The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-19


| and, though man of light build dragged 140-
| pound patient through the window and bore him
safely to the ground.
The burned building was used as an infrmary,
many of the inmates being unable from sickness
| to walk. The only chance for obtaining water
was from the small washstand faucets not even
| fire buckets or barrels being on hand Night
watchman Cobb testified before the coroner's
| jury that he registered a report of his calls
every half hour. The register showed that he
visited the furnace room at $40, and found it all
right, and at 4:10 he discovered the fire. The
floor Immediately over the furnaces had fire.
Quently been noticed by the attendants sleeping
there to be uncomfortably not He also testified
| that the furnace was rooted by sheetiron, then
by two layers of brick laid in mortar with
space of but six inches between them and the
| pine.
Attendant r. c. Williams testified that, five
minutes after the fire was discovered, it was
| blazing through the floor. Once being reused he
ran outside and saw the fire was only visible
about and around the furnace
| Attendant j. c. Mcfarland outside night
watchman testified that he heard the cry OF
'fre!' reused the attendants of wards Nos.
| and g. and carried two ladders to the burning
building from the carpenter shop, one hundred
| yards away.
P. Skully, foreman for architect j. R. Willet,
of Chicago, who has charge of all the hospital
buildings, testified that he inspected the fur
| naces when they were completed, and was salts
| fed with them then; he had not inspected them
| and the pine timber. The hot-air conductors are
brick fues, with no wood about them; the hot air
| f1ues had fourinch walls, and the smoke-hues
eight-inch walls.
The coroners jury are well known citizens,
who promise careful consideration before render
ing verdict This is the first fire that ever oc-
! Cured at the hospital. The alarm was sounded
| in the city, but Kankakee has no fire depart
ment, and the hospital is half mile away so
no aid could reach there. The State does not
| insure its property but comparatively slight
| appropriation added to the present incomplete
/ facilities would furnish for the hospital adequate
/ defense against flames. An appropriation for
| that purpose has already been asked of the pres
ent Legislature
| The builders of the furnace in the burned
| building were the Ruttan Furnace Company, Of
| Decatur and Chicago.
Senator Hereby has reached Kankakee on
special train to the remains of his brother
The furnaces in the other recently completed
hospital detached wards are built in precisely the
same style. and at the same distance from the
| pine timbers as was the one in the building
| burned
THE BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS.
| The building burned was known as the Infirm
| airy South. 1t was located south and a little
west of the main building, 100 yards from the
southeast corner Of the collection of buildings,
and 1000 feet from the nearest detached ward.
The hospital buildings are arranged in almost
fronting the east, with two lateral wings; south
and west, and north of it, On streets laid out
square, are about twenty five buildings. Run
ming directly back from the main buildings GEN.
ter to the west portion of the square is an almost
continuous row of buildings, containing. the
kitchen, shop, engine-room boiler-rooM, laun-
| dry, coal-house, etc. Two main streets
run around the ends of the main buildings
! wings to the west side of the square, bordered
| on both sides by detached cottages The street
running along the west side of the square is
! partially bordered by cottages The space north
| of the row running from the main building to
| the west side of the block, and north of the
| street, contains two buildings. The bath
house and the amusement hail. the last
| named being furthest east of the two.
| The open space on the south side
| has one building the refrigerator The rail
road reaches into the middle of this square from
| the west The Kankakee river winds past the
| front of the main building, a quarter of mile
| away. Running northwest along the river banks
| are the gas-works and water towers. The main
I building, standing on knoll, is reached by two
drives, diverging, one running up and the other
and yards are half a mile south
east of the main buildings, beyond
lawns beautifully laid out The main building
| is about 500 feet long, and the wings 200 feet
long; from one street to another, measuring past
the main bui ilding, it is about 1,500 feet. The
square, from limit to limit north and south, is
| about 1000 feet; east and west 1000
| Trustee McCagg and Hospital Architect Will
| lett will reach Kankakee on special train about
midnight, to investigate the causes leading to
| the fire.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ARCHITECT.
| An Associated Press reporter interviewed
Architect Willett He said II see no reason
why the building should have been fred from
| the furnaces. They are, in my opinion
the very best furnaces made. Of course there is
danger of fire from any heat-radiating center,
whether it be by steam or hot air. l remember
| that there is another furnace located almost ex-
actly identically with this in another ward
| am talking merely from memory, and in des
| ultory way now; still do not believe that
| would recommend, at any rate not now that
the furnace be removed. Everything about
that furnace-room lis as dry as
powder. would think there would be mo re
liability of that fire being caused by the negli-
gence or carelessness of the employees than from
the furnace. A lighted cigar dropped
in places about there would readily
have started such confagration. have, as
yet, had no opportunity to investigate as to de-
tails but, am very loath to believe that the fire
started, as is the general impression,
from the furnaces being too close to
| inf1ammable timber You see. the pine was
six inches from the layers of brick, which are
| supposed to be the best non-conductors we have.
| Below the brick was sheet iron, and next, not
| the furnace proper, but the air-chamber, and
between the brick and pine was another air
chamber. From what l can learn. cannot
believe the fire originated from defects in the
| placing Of the furnaces They have always,
heretofore, given satisfaction, and believe the
| fire must have originated from other causes"
| Hospital Trustee McCagg, of Chicago, said: II
| have just reached the hospital and have had no
opportunity to investigate, in manner satisfac
| tory to myself, as to the cause / am not posted
except in very general way. / scarcely
feel that ! would be justified in express
| ing an opinion, as l have not been
able TO gather facts sufficient to enable me to
tell who, if anybody. is to blame" He refused
/ to talk further
| There is strong feeling among the people of
Kankakee that an investigation, thorough and