Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-07
BLAZING LIMBS
Waved BY Ianiacs DispeniDe
in Flames.
Fifty Of the Demented Creatures
Roasted in Their Cells.
Dying In Supreme Gles, md Rsilsins to
Be SaYed.
Sesnss Of Horror in 4 Quebec lnsan'
Asylum.
Heroic Rsscuing Of 3hoss That Were
ehamsiulIy Treated when Alive.

LosGuE PoIxr. Que, May 6.-The
Tongue Point lunatic asylum was burned
today, and probably 100 Eves we're lost.
The sights witnessed during the fire can
never be forgotten. What to the spec,a-
tors was q scene Of horror was to the lun.
atics moment Of supreme elee. and in
their delight they disported themselves in
the flames, and waved their blazing limbs
in turbulent satisfaction at the ruin about
them. There were incarcerafed In Long ue
Point 800 lunatics.
The asylum was prison more than q
hospital Not more than 100 are account
ed for. many escaped into the fields and
woods. &nd the number of dead can never
be ascertained, as no other record was kept
than the asy lum books which were destroy
ed. No such calamity has fallen upon the
province of Quebec since the earliest times.
Ever since Quebec was 4 province its man.
sgement of these most helpless creatures
has been its shame. They we're farmed
ou, to nuns at 500 head per year The
sisters aim was 10 keep them as frugslly AS
possible with the least possible outlay for
permanent works or repairs. While their
most urgent bodily wants were supplied no
attempt was made u systematic medical
Ire atment
The only Protestant insane asylum in the
province was irsugufaaed today. Hitherto
patients of all denoni61liens were Gro xded
together. but Protestan0 BY persistent per
sonal solicitations raised enough money to
found an institution of their own. For
years the government has been urged TO
redeem it's treatment of the insane. Last
summer the mother superior with body
guard was sent abroad with due solemniiy
to ascertain if anything apnld be learned
from similar institutions u Europe, but uo
to this morning she had evidently discov-
cred nothing that would be OF value to her.
Tongue Pointe 10 ten miles below Mont
real. The lunatic asylum was of brick,
600 feet long, running back from the river
On each side of the main building were
four " ings, six stories in height. The FIRE
was started BY patient in 4 cupboard In
the second ward, on the women's aide in
the upper story, and as ventilsting was car
ried on by longitudinal shaft connected
with the towers, the flames soon appeared
blazing up through the roof in the centre
of each tower.
At IL So telegram was received in
Montreal imploring assistance. One engine
and two reels we're quickly on the spot, and
in i've minutes exhausted the water supply
The only thing that could save the building
was the st. Lawrence river half mile dis
tant When the Associated Press reporter
arrived with the fremen the dome of ore
tower had JUST fallen.
Not male patient Was lost, but among
the women it was different. The less help
less were placed in the lower wards and
were removed without difficulty, but from
the upper wards, where the violent patients
were secured, came the widest screams as
they resisted the nuns beseechiug them to
make their es,ape. At the windows a
maniac would be seen peering through the
bars, grinning and jabbering at the bright
fame. As the heat became more intense
che would grasp the bars and remain there
until the flames enveloped her.
Fire Chief BenOit says that in one ward
he entered there were 25 patients. At his
approach they huddled together like a pack
OF beasts entwining their arms about each
other. He seized the nearest, but could not
separate them. He tugged at them until
the fire dsrted into their garments and en-
folded them and then he escaped. In an
other ward three fremen entered room
the door Of which had . )ring lock, and it
closed behind them. There was no handle
on the inside and the door resisted their
axes. They rushed to the Windows but
were driven back by the flames
One of the tertiary nuns, sister Marie,
lay sick in the infirmsry on the fifth floor,
and to her rescue came three others. They
seized their companion and bore her in a i
blanket to the staircase where they were
h,,- III Ill
None of them were over twenty years old
and all came from the parishes below Que
bee. The Sisters worked like heroines, |
saving q very large number of patients.
Whatever can be said of the management
10 q whole, individuals exercised every
power to lessen the calamity they had neg
lected to avert A loud explosion was fol- |
lowed By the crs.h of beams. The interior
was giving way. The wild faces sank from
the Windows, and the shrieks of the maDiacs
were lost in general uploar. The wal
toppled inward. A fierce blaze bur,t up
from the newly added fuel, then died down |
into darkness, and nothing but few broke
lowers remained By this time it was 6 |
clock, and growing dark and very cold.
Patie nts Of both sexes escaped.
The Montreal Exhib ton buildings were
placed at the disposal of the nuns of St.
Jeaa. Dedieu asylum. the name of the
bur aed institution, was built in ls74-76
The Sisters of Providence spent in found
my and organizing the institution 81 1872
l32 and it was insured by the government
Tor $500, 1000
The death roll is now estimated at so, al |
though many more are missit g. 1t is feared
seven tertiary nuns were burned to death.