The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-01-23
The FIRE AT KANKAKEE, I'LL.
Destruction of Wing of the Eastern Iui-
nOis Insane Asylum-,lIany Inmates
Burned to Death.

Destruction OF a Wing of the Eastern Iui-
nOis Insane Asylum-5Iany Inmates
Burned to Death.
KANKAKEE, H., Jan. 19.-At 4:SO
o'clock yesterday morning the south in
frmary, a detached ward of the Eastern IL
lin0iS Hospital fer the Insane, was discov-
cred TO be on fire. The flames isniting in
the furnace-rOom had get good start be-
fore they were noticed. The woodwork of
the building being of Southern pine burned
very rapidly, The building was occupied
by fOrty-iiye patients six attendants
and one night-watchman. Seven
teen patients are missing; thir-
teen bodies have been rec Overed. They
are burned beyond recognition. All of the
patients were infirm and incurable. The
bed-Tidden ones were rescued first and
those who were able to help themselves did
not realize the danger, and were the ones
who persisted. The attendants lost all their
personal effects, and many narrowly eS-
capped. There were no facilities for putting
out the fire, the State not having made any
appropriation for that purpose. The fol-
lowing persisted.
Henry Brown, Rock Island; II. w. Belden,
GaleSburg; George Bennett, Morris; Joseph
Colbert Chicago; Orlando Ellis, Pontiac; j.
w. Galloway, Macoupin; Thomas Hickey,
Springfield; Matthew Hague, Chebance; T.
Hachner, Stephenson County; Thomas Here
ley, Chicago; John johnson, VeTmilhon;
Michael Jordan, Chicago; j. Nathan, ChiCagO;
A. Runyard, WinnebagO County; c. StrOtZ,
Chicago; j. W. Tyler, Chicago; Il. Weymouth,
Putnam County.
The building was two-story stone and
brick, with no wood about it except the
floors and stairways. 1t was completed
last August at cost of $25, coo. 1t was
heated by hOt-air furnaces. When the
flames broke out Attendants Brown and
Ross and wife were sleeping ON the
second floor, and Attendants Reid and
Williams and Fireman La Barge on the
first floor. 1t was II degrees below zero
when the Waterman discovered smoke issu-
ing from the floor Immediately above the
furnace. He awoke the attendants. The
smoke at once was drawn through the hot
air fiues and along the halls and stairwayS
to all parts of the building. The fire spread
so rapidly that all efforts TO save the build
ing i'll the absence of a fire alarm to sum-
mon help, and for want of facilities to
Quench the flames, were in vain.
Atteneant w. A. Reid began dragging
and carrying out patients as soon as the
alarm was given. Many of the patients,
clad in their night clothing only, rushed
from the bitter cold air back into the build
ing. Reid, at the risk of his own life,
struggled on until twenty-One of the twenty
three patients in his department were res
cued, when he became exhausted and was
carried to bed.
On the second floor Attendants Rose and
wife heard the alarm and escaped down the
stairway just before it fell. Attendant
Brown, sleeping on the same floor was
awakened by the smoke and attempted to
save patient in an adjoining room and
failed, and, sliding down sheet from his
window, jumped to the ground.
Superintendent r. S. Dewey reached the
scene, and with ladders climbed to the sec
ond story windows, smashed the windows,
and was able to rescue several patients
thereby. Almost all the patients refused to
cooperate 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, struck the burning debris above the
furnace and bounded through a window to
the ground uninjured.
The remains of the bodies of twelve pa
TENTS have been taken from the ruins,
burned to fragments. They can be identi-
fled only by the location in which they were
found. The bodies of the dead thus identi-
fed were at the c0roners inquest yesterday
afternoon.
Night Waterman Cobbs, who discovered
the flames, testified that he registered a re-
port of his calls every half hour. The reg
lister showed he visited the fuInace-rO0m at
$40 o'clock and found it all right. At4:10
o'clock he discovered the fire. The floor
Immediately above the furnace had been
frequently noticed by the attendants sleep
ing there to be uncomfOrtably hot The
furnace was rooted by sheetirOn two layers
of brick laid in mortar, with a space of but
six inches between them and the pine jOists.
The remains of the bodies, with one e.
ceptiOn, did not aggregate each sufi-
cient quantity of charred fragments to fill
mans hat. The entire remains of ten
were spread on a small table two feet square.