cells on the third
floor, were snffocated. As a general
rule, however, the patients behaved
very well, considering that they were
reused from their sleep and forced out
scantily clothed into the yard, where
they were huddled together in the
cold night air.
The Insane Department building, at
the southern end OF which the lire broke
out, 10 about 400 feet long and about Az
feet deep, and In similar in size and
appearance to the three other large
buildings. the four forming parallelo-
gram, or hollow square, with the manu-
featuring departments, store house,
bakery, etc, In the centre of the square.
From the southern end of this large
building the flames crept slowly along
the upper floor and roof of the male
section. burning gradually downward
to the second floor.
Before the flames communicated with
this section of the building, or that
, north of the central portion occupied by
the females, the patientsin the different
rooms, mum bering in tn IL portion about
420, were got out safely by the attend
ants and employees. The men were do
cile and tractable, and when told to
make their exit by the staircases did SC
thus leaving the fire escapes free to the
women, who, in many cases, had to be
+ forced to make the descent. Upon
reaching the groundthey were distribu-
ted throughout the outwards, build.
ings and the hospital proper, where
4 they were made as comfortable az cir.
cumstances would permit, the occupant
!. of these buildings generously assist
ing.
There was sufficient number of
plugs on the grounds, but in consequence
of the scarcity of water alluded to
the engines were compelled every now
and then to stop pumping.
Among the fifteen or twenty victims
|. before referred to, up to II o'clock the
bodies of six OF seven were recovered
from the building where the fire began,
and where ali the loss of life occurred.
These, as broug It out by the firemen
clears bv the ,nu,,;tnJa tSst ouaed NIL
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wara 4 rnono ,hasa hroroht -. -. :.
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