The Delta independent., 1890-05-13
A TERRIBLE FIRE.
A Canadian Insane Asylum Burned and
Many Lives Lost.

4
TONGUE PoISTE, Quebec, May g.
The insane asylum at Tongue Pointe,
which is ten miles from Montreal, burned
last night. The building was constructed
Of brick and was COO feet long, running
back from the river half the distance. The
| main building occupied the center, and on
each side extended four wings, six stories
| in height. The fire to-day was started in
n, cupboard in the second ward, on the
woman's side, in the upper story by care
less patient, and, as ventilation was car
ried on by ionitudinal shaft connected
! with the towers, flames soon appeared
blazing through the roof in the center of
| each tower.
A telegram was sent to Montreal for aid
| and engines and reels started at once.
They might as well have remained at
home, for in five minutes they exhausted
| the water supply. The only thing that
| could save the building was the st. Law
| renee River, and it was half mile distant.
When the firemen found that they were
powerless 10 save the building they turned
| their attention 10 the inmates and burst in
doors with axes.
Inside, Chief Benoit says, was such c
sight as no fireman ever before witnessed.
| In ore ward he entered were twenty-five
patients and at his approach they huddled
| together like pack Of beasts entwinins
| their arms into one mass Of humanity. He
seized the nearest but, says the chief, 81
| could no more separate the crowd than L
| could the parts of your horse" He tugged
| ut them until the fire Garted into their
garments aud enfolded them like shroud
Of tiamc, and then he escaped with his
| own life.
II is thought that not q male patient was
| lost Among the women it was different
Tho less hopeless cases were placed in the
lower wards and they were removed with
out difficulty, but from upper wards, where
violent patients were secured, there came
| the widest screams as they resisted the
nuns, who were besesching them TO make
their escape. At the window maniac
would be seen poering through the bars,
| grinning and iabbering At the bright name
that went up 10 the sky. As tho heat be-
came more intense she would grasp the
bars and remain there until the flames en-
yclopcd her
One Of the Tertiary nuns, Sister Marie
lay sick In the iufrmary on the fifth floor,
and to her rescue came three others, Dem
| ercse, Gilbert and Lumienc They seized
their companion and bore her in u blanket
| to the staircase, but they were met by
shcc; of flame and all persisted. None OF
them were over 20 years OF age. The sis
tcrs worked with the persistence OF hero
ines, by turns imploring, beseeching and
commanding the patients To leave the
| building.
The closest estimate that can be made
at this time places the number Of lives lost
ai fifty.
A new dread has come upon the inhab-
itants from the presence OF so many es-
capped lGnatics, and they viii count them
selves fortunate II they are not visited by
a series of such crimes rs only madmen
can devise.
The Sisters of Providence spent in
founding and organizing this institution
| 81, ls2, lsi9, of which $4,000 was spent on
tho buildings Tho buildings were in
surcd by the government for sSoo,occ.
| With the exception of the medical depart
mcnt, consisting of the doctors, the sisters
retained complete control Of all the de-
| partmcuts.
Premier Mercicr has placed tho Mon
ircal exhibition building at the disposal nf
the nuns and to- morrow the building will
| he stocked with provisions. The strangcst
wonder 10 the tiremen is that such an alb
soncc of fire fighting facilities could exist
| Although tho appliances were there they
were utterly useless. The institution had
an excellent engine, ten good pumps and
new boilers, but no connection between
the pumps and the boilers.