The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-02-27
SIMPLY HORRIBLE.
Burning Of the Insane Ward ofthe
Philadelphia Hospital.
6ix Hundred and Eighty -four Patients
Hemmed In By Fire-Iieroic Efforts for
Their Rescac--A Large Number
burned In Their Cells.

IHIiADILIitlaf At*t Nt't ".t-
That portion Of the phIadelphia Aims
House and Hospital set apart for the in
sane, was burned to the ground to-
night. From twenty-five 70 forty insane
patients, most Of them In the violent de-
partmcnt, persisted in the flames. There
were Gs4 insane persons In the building
many OF whom were rescued almost suf-
located with smoke. Only seven OF the
bodies Of those who persisted were
brought out OF the burning building.
At eight O'Clock Mrs. Amsted, the head
nurse In the department for the insane,
discovered fire In the wall Ia ward N,
which led from the first floor to the topof
the building. she called her women
assistants and endeavored, with their
help, to put out the flames, as they APP
peared TO be of trfiing nature, by DASH
| Ing upon them buckets OF water A few
| minutes work convinced the women that
this method Of cxtinguishing the fire
would prove Intellectual The watchmen
from the different buildings mustered
with all possible speed toward the burn
ing building and turned on the hose. But
the force OF the stream was very feeble,
and the watchmen soon saw that they
could not succeed In the combat with the
flames, and an alarm was sounded from
the Twenty District Police Station
The order was then given by Supe rim
tendent Smith TO remove the 6S4 un-
fortunates to place Of safety. BY this
time the smoke filed the long corri-
doris, and penetrated every iron-barrcd
cell In the building, arousing
the patients to a sense Of danger Of they
knew not what.
In very short time the cells were un-
locked, those OF the patients who we've
well were told. to fee for their
lives. and the attendants began
70 remove the sick. Scores OF
these wretched beings, nearly suffocated
} by the smoke, which grew denser every
moment, were placed In blankets and
strefchers and carried to other build
ings In the grounds. Many I the other
insane who had been liberated from their
dungeons in order to give them
cislnce for their life, fed wildly
out OF the building and .
large number escaped from the ground
; and departed as swiftly as they were able
{ Of were clad in nothing but night cloth
{ ing, and others had only the additional
covering Of q blanket on them.
, The fire burned fercer every moment
!. The entire upper portion Of the southern
!, end of the insane department was mass
OF red flames, and step BY step the faith
ful nurses and watchmen were
driven back, forced to leave many
b helpless creatures in the violent ward In
i the third story to their terrible fate. An
immense crowd, attracted by the fire
!. from all parts OF West Philadel-
y phla, watched the EFFORTS OF the
firemen, and when the mrs,
\ man, with dripping helmet, and
: smoking garments appeared upon the
!. head Of the ladder, bearing In his arms
: sick patient, they cheered again and
= again with mighty enthusiasm that ami.
y mated the men to increased exertions.
The roar OF the flames sounded like the
noise Of Niagara, as they developed the
doomed building, but when they at las
reached the cells OF the miserable
wretches who had been left, there came
ont Of the fire cries and wild shrlekl
for help that chilled thu
blood OF all who heard them
!, and rose above the roar Of the destroying
: element. Wall after wall Of anguish told
the fate Of some poor creature who was
y being burned to death In the hearing 0
thousands of spectators.
The fire Is supposed to have originated
N from an ovcrheated stovepipc or defective
rs due. The number Of insane patients con
10 fined In this department was over 81
n hundred. Every effort was made =
remove the poor, helpless creatures
but 50 rapidly did the flame
spread that il was impossible TO &c
- them all out. In the confusion scores
I" az patients escaped from the grounds ant
found their way 70 the streets, and ar
nt now wandering through the city. A mum
Ge Der OF these have been captured by tn
TX police and are locked up Ia the variou
IN station houses.
:. 1880 A. MA telephone message Jus
n. received from West Philadelphia state
r. that II is now reported that sixty Of IN
wv insane inmates persisted.
10 II Is now believed that ut least half
II hundred souls have persisted Ia u
- flames.
II The fire Is now believed to be unde
~ control, and will be confined 70 the II
sane department
PnrrApKrPnIA, Pa, February Is, A
70 M.-The fre Is still burning, but unde
n control and will be confined to the Insan
- Department Of the Aims House. No mol
1 dead bodies have been taken out and
ls, will be impossible to tell the exact nun
~ Der that persisted until the fire has bee
1t extlncuished aud an examination Of u
nd ruins made.
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