Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-01-19
AWFUL FIRE IN A HOSPITAL.
SEvESTEEN or FoRTr.FfTE INSINE
PATIENTS BURNED TO DIITH
The Destruction of the Eastern nlinois Hospital
at Kankakcc--roor UntortuuatCS who
Were Unwilling To save Themselves.
Some Terrible scenes.

The South Infirmary fthc Illinois Eastern
hospital for the insane, at Kanknkcc was
burned sunday morning at i:2N o'clock. The
fire originated in the furnace room, and had
obtained q strong hcadwav before IL WIS dis
covered Tho woodwork Of the building,
being Of southern pine. burned very rapidly
The building was occupied bv tOyty-tiNc pa
tientS, six attendants and one night watch
man. Seventeen patients in all are missing
Thirteen bodies have already been recovered,
burned beyond recognition. All OF the pa
tents We're intirm and inCunhlc. The bod
ridden ones were rescued first and those
who were able to help themselves did not
realize the danger in time, and they were the
ones who reriShed. The attendants lost all
their personal effects and many narrowly CS-
capped with their lives, one of them having to
tie the bedClotheS together to escape from
window TO the ground. There were no IA
cilities for putting out the fire, the state not
having made any appropriation for the pur-
pose. The building was new one and cost
about $4,000 1t is total loss
The following are the names of those who
perished Henry Brown, Rock Island ; II.
w. Belden, Gaieshurg George Bennett,
Morris Joseph Colbert, Chicago; Orlando
Ellis, Pontiac; J. w. Galloway, Macoupin {;
Thomas Hickey, Springfield; Mathew
Hague, ChebanSec T. HatchnGr, Stevenson
county; Thomas Hereby, Chicago John
JOuU~Dll, NtEulllllOn Mitu1'l Jplldu'
Chicago; J. Nathan, Chicago \. Runyard,
Winnehago county c. StrotE, Chicago; j..
w. Tyler, Chicago; F. Weymouth. Putnam
county.
Thomas Hereby is the son Of State Senator
Hereby
The building destroyed was a two-storv
stone and brick structure, with no wood
about il except the floors and stalrwIyS. 1t
was complete last August GwCuty-three OF
the patients were on the first floor and twenty
fhA ,4t,
Rose, and the latter's wife were sleeping on
the second floor
SOME TERRIBLE SCENES.
Attendants Reed, Williams and Fireman
Laharge slept on the first floor The build
| ing was heated by hot-air furnaces. 1t was l2-
below zero when the watchman (Cohbl dis
| covered smoke issuing from the door imme-
| diately above the furnaces. He at once awoke
| the attendants. Smoke was drawn through
| the hot-air tlues and along the hall 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 tire-alarm "a
| summon help and for want of facilities tC
quench the flames, were found to be in vain.
| Attendant Reed began dragging and carving
| out patients. Many patients clad in night
clothes only rushed from the bitter cold all
| back into the building. Reed at the risk OF
| his own life, struggled on till twenty-ono OF
| the twenty-three patients on his floor were
NHtU nc al>tt'tl, anu WIS
| carried away. ON the second floor Attendant
| Rose and wife heard the alarm. and escaped
down the stairway Just before it fell. Attend
| ant Brown was awakened by the smoke. and
attempted to save patient in an adjoining
| room, but failed, and, sliding down by the
| aid Of q sheet from his window, jumped tC
| the ground. Superintendent r. :. Dewey
| reached the scene and with ladders Climbct
| TO the second story windows, smashed them
| and was able to rescue some of the patient,
| hV this Almost al tho rpfiIntS m
fused TO cooperate in the efforts being made
| to save them and were only rescued by being
| dragged from the flames and held from re
| turning. A marvellous escape was that of an
| inmate who fell with the second floor, strik,
| ing the burning debris above the furnace and
| bounded through window to the ground
| uniniured. The remains of the bodies OF
| twelve patients have been taken from the
| ruins burned to fragments, only to be identi-
| fed by the location in which they We're
| found.
| Patients UNWILLING TO SAVE THEN.
| SELVES.
| \ cOroner's inquest was held Sunday after.
| noon. Superintendent Dewey gave two rea<
ons for the great number of deaths First
the patients were almost all suffocated by
smoke before they could be reached; anC
| second, the inability or unwilingness of the
| insane patients TO try and help themselves
| The remains OF the bodies with one exception
| represented simply a handful of Charred
| ashes The entire remains of ten of the vic
| tins were spread on a small table two feet
| square The fact that there Is no general fire
| alarm between the various buildings of the
| hospital. or any system of water works 10
protect life and property there, accounts
| largely for the very large loss of life.
| H. w. Belden, aged 80, of Galesburg, Ind,
one OF the victims and tho only one whose
| remains preserved even the semblance of a
| human being, was a prominent man in his
section of the state He was on the second
| floor, was an invalid and was unable to help
himself Superintendent Dewey. aided by
an attendant, placed ladder TO his window,
and ascending it broke the glass with his
hands, but, being unable to break the sash,
descended for some implements to break 1t
with. Meantime Belden's shrieks for help
were loud and agonizing but a. Dewey re-
ascended his cries died away. The smoke
and flames poured from the window so that
no help could be given him. DIR. Dewey
hearing calls for help from another window
hurried to the rescue, and though a man OF
light build, dragged a lS0-pound patient
through the window and bore him safely to
the ground.
The only chance for obtaining water was
from the small wash-stand faucets, not even