Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-07
HORRIBLE INDEED.
a HOLOCAUST OF INMATES OF AN IN
SANE ASYLUM.
The sights About the Building During tue
ConisgratloD-The JsbberinG anu
Frenzled Lnnatics-
,uv telegraph TO the Disratch.l

iTIv telegraph 20 the Disrat;hI
MoYrREAI. CAN. Nav g. The insane. asy,
lum at Tongue Pointe, nine miles ilc "d
here. caught fire al ii o'clock to-uLhy 1ne Of
at 2 WAS a mass Of flames with no hoPo a.
saving the bnilding from Destruction -
near as can be calculated from lQo 10 40 ~
the insane inmates were caught III w
huildinc with 70 chance for thelF 60
The asylum FIRE department was u"TYiH
Inadequate for the immense biaI'. -
sights in the grounds surroundih- ~
stitution are horrible beyond deSo Ilp,ia
Hundreds of luuatics. male and leihalei
are crouped together jabberng anu
in frcnzied condition. me nuns 81
making every effort to control them a M
allay their fears. and as rapidly ~ p,od 20
the poor creatures are beng Ieihu' A.
places Of shelter in the neighborhoop. ~
a few minutes past . o'clock detac hiiehe
Of the Montreal FIRE brigade arrived on VIC
scene. The excitement among tne -na.
tics in the grounds finally becafne ~ 49, 49,
that a detachment Of the Montreal Ut
force wos hurried out TO assist the guards.
There were 1909 persons IN the asy iu'"
when the fire broke ont.
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
LoxaUE Pon5TF. QrEBrc,. May G:-Ine
asylum was totally destroyed. NolllHs ~
mains standing but blackened wehs anu
chlmnevs. It contained 800 patients -,
rather prisoners, and LOO are acc9uhIeu
for. OF the remainder Q consiuelaap. w..
number escaped 10 the woods and bushes
and are scattered through the country.
What the number Of the dead Is j. purely
a matter Of conjecture and can never DC
ascertained, since no other record - ~.
than that in tho asylum book. and IL Is
also destroyed. Taking into consideration
the whole Of the evidence from hTemeu'
half-sanc inmates. the Sisters IN charge
bystanders. and personal observation IL Is
a conservative estimate to say that nun
drcd victims met their death, though some
assert that the number is double that
stated. and others place 1t below TINS
figure. However this fact remains tnht
no such calamity has fallen upon the ITO
vince Of Quebec since the earliest times.
The fremen were Of little use because
the only supply of water available we- IN
tanks and this was exhausted IN hiteeh
minutes. Tho FIRE originated in cup
board in tue wOmens quarters ana was
the work of patient. The plan and con;
struction Of the building shows the totai
disregard Of any kind Of precautlon against
fire. its plan insuring Its rapid destruction
once fire was started 1t was half q mile
from the river and nothing but tanks 10
depend on for water.
NOT A MALE PATIENT WAS LOST.
Among the women il was different. The
less hopeless cases were placed IN theloWer
wards and they were removed without
difficulty, but from the upper wards where
the violent patients were secured, there
came the widest screams as they resisted
the nuns who were Deseechlng them 10
make their escape. At the WINDOWS
maniac would be seen pecring through
o,,I oh tarfftp az fhp Hr1nnf
flames that went up to the sky. A. the
heat became more intense she would grasp
tho bars and remain there until the flames
cnyeloped her. The inhabitants had come
from all parts attracted by the blaze ana
in an hour the little village was one
surcing mass of shouting, vOclfe-
rating people. recOuntlng the strange
scenes they had beheld. When the firemen
found they were pOwerless to save the
building they turned their attention 10 the
inmates and burst in the doors with axes.
Inside Chief BenOit says it was sight
such as no fireman ever before Witnessed.
I'm ono ward that he entered were twenty
five patients. and at his appearance they
huddled together like pack OF beasts,
entwining their arms INTO one mass OF
humanity. He seized the nearest, hnt,
said the Chief, - could no more separate
fhe crowd than ] could the parts OF your
morse. lie AukhfA al iAt'AlA n4AtAt
darted into their garments and eniOlued
them like a shroud of flame, and then
he escaped with his life. In another
ward three fremen were nearly trapped 70
death. They entered door which had a
sprinq lock and which closed behind them.
As is customary there was no handle on
the inside. The door resisted Their axes
and they rushed to the windows, but were
driven back by the flames. The Chief,
suspecting their peril, sent AID TO, the
other side, and the men were carried down
on ladders. The engineer Of the building
did good work in saving nine patients; and
eyeTy fireman made "a record Of which he
NAV feel proud. On the first alarm the
engineer turned on the hose, but 1t was
utterly useless rs the fire leaped along the
ventilating shaft to the door and burned
in Il dozen places at once.
MELANCHOLY EVENT.
One of the tertiary nuns, Sister Marie,
Law sick in the intrmarv on the fifth floor
and to her rescue came three others. Ihey
seized their companion and bore her IN a
blanket to the staircase, but they were
met by sheet Of flame and all persisted.
None Of them were over twenty, years OF
age. and all came from parishes below Que
bee. The Sisters worked with the per-
| sistency Of heroincs. by turns implorng,
| beseeching, and commanding the patients
| and finally saving q very large number IN
view OF the inadequate means at hand.
A loud explosion was followed by the
crash of beams The interior was giving
wav. Wild faces sank from the windows
| and sbrieks of manlacs were lost IN tue
general uproar. One by one the walls top
| pled inward and the first blaze burst mp
! from the newly-added fuel that rose % the
| dark sky and shot its glare over the St.
Lawrence to the southern shore, and even
| tinged the crest of Mt. Royal, ten miles
distant. Then it died down into black
ness and nothing but few broken towers
remained bounding the seething mass of
metal and deJ1TS, under which are now the
ashes of hundreds Of the victims. by this
| time it was o'clock and growing dark and
very cold. The spring rains had con-
! verted the place into quaqmire and only
| the horsemen could get from place TO
place. The poor Sisters. most ot them
| Young and delicate, stood ankle deep III
mud securing and experimenting tho re-
moyal OF such furniture as had been saved.
| The patients wandered about aimlessly,
! clad in scant garments. When released
many of them leaped for JOY and bounded
| like deer across the fields to the woods.
/ Patients Of both sexes escaped, though a
/ Gordon of police was thrown around.
WIND AND WATER.