Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-20

,cxrrisd out Aut'by she attendants, some
Of them being nearly sullscAted ~
smoke.
Attendant Reid succeeded in drag
ripr and carrying out twcpty-onc oil
she twcniy-three patiepts en- the hrst
floor. They were easier to manage
than those on the floor absye. Many
Of the unfortunate people had no cover.
ing but their thin night garments, and
on eneountering the terrible cold out
side rushed back again into the blazing
building and persisted in tho flames
AN HEROIC ATTENDANT.
Several times Attendant Reid was
nearly suifocated. lIeccntinued. hsw-
ever. 10 risk his life in saving the pa
TENTS under his care until, as above
stated. he had rescued twenty-one per-
sons. when he became exhausted and
fell fainting with his last burden at
the, entrance Of the building He was
removed 10 a residence some distance
away, and now lies very low from
exhaustion.
On the second floor Attendant Rose
and wife heard the alnrm, and escaped
down the stairway just before Il FELL
Attendant Brown was awakened by the
smoke, and attempted to save a patient
in an adjoining room, but failed, ana
sliding down by the aid Of sheet frem
his,window, jumped 20 the ground
Superintendent r. S. Dewey reached
the scene, and with ladders climbed to
the seeond-story windows, smashed
them, and was able TO rescue some OF
the patients by this means. Almost
all the patients refused to cooperate IN
the efforts being made to save them,
and were onlyrcscued by being dragged
from the flames and held from return
ing.
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE
was that of an inmate who fell with the
second floor, striking the burning
debris above the furnace, and bounded
through awindow to the ground below
un;njured. The bodies of the thirteen
patients taken from the ruins are burn
ed to fragments, and it will be difficult
TO recognize them. II. w. Beldcn,
aged fifty, of,Galesburg, ILL.,, one of the
victims, and the only one whose re-
mains possessed even the semblance OF
human being, was 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 a ladder to
his window, and, ascending it, broke
the glass with his hands; but being
unable to break the sash, descended for
some implement to break it with.
Meantime Belden's shrieks for help
were loud and agonizing, but as Dewey
reascended his cries died away. The
smoke and flames poured from the win
dow, so that no help could be given
him. DR.. Dewey, hearing calls for help
from another window, hurried to the
rescue, and, Thoughts man oflight build,
dragged lS0-pound patient through
the window and bore him safely to the
ground. The only chance for obtaining
water was from the small washstand
faucets. not even fire-buckets or barrels
being on hand.
A coroner's inquest was held this
afternoon, at which Superintendent
Dewey testified that he had asked the
Legislature two years ago for $4,000 to
protect these detached wards from fire;
that $1,000 was allowed, all Of which
was used in mains and hydrants; that
the amount was insufficient to answer
the purpose. He suggested that the
floors above the hot-air furnaces be
changed. it being shown il the evidence
that it was only four inches from the
outside and ten inches from the inside
of the furnace to the pine joists. He
gave two reasons for the great number
of deaths First, the patients were al
most all suffocated by smoke before
they could be reached; and, second,
the inability or unwillingness of some
of the sane patients TO try and
help themselves. The remains of
the bodies, with one exception, re-
presented simply handful of cbarred
ashes. The entire remains of ten of the
victims were spread on a small table
two feet square. Friends are arriving
in search of lost ones. The scenes OH
their arrival and view of the charred
remains were very heartrending. Tele-
grams are pouring in from all parts of
the State from parties asking as to the
safety of their friends among the 1900
inmates of the asylum. The coroner's
jury, which adjourned until tomorrow
afternoon, is investigatinga as to whether
the furnaces were defective. The fact
that there is no general fire-alarm be-
tween the various buildings Of the hos
pital, or any system Of water-works to
protect life and property there, accounts
largely for the very large loss of life.