Morning journal and courier., 1890-05-07
FIRE IN AN ASYLUM. Over One Hundred Inmates
 Burned to. Death. A HURRICANE IN THE SOUTH. Several People Killed by
 Falling Houses. DR. LYMAN ABBOTT ON SOCIALISM. Senatorial Caucus of Silver
 Men Yesterday
BR. LYMAN ABBOTT ON SOCIALISM.
AN APPALLING CALAMITY.

Men YeSCeruay
 AN APPALLING CALAMITY. Over one Hundred Lunasics Believed to Have Perished In an Asylum-The Buildings Totally Ruined-Eleven Hundred Inmates Accounted fer out of 8 Total of Thirteen Hundred- Many Escape Into Fields and Woods. LoNaUE Po1NrE, Que, May 6.-The Longue Pointe lunatio asylum was burned to-day and probably one hundred lives were lost. A long line of gaunt towers and blaz. Ing debris are all that remain of the asylum. The sights witnessed during the fire can never be forgotten. What to the spectators was a scene of horror was to the lunatics of supreme glee, and in their de- light they disported themselves in the flames and waved their blazing limbs in turbulent satisfaction at the ruin that was about them, and not until the walls tumbled over their heads were their manioal screams silenced.
 There were incaracerated in Longue Pointe thirteen hundred lunaties, for that asylum was a prison moro than hospital and now not more than HOO are accounted for, but many escaped into the fields and woods and the dead are ashes amongst ashes. What the number of the dead is is purely matter of conjecture and can never be ascertained ,sinoe no other record is kept than that in the asy- lum books and 1t is also destroyed. Taking into consideration the whole of the evidence from the fremen, half-sane inmates, the sist- ters in charge, bystanders and personal ob- servations, 1t ts . conservative estimate to say that 100 victims met death, though some assert that the number is double that and others place it below this figure.
 MANAGEMENT OF THE INSANE.
 The fact remains, however, that no such calamity has fallen upon the province of Quebec since the earliest times. Ever since Quebec was province its management of these most helpless of all creatures has been it's shame. They have been farmed out to the nuns at $100 head per year, and the sisters' aim was to keep them as frugally az possible and with the least possible outlay for permanent works or repairs. While their most urgent bodily wants were supplied no attempt was made at systematic med ical treatment. By a curious coinci- dence the only Protestant insane asy- lum in the province was inaugurated to- day by its new superintendent. Hitherto patients of all denominations were crowded together and the Protestants, by persistent personal solicitations, raised enough money to found on institution of their own, in which their own patients are being cared for. For years the government has been urged to redeem its treatment of the insane, and last summer the mother superior with body guards was sent abroad with due solemnity to ascertain if anything could be learned from similar institutions in Europe, but up to this morning she had evidently discovered nothing that would be of value to her in the care of those enttusted to her.
 THE BUILDINGS.
 Ten miles below Montreal, on a point of land jutting into the river, is the village of Longue Point, where the famous lunatic asy- lum stood. The building was of brick and 600 feet long, running back from the river. On each side of the main building were four wings six stories in height To the east were the mems wards and to the west the women's, making sixty in all. In the rear were the engine house and the laundry and storerooms, all of which were saved. The fire was started by patient in a cupboard in the second ward on the women's side in the upper story, and as ventilation was carried on by longitudi' nal shaft connected with the towers the flames soon appeared blazing up through the roof in the center of each tower.
 THE WATER SUPPLY GAVE OUT.
 At 11:55 telegram was received in Mon- trsal saying that the asylum was on fire and imploring assistance. Mayor Grenler at once ordered engines to be dispatched. One en. zine and two reels started on their ten mile | run and were quickly on the spot, but they | might as we'll have remained at home, for ir | five minutes they exhausted the water sup. l nlv The np1v fhino that AouId fhS building was the St. Lawrence river itsel and 1t was half mile distant. When tn. Associated Press representative arrived witt the dremen the dome of one tower had jus | fallen and flames were bursting everywhere l Streams of water were brought to bear .an( some good was done, but that was for ver] brief space and then the horror of the situa ton was revealed.
 NOT MALE PATIENT LOST.
 As the heat increased statues fell iron their niches and then the habitants prostratet themselves, crying aloud that the saints ha, deserted them. Meantime beds, furniture an, utensils of every description were showere, from the windows and stream of ill clad mel
 poured out of the eastern wing. Not nal
 was different. The less hopeless cases wer
 placed in the lower wards, and they were re
 moved without diAioulty but from the uppe
 wards where the violent patients were secure
 there came the widest screams, as they re
 sisted the nuns who were beseeohing them t
 make their escape. At the windows mania
 would be seen peering through the bari
 grinning and jabbering at the bright fam
 that went up to the sky. As the heat be
 and remain their until the flames envelope