Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-19
Roasted ManiaCS.
An Insane Asylum Burned in
Philadelphia.
A Score or More of Inmates
Burned Alive.
Five Men Asphyxiated in a
Sewer in Chicago.
General News.
Terrible Fire-Nineteen Insane Per-
sons Burned to Death.

sons Burned to Death.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. pa fire
broke out In the insane department of
the county almsbouse at West PhIla-
delphia tonight. The flames spread
rapidly, and before the 300 inmates
could be released 10 Of them were
burned 10 death The others were let
roam around the grounds st will, and
many Of them were picked up by the
police throughout the city. The
buildings are still burning at II to-
night, and the other departments are
in great danger.
PHILADELPHIA Feb 12.-The fire
originated In a wing of the old build
ing which fronts toward the Schuyl-
kill river, and directly east Of the
main building was the alms-house.
The wing is las feet front and 60 feet
deep, and connected on the south
with the main building OF the old
structures of the insane department
which runs south 400 feet to similar
wing to the one in which the disaster
occurred. In this north building
where the fire broke out, there were
so separate cells for violent patients
30 on each floor. In addition TO this
was large room on each of the three
ia which cots for 10 men were placed,
all of which were occupied when the
fire broke out. On the second floor,
opposite the central cell, is a row of
separate cells on the north side of the
corridor, which runs from east to
west, was the dry room. heated by
steam. This room, which was about
10 feet square, was directly alongside
of the middle stairway leading to the
floors above and below. Here the
flames originated, but from what
cause is not now known. Al the time
there were insane patients IN each Of
the 20 cells on these three foors 10
IN the large room on the first floor,
and II in each of the large rooms on
the second and third floors.
From all accounts to be obtained it
appears pretty certain that the fire
alarm was given by an insane patient
on the first floor Of the main building.
This man, Joseph Nadine, occupied
the room adjoining the stairway and
drying room with about twenty other
quiet patients. About ten minutes
to eight o'clock he saw smoke issuing
from above the door which opened
INTO wing in which the cells were sit
uated. He ran to big iron door, front
ing on the main corridor of building
and cried out fire" This reached
the ears of Joseph Shredder, attendant
of the ground floor, who was in his
room directly opposite the one from
which Nadine had given the alarm.
Mrs. Umstead, who has general charge
at night, says it was about o'clock
when the alarm reached her. She
was in her office, about 200 feet
from the dEy-rCom, and at once
hurried to the scene. She says that
an attempt was made to put out the
flames with buckets of water, and at
first it was supposed the flames were
only burning from the gsound floor
near the stairway, but almost instant
ly it was found that the real point
from which the danger came was the
second floor at the top, and above the
dry room, She then hastened to get
all the patients from the main build
ing extending back from the east
wing.
Attendant Schroeder takes up the
thread of the story at this point, and
thus relates some of the horrors of the
dreadful night: Il do not know WHO
sounded the alarm. AS soon as |
heard Nadine cry | rushed to TIE foot
of the stairs, and after u short attempt
to check the fire, at once set to work
to get out the patients. First un-
locked the door of the room IN which
Nadine and his companions were.
They ran out at once By this time
the flames were gathering in fury and
dense volumes of smoke were ascend
ing into the upper story. l succeeded
IN unlocking the doors OF all the cells
on the first floor, and although with
difficulty in some cases, succeeded in
getting the inmates out. [ had no
time to look after them further than
to run them ia the yard for the flames
were getting so fierce it was almost
impossible to breathe IN the now
fiercely burning building. The smoke
in the upper stories was so thick that
breathing was impossible. While l
was getting the men out below the
attendant, VIM. Strain, was doing the
same for the inmates. On the second
floor ! met Hama, the night watch
man, who was also helping
and we went up to the third story,
but We're driven back by the flames,
which had forced their way through
and were creeping along to the cells
of the doomed inmates. We ran
around to the other stairway, near the
Rew buildings on the west, and by
that time some of the firemen had ar
rived. All the inmates had been got
ten out of the second story, so that
there remained about twenty eight on
the third, twenty in cells and eight ia
a large common room on the west
end.
1.-The unfortunate occupants of the
cells were being smothered to death
by smoke, and perhaps blistered and
burned by the flames. Their cries
were heart rending,, some of them
cursed and swore, others laughed
hideously. and others yelled with