Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-19
FIRE IN A MAD HOUSE.
Patients Roasted Alive in Illinois at
Dawn-Other Alarms Ofthe Day.

FIRE IN "A MAD HOUSE.
Patients Roasted Alive in Illinois at
Dawn-Other Alarms Ofthe Day.
KANKAKEE. ILL, Jan. 1S.-The South
infrmary of the Illinois Eastern Hospital
for the Insane burned this morning at
4:25 O'Clock. The fire originated in the
furnace room and had obtained strong
Roadway before it was discovered. The
wood work of the building being Of
Southern pine it burned very rapidly.
The building was occupied by forty-five
patients, six attendants and one night
Waterman. Seventeen patients in all are
missing. Thirteen bodies have already been
recovered, burned beyond recognition
All of the patients were infirm and in
durable. The bed-ridden ones were
rescued first, and those who were
able to help themselves did not
realize their danger in time, and they
were the ones VINO persisted. The attend
ants lost all their personal effects and
many narrowly escaped with their lives,
one of them having to tie bed clothes to-
gether to escape from a window to the
ground. There were no facilities for put
ting out the fire, the State not having made
any appropriations for the purpose. The
building was new, and cost about S16 000
1t is total loss. The following are the
names of those who persisted:
Henry Brown, of Rock Island; H. w.
Belden, of Galesburg; George Bennett, of
Morris; Joseph Colbert, of Chicago; Or
landO Ellis, of Pontiac; j. W. Galloway,
of MacOupin; Thomas Hickey, of SPRING
field; Matthew Hague, of Chebanse; T.
Hackner,. Of Stevenson county; Thomas
Hereby, of Chicago; John johnson, of Yer
million; Michael Jordan, of Chicago; j.
Nathan, of Chicago; A. Runyard, of Win
nehagO county; &. StrOts, of Chicago;
J. w. Tyler, of Chicago; F. Weymouth, of
Putnam county.
Thomas Hereby IS the brother of State
Senator Hereby.
DISCOVERY OF THE FLAMES.
The building destroyed was a two
story stone and brick structure, with no
wood work about it except the floors and
stalrWays. 1t was completed last
August. Twenty-three of the patients
were on the first floor, and TWENTY-FIVE
on the second. Attendants Brown. Rose.
and the latter's wife, were sleeping on
the second floor. Attendants Reid. Will
liams and fireman Labarge slept on the
first floor. The building was heated by
hot air furnaces. 1t was twelve degrees
discovered smoke issuing from the
floor Immediately above the furnace.
He at once awOke the attendants.
The smoke was drawn through the hot
air tlues 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, IN the absence of a fire
alarm to summon help and for want of
facilities to quench the flames, were found
N n nf
dragging and carrying out patients.
Many patients, clad in their night clothes
only, rushed from the bitter cold air back
into the building. Reid, at the risk of his
own life, struggled on till 81 of the 90
patients on his floor were rescued, when
he became exhausted and was carried
away. On the second floor Attendant
Rose and wife heard the alarm and es-
capped down the stairway just before it
fell.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPES.
Attendant Brown was awakened by the
smoke and attempted to save a patient in
an adjoining room, but failed, and sliding
down by the aid of a sheet from his win
dow jumped to the ground. Superintend-
ent X. 5. Dewey reached the scene, and
with ladders climbed to the second story
windows, smashed them ami was able to
rescue some of the patients by this means.
Almost all of the patients refused to CO.
operate in the efforts being made to save
them, and were only rescued by being
dragged from the flames and held from
returning. A marvellous escape was that
of an inmate who fell with the second
floor, striking the burning derbis over the
furnace and was bounded through a win
dow to the ground uninJured. The re-
mains of the bodies of u patients have
been taken from the ruins burned to frag-
ments, only to be identified by the location
in which they were found. The CorOner's
inquest was held this afternoon, at which
Superintendent Dewey testified that he
had asked the Legislature two years ago
for 81, 800 to protect these detached wards
from fire, and that 81 COO was allowed, all
of which was used in mains and hydrants
That amount was insufficient to answer
the purpose. He suggested that the floors
above the hOt-air furnaces be changed, it
being shown in the evidence that it was
only four inches from the outside and ten
inches from the inside of the furnace to a
pine jOist. He gave two reasons for the
great number of deaths-frst, the patients
were almost allsutfOcated by smoke before
they could be reached, and, second,
the inability or unwillingness of
themselves. The remains of the
bodies were, with one exception,
simply by a handful of
Charred ashes. The entire remains Of 10
victims were spread ON a small table two
feet square. Friends are arriving in
search of lost ones. The scenes on their
arrival and view of the charred remains
were very heart rending. kilograms are
pouring in from all parts of the State
from parties asking as to the safety of
their friends among the 1000 inmates of
the hospital. The COrOner's jury, which
until tomorrow afternoon, is
investigating as to whether the furnaces
were defective. The fact that there is no
general fire alarm between the various
buildings of the hospital or any system of
water works to protect life and property
there accounts largely for the very large
loss of life.
STORE BURNED AT BRUNsON.
BRUNsON, S. c., Jan. 18.-The store of
j. 2. LOvett, Jr., including the residence,
was consumed by fire at 1 o'clock this
Nothing was saved but life.
and that almost miraculOusly. The fire
is supposed to have been the work OF on
SUGAR REFINERY BURNED.
Boston, Jan. 1S.-AbOut 9 O'Clock to-
night fire broke out in the Bay State Sugar
Refinery and spread to the Standard Dive
destroyed. The loss is very heavy, but
the property is well insured. No figures
are Obtainable tonight.
FIRE ON A STEAMER.
BALTIMORE, Jan. 18.-The steamship
Benwell Tower, which sailed hence for
Liverpool yesterday, returned to-day with
her cargo on fire. She lies at Locust
Point, and the work of extinguishing the
fire is going on.
CHINESE TOWN DESTROYED.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1S.-The town of
HonghOa, near Hong Kong, China. has
been completely destroyed by an incen-
diary fire. Many lives were lost.
Cleveland's Temporary Residence.
ALBANY, n. Y, Jan. 1S.-President-
elect Cleveland has had several callers at
his temporary house on WiHett street to-
day, but none of national importance.
Mr.. Hall, Of the Democratic Committee
from Iowa, and Horace Hurlbut, receiver
OF the Chicago Times, were among them.
Mr.. Hurlbuts mission is said to have
been to induce the Presidentelect,
through promise of patronage, to aid the
Democrats in breaking the Illinois Legis-
lative deadlock. Ii such was the object
of his visit it has probably been unsuc-
cessful. Mr.. Cleveland will probably
visit New York for two or three DAYS early
in February, but with that exception be