Milford chronicle., 1885-02-20
NEWS NOTES.
Happenings of Interest to All,
At Home and Abroad.
BURNED IN THEIR CELLS.
rrishuul Death OF Man, Insnne PnHper..

BURNED IN THEIR CELLS.
/
FriRhtiul Death OF Many Insane PRHpers.
A large number Of poor lunatics perished In
the insane department OF the Philadelphia
| Almshouse, which was completely destroyed by
/ fire. The buildings burned contained 676
crazy men, women and children, The fire
was under full headway before an alarm was
/ sounded, and after the Fire Depart
ment arrived there was great difficult
ty in fighting it, on account OF an utterly inad-
eQuate supply Of water. There was no fire
/ alarm at the almshOuse, and the attendants on
duty when the fire broke out were so busy en-
deaYoring to save the inmates that an alarm
was not sounded until half an hour after the
fire was discovered.
The fire was discovered about 8 O'Clock in
room used for drying clothes. The flames
shot up in AN open space surrounding small
stairway and very quickly broke through the
roof. When the fremen arrived they found
only six flre-plugs, and these were so small
that the first streams did not reach the fire.
They, however, fought their way up the IRE
choktd stsircase aud along the caves, and at
last got where they could do some effective
work.
Nearly all the lives were lost in the imme-
diate neighborhood Of the stairway at the foot
Of which the fire started. No lives were lost
among occupants Of the first floor, and not
more than half q dozen Of those on the second.
But few Of the inmates Of the rooms and cells
on the third floor near the junction Of the
buildings escaped.
In the ward where the fire originated there
we're twenty cells, all containing either violent
or harmless maniacs. There were no FIRE es-
capes. and even if there had been the result
could not have been avoided as the cells were
locked for the night While the flames
spread from one joist to another an
effort 10 barst open the cell doors was
made without avail. Amid the yells Of the ter
ror-. trcken and helpless idiots, the attempt TO
rescue them from the inside was abandoned,
and the firemen Of a truck and ladder company
mounted the walls on the outside. The heat was
intense, the flames in some instances breaking
the windows, but the heroic Tescuers did
not falter Manfully they worked until they
had forced an entrance into the cells. The
scene that met their gaze was terrible one.
In eight of the little apartments the inmates
were either burned to death or suifOcated. In
six others the patients we're found almost life
les. The injured were carried down the long
ladders and the bodies Of the dead were re-
moved.
While this work was in progress and while
steady streams of water we're poured upon the
burning building. a diligent search was made
for the five persons known to be in the locked
cells. They were burned.
One of the first to enter the burning build
ing was a fireman living in The vicinity. He
says the scene was appalling. Men and women
in the wards adjoining the Inflated one who
were not locked in their cells, were running
mady about appealing TO be rescued. In some
instances they could not be induced to fly to
the only safe means Of egress-the doors, and
had to be Pg5sfoda aud dhy Tpsin d5@e tr sS
noo,isu nroccss" mills are located on Mr.
at waterpower at Saint Anthony's Fans l the use
neis. rs experience in the manqt9e- .o"-'.:,''
e,,,,- b. ho savs. were the worst to manage
I'll tbe men were in a great majority Vi
| Eases disposed to resist Imam
c@Heo N-'F NIGHT OF HORROR ~
,....,,,0+ Stroeder tins relates some OF the
tc,.rors of Inc dreadful night II DO n0t s AuoS
| IT, so,nded the alarm AS soon as Aetlie'
N-5;,o's crv rushed TO the foot OF tile 9VatI
- ond after n short attempt to chech ,!le
Gre At once set to work to get out the cI
Firat unlocked the door OF the room III ~
NOdine and his companions Weiei ao,,1es were
ont at once. Ry this time the hanlss -,
~ au, ,e,ing in fury, and dense Nolulle'
5S e-,,,i-e were ascending into the upper ~
~, 7 encceeded in unlocking the dooIs vi - -
| tbe cells on the first floor, and altuoH6Ii -;
dificultv in some cases, IN gettll5 az ~. tben
mates out had no time 70 l1oA .1l,or9 al gor tb
further than to run them mo llie Alui ~ i,cs
ao,ee we're getting so fierce that u was SINS @
ii.,,ssillo To breathe in the now herceiy n.i
i.iiP ~. i,,fding The smoke in the upper sto,io y
was no thick that breathing was lhlPoSSiN4''
J sMorHERED To DEATH.
oThe unfortunate occupants oi the ils ceilo W., an
,,eing smothered to death by me sLloAG 49, q"
oorbsns blistered and burned py tue H'lio NJ
nv cries were heartrending. some ol llle
,Hsal and syore. others laughed mdeously ~
- others velled with pain, with such aWIuI ~, VI.
3 os rro,ld have appalled, the haTdest neal .
The fremen. myself and pa'ie
{ whose name was Rafferty, cIa"leu W ~ ,
. hands and knees to such Of the nieH 1T 40
/, a@,,lJ raoch and dragged ont fourteen elbnU
3'o., aiiyo fonr suffocated to death snd TWO
+, tnrribiv burned that they died before we Sou
~ ,-ot tben ont of the building. we coulu l. L
= ~ s,,v 81 the men in the cells, ot cojise,
"a oo,iJ boar their horrible cries above the u Loa m
inc of the flames as they came 10 IeSli1' ''''''
horrible fate was in store lot lneli'
SAD INCIDENTS.
1,.D-or,ora was found with his face
the floor, where stratum oL p'iio 10 in the
H. H. was Dassed hurriedly ont ana IN uie NC
c'tsment escaped, gaining exit 10 tle 1,;,'j sSIJ
W, -, tIe gateway as a hose wagon was ~
Of ig.o t,e ward. He will be remempeIeo as aS
Of man Who threatened to hlll James u -
RAJ ebortIy after Guiteaus shOouIlS VI - L.,
lmul m He is n dangerous person .toT,.ll,or,ed ~
lay and the police have teleBIHliitDN ~. 7
lily 551scrintion TO every district in the CITY.
at 49, a5c,,eble 20 hope that al the Panehu
cks ,iis mart of the building were ie4easoN.
zen tLe dodge " back Of the main SUI E, ".
set onte bysterical women were Gagged, tAe SUI
an --sra nnearthly. Many gentlemen "no ~
,stbered in the yard volunteered 70 ~
leW 9,,o;, rescue. The physicians III enaI 5
! at tLer, we're helpless to save them unalueu'
an SaecI tbe walled enclosures beyond the SUI so
d 1t ,,oste,.n line of the main building u Wae n'
ned w., to mass through the lower transverse
heir oF +be burning edifice This was cor S,g3
ling 80, "a or moro volunteers, and the shrles
wen Sro,tic women were carried by shee5
II to tt,ougb the smoke and shower OF ciuIei I !
scue siaoos ~ safety. When there they hau
ack- t,niJ bv other people to prevent them
ours r,,sbing back into the flaming house.
was Soine Of these scenes were pltlinl anu anu
o,0neb for a page of Dantes .lhIelilo. ~
the slioN9 97Saentlv asserted by DR.. heharusol
they tt,o-s fbat an were saved from thaU plaS'
N al Too.voIess nauper. who harbored tine QSl'
ught Ilat 6e was Jesus Chis', lived by eunel
c in- small bui ding between the man @ SUI =, "a
pre- ID ,S tbe bvst .rical ward. He cannot Dc Il
,-,, and il is feared he is dead -,
shait Figbteen bodies we're found IN the
ly 10 T,,oy were horribly disfgured, some OF
@ @ele; being burned to crisp. Inc IllllshoH1 ~,
count I,nri,iss are convinced that these elg
pro- burned and suffocated manlacs, al 1L
I'd by ooa,,Tied cells on the third floor OF the
mme- ~, are all that peri-hed, and all Of the
nshts eee inmates were rescued, and are now
5;.I lne todv in the other department 19l9ihs''
e ma SLAIN BY AN E-AE
alton. -, T0.-..,.,,, ,Fon0l
.ls for Ten Men hhled nn1 lI..' N'
ghtful Co"l "
as one 80, or-a.5ar morning the