Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-05-17
FEARFUL HOLOCAUST.
Burning of an Insane Asylum at
Tongue Pointe. Gan.
AZ Least Fifty Unfortunate Inmates Meet
Horrible Death-Maniaos Sbrouded
~ by Flames Laughing with Gles
Scenes of Horror surpass- 4
ing the Power of De-
L scription.


line of gaunt towers and a mass of blaz-
ing debris is all that is left of the Tongue
Pointe lunatic asylum, and the horrible
sights that were witnessed yesterday
during the destruction of the building
will never be forgotten by the specta-
tors, though to the lunatics it was time
of supreme glee; and in their delight
they disported themselves amid flames
and waved their arms in turbulent sat
isfaction at the ruin that was being
wrought. Not until the walls tumbled
over their heads were their maniacial
shouts silenced.
There were incarcerated in the asy-
lum !, 300 lunatics. The place was more
hike prison than hospital, and last
evening not more than LOO had been
accounted for, but many had escaped
into the fields and woods. The number
of dead is merely matter of con lecture
and is not likely to ever be ascert aimed,
since no other record is kept than the
asylum books, and these were destroyed
by the fire. Taking into consid Grafton
all the evidence from firemen, half sane
inmates, the sisters in charge, bystand-
ers and personal observation, it is con-
servative estimate to say that about
fifty victims met their death in the
flames, although some assert that the
number is 100. No such calamity has
fallen upon Quebec province in time out
of mind.
At five minutes before noon tele-
gram was received in Montreal implor-
ing assistance. The mayor at once or
dered engines to be sent. One engine
and two reels were soon started and they
were quickly on the spot. They might
as we'll have remained at home, for in
five minutes they had exhausted the
water supply. The fire started in the
second ward, on the women's side in the
upper story, and its spread was fastened
by longitudinal ventilation shafts con-
nected with the towers. The flames
soon appeared blazing up through the
roof in the center of each tower. When
the firemen arrived the dome of one
tower had just fallen and the flames
were bursting out everywhere.
Streams were laid on and while they
lasted some good was done, but that was
for very brief space and then the hor-
ror of the situation was revealed. Mean
time beds, furniture and utensils were
being thrown from windows and streams
of ill-clad men poured out of the eastern
wing, not one male patient being left.
Among the women it was different. The
less hopeless cases were treated in the
lower wards and these persons were re-
moved without difficulty, but from the
upper wards-where the violent pa
tients were confined-there came the
widest screams as the unfort tunates re-
sisted the efforts of the nuns in making
their escape. At the windows the mani
acs coalld be seen peering through the
bars, iabbering until they were en-
veloped in the flames and com PEELED to
release their hold and drop back in the
caldron.
When the firemen found they were
powerless to save the building they
turned their attention to the inmates
and burst in the doors with axes. Chief
Bennett says it was such sight as no
fireman ever before witnessed. In one
hall he entered there were twenty-five
patients, and at his approach they hud-
died and clasped themselves together
like pack of beasts. lie seized the
nearest, ''but," said the chief, II could
no more separate the crowd than could
separate the parts of one body" He
tugged at them until the fire darted
into their garments and embodied them
in shroud of flames. One of the nuns,
Seur Marie, had been asleep in the sick
infirmary on the fifth floor and to her
rescue hurried three others. They seized
their companion and bore her in a
blanket to the staircase, but there they
were met by sheet of flame and all
fourperished. Their names were: Marie,
Demoris, Egilbert and Lumiene. None
of them were over twenty years of age.
The ma Management of the pauper in
sane has been long standing cause of
shame to the province of Quebec. The
unfortunates have been farmed out to
nuns at 500 head per year, and the
aim seems to have been to keep them as
cheaply as possible and with the least
possible outlay for buildings or repairs.
While the most urgent bodily wants of
the patients have been supplied, no at
tempt has been made at systematic med
ical treatment. BY a curious coinci-
dence, the only Prote stant insane asy-
lum in the province was inaugurated
yesterday. Hitherto patients of all de-
nominations were treated toge ther, but
the Protestants raised enough money to
found an institution in which their own
patients might be cared for.
The st. Jean De Dieu asylum, COM
monty called Tongue Pointe, was estab-
lished in 1878. The building consisted
of the main edifce and four smaller
buildings connected by wings, and had
a frontage of $50 feet. The principal
building was six stories high; other por-
tions of the building five. The Sisters
of Providence spent in founding and Or
ganizing this institution 81, 1872, 900, of
which sum 100000 was spent in build
ing. The building was insured for
SSOc,Oo0 in the Royal Insurance Com
pany. This sum has been reinsured in
eighteen local companies in sums vary.
ing from $4,000 to $4,000.