The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-08
THE TONGUE POINTE FIRE.
Pitiful Scenes Among the Escaped Inmates
"A Few Names.

TONGUE POINTE, Quebec, May THE
Associated Press representative today
called at the scene of Yesterdays aSVlum
fire. Nothing buU heaps of smoking brick
and mortar could be seen. No vestige of
the dead can be traced. In the rear of the
asylum are stables where about 100 men
patients were uuartered last night under
the supervision Of the sisters and four
Montreal policemen. The scene Is not one
20 be easily described and surely not
10 be easily forgotten. Lying on
heaps of straw, sick and feeble
lunatlCs were moaning, gibbering, shrek
Tag. twisting and jumping There were
more sturdy Gues on the floor around
them. Ii made one shudder to pass down
between the TWO large hay mOws IN which
were confined the worst cases, so fierce
was the expression of their couutenances.
Il was remarkable to see the cOOlness with
which the good sisters soothed the raTing,
cheered the depressed and mlnlStered TO
the wants Of the sick
The laundry was the next place visited.
There are confined one hundred patients,
mostly quiet persons whose aid has been
taken advantage Of in putting things in
shape Al the door of the laundry
was John O'ECurEe. This man worked
with Cha greatest heroism and with
The AID of his brother James,
and William Higgins saved twelve women
from the dangerous ward, when all hope
q being able 10 snatch them from the
flames had been abandoned by other spec
tatorS- There We're four overlapping
veraldas on the south side of the build
Ing. Back of these were the rooms.
O'R0urke cut through the flooring of the
veJandas and ascended to the top one.
These veraudas are barred with iron and
resemble the cages of wild animals.
O'RourSe then passed the women,
suatched from the jaws of death,
through the hole in the floor,
10 his brother who IN turn passed them TO
Higgins and thus they were safely lowered
TO the ground. &r O'ROurke gives the
names OF four who were burned to death:
Mrs.. Kelly. OF Montreal: Mrs Williams.
of Halifax; Montreal woman known as
Bridget, whose surname was either Malone
or MaIoney. and Miss Letourney, of Mon
rueal- one of the attendants said that
seven lay nuns who uId work about the
institution persisted in the flames
The loss financially Is very great, being
placed "a high at $1,000 insurance,
S300,ol0 placed with the Royal of London,
which in tErn has subieJ this amount TO
eighteen other Canadian and American
companies.
Il Is yet merely a matter of speculation
as TO the exact number of dead but gen
cral cOncensus OF opinion Is that it can not
be fewer than 100 and perhaps nearly
double that amount. The only names of
the dead that can be procured up 10 this
time are the two Sisters Gravely. Sister
Boutelier, Sister Lumine, Sister Victoria
McNichols and Sister Lahaire of the Sa-
cred Heart convent. The latter was Il pa
tient in the violent ward. The only OF her
patient ; names Obtainablea are Mrs Kelley.
Montreal: Mrs Williams. Halifax: Bridget
Malone, Montreal and Miss Latournay
Maizouye. Quebec. While much sympathy
Is felt and expressed for the sisters their
methods of administration excite only
indignation. The Quebec government al
lowed them 81 for each patient and in the
seventeen years this has been granted they
have paid for thus far and all debts of the
community
Converts and places of refuge around
the asylum are crowded with anxious
seekers for lost friends and the nuns can
give no information. DIR. Duquet asserts
that the supposItiOn is not correct that all
the men were saved, as some periShed
These two names can be added 10 list of
dead; Miss Scullen and Miss Thiraulte.
of Montreal The following are missing:
Victoria B. Esudy. Augustine LorouX.
Camille Narchmont Delphine Archam-
bault, Marie 1t. Dennis, Ely St Louis