The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-11-30
IDAHO INSANE ASYLUM BURNED
Building Almost Entirely Destroyed
and Several Inmates Burned,

Boise Statesman.
The Territorial Insane Asylum
at Blackfoot. Bingham County
was destroyed by fire Sunday morn
ing before daylight. The first news
received concerning the catastrophe
was a telegram stating that the
asylum had burned, and that nc
lives had been lost.
A later dispatch from the Super
intendent was as follows:
BLAoKFooT, l. T., Nov. "a. 1889.
The Insane Asylum burned last
night. Fifty-seven patients were
saved; three patients known to
have persisted in the flames; five
others unaccounted for. They may
have persisted or escaped.
DR.. OWENS.
The Insane Asylum building only
cost the Territory $4,000, but the
contractor who erected it lost from
$4,000 to $4,000 on his contract, SO
the financial loss is about $4,000,
in addition to the human lives, as
$4,000 extra had spent in putting
up an addition to the original
building, and the furniture and
fixtures were worth nearly $4,000.
A new building can not be put up
without meeting of the Legisla-
ture to appropriate the money, SO
the patients who were rescued will
be sent to Salem, Oregon, where
they have one of the best equipped
and most handsome asylums in
the whole United States.
The following the missing, sup
posed to have persisted. Cora
Allen, Haley, Idaho; Keen of Gus
ter county, Idaho; Frank Smith,
residence unknown; Dora Mantle,
of Caldwell Idaho, missing; Han
sen and Kennedy, from North
Idaho, and Glenn, of Glenn's
Ferry, are missing.
James H. Hawley, Esq, of this
city was in Blalckfoot last Sunday
during the catastrophe by which SO
many human lives were lost and SO
much valua BILE property destroyed
by the devouring element, fire. He
left Blackfoot Monday forenoon,
and arrived home alongin the night.
He-gave the following details of the
disaster:
The fire started about 1.30 o'clock
Sunday morning, and burned with
frightful rapidity. 1t is thought to
have originated from a defective
fue. DR.. Givens, the Superinten-
dent who was sleeping in his
apartments in the Asylum build
ing, was hastily aroused, and at
once proceeded to do yeoman work
in the rescuing the inmates. The
Superintendent himself, and all his
assistants, went through the wards
and cells and released the patients.
Some of the worst of the patients
have to be strapped to their touches
to prevent them from doing harm
or damage to themselves or others.
These unfortunate ones had their
bands severed, and were permitted
to roam at large. The difficulty in
rescuing the inmates of the doomed |
building was increased and, in |
some instances rendered impossible |
from the fact that they acted like
horses, and made frantic efforts to
get back into the building, after
they had once been safely taken
put. One woman patient was par
ticularly affected in that way, and
several times attempted to return
10 her death, and was only pre-
vented from doing SO by the active
efforts of the guards. DR.. Givens
great heroism and brav-
cry by nobly rescuing the last
patient taken out-a women. The
lanes were burning fercely around
lin, yet he assembled ladder and
carried the heavy burden back with
linn, when it seemed scarcely
that the act coold be ac-
omplished.
Sheriff Wooden, of Bingham
odnty, brought all his irons, hand
uffs, ETC., to the scene; the patients
Tere ironed and allowed to roam,
4
oany of them going down to the