The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-08
The Tongue Pointe Horror.

TONGUE PoINTE May 7.-Sister Threse d,
Jesus, superioress Of the burned asylum, places
the loss OF life at certainly twenty and possibly
fifty. Dr. Duguete, government medical in
spector places the loss of life at at least sixtv
de Is strongly opposed to the system of placing
lunatics under the care of the sisters, ana will
ask the government to place incurables and
furious lunatics in small institution where
tney can nave skilled treatment. The harmless
insane could, he said, be placed to greater adj
vantage under the oare of the sisters
The ruins OF the asylum were next visited.
notnlng but heaps OF smoking brick and mortar
were to be seen. No Vestige OF the dead could
be traced. In the rear of the asvIum
are stables where about one hundred men
patients were quartered last night
u s tne supervise OF the sisters and
four Montreal policemen. The scene is not one
10 De easily described and surely not one to be
easily forgotten. Lying on heaps of straw
slckly and feeble lunatics were to be seen
moaning, giober1ng, shrieking, twisting and
jumping 1t made one shudder to pass down
between the two large hay mows In which were
confined the worst cases, so fierce was the ex-
preston OF their countenance. In the laundry
are one hundred patients, mostly quiet whose
aid has been an advantage in putting things in
shape. Some Of them did most heroic work in
reSculng the unfortunateS from the flames One
OF the attendants said seven lay nuns persisted.
The loss financially Is placed as high as 81. 300
OOO; insurance, S3OO,O00 The procession of luna
tics taken up early this morning was in nro-
gress The whole length of the road was
crowded with vehicles.
As yet it is merely matter of speculation "a
to the number OF dead, but the general con-
sensus OF opinion is that it cannot be fewer than
one hundred, perhaps nearly dauble that The
onlysnameS of victims known are two Sisters
Gravel Sister Boutelier, Sister Lumine, Sister
Sacred Heart convent. The later patient was
in the violent ward The other patients names
are Mrs. Kelly, Montreal; Mrs. Williams. Halt
fax; Bridget Malone, Montreal; Miss Iatour-
nay Maisoneuve, Que; Miss F. Cullen and Miss
Therioult, of Montreal. Missing Victoria
Beaudry, Augustine Laroux. Camille March,
mont mo Delphine Archanboult, Marie st. Denis,
Eli St Louis and ChCreStine Demeis
AS full details of the Tongue Pointe ASYLUM
nre become known. the horror is intensified and
the sister is derided who asserts that the num-
Der of dead does not exceed sixty 1t is known
by the last report to the Quebec government
that there were 1,700 inmates instead OF
1900 and this much is certain, that
no one Will ever know the number of victims
From collateral information. there must be $50
dead. II enough material can be found an in
quest will be held. The firemen have left the
ground and the heat is dying out of the ruins.
An Associated Press reporter was on
the spot all day, his horse laundering
among the mud and ashes. A dis,
charged patient to-day affirmed that to
the progress the patients were making one
stereotyped answer was given without anv
restriction as to accuracy: Your friends
physical condition is excellent, but mentally
there is no Improvement 1t is now known
that many OF the wards were locked up. in case
where friends did not break in and whole
rooms full per1shed mlserabiy- The screams OF
the wretches yesterday was bad enough but
to-day there was a sadder spectacle in the weep
ing relatives seeking in vain for some tidings OF
some member OF their family. Men coming up
town tonight to dinner were startled by seeing
lunatic paradtng the streets rejoicing in his
freedom and menacing women till he was Sc
cured The paying patients Jared best. but the
great loss was among those confined in the
upper stories and those imprisoned in the dark
basement cells Fire Commissioner Perry char
acterizes the building as death trap and a dis
grace to a civilized country.
A startling report current tonight is thai a
large number of the male patients persisted in
the flames. All of the women, are thought to
havee scaped 1t is absolutely Impossible to
add any new names to the list of dead 1t viii
be weeks before the nuns will be able to give
any information.