The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-05-08
Particulars OF the Holocaust
OF the Canadian Luna
tic Asylum.
The Lunatics Disport Themselves in
Glee at Sight Of the Furi-
Gus Flames.
A Conservative Estimate Places The
Number Of Dead at Over f0G)
LIN Detail.

| long limo Of Raunt towers - al pns
now sees Of the Tongue Pointe InAsfic
asylum, located ten miles from Mentesal,
and which. with many lisess was eonsumed
by the fIames. The NIGHTS wi<neHsot pc
fore this tragic scent ara such - cen nsser
be forgotten. Nothing eonld excsed Ahe
horror attending the terrible caanmst y,
oonsidsrssg lha number oil Victims, the
terrible stature of their sisAth and the man
ner in which the helpless victims ne
| csivea their fate What 70 spectaters
| xAs scene Of horror wss 10 the lnnatieA a
moment Of supreme elss. and In their DE-
| light shcy disperted themselves In abe
| flames and waved their blazi1g limbs in
| turbulent satisfaction at the ruin that vas
about them, and not until the walls
| fnmbled over their heads were their mazliA-
eel screams sileneed.
There we're incarcersted In LonRis
Pointe l,30o iunatirs, for that asylum wAs
\ pFison more than hospital, and now net
moro than l,i0o are accounted for. bui
many escaped into the fields and wood,
aud the dead are among the ashes. Whit
tns nnmber of dead Ia 10 purely matter "
conjecture and can never be asoertain<d,
since theirs was no other record kept thnh
| that In the asylum books, and they are o.
stroyed. Taking into consideration the
whole of the evidence from fremen. hal
insane inmates and the nsters IN charge
sag that 100 victims met their death,
though some assert the number Ia donble
that and others place II below this figure.
However, the fact remains that no suck
calamity has fallen upon the provinces of
/ Quebec since the earnest times. Ever
since Quebec was province les manage
ment of these most helpless Of creatures
has been It's shame. They. have been
faxIned out tc AHHs ~ @i0e nera r yuzr
and the sisters aim in . way to keep them
as frngally as possible.
From the construction Of the buiIding
there is doubt In some minds as TO whether
II was Intended for an asylum or blast
furnace Ia any case IL served the laftef
purpose admirably. II was constructed Of
brick and was 600 fsss long. running baok
from the river half the Distance. The
main building occupied the csnter and on
| each side extended four wings. six stories
In height.
The FIRE Started in n Cupboard
In the second ward on the womans side in
the upper story by careless patient, and
as ventilation was carried on BY a longi-
tudinal shaft connected with the towers,
the flames soon appearing through the roor
In the center OF each tower. telegram
was sent TO Montreal for aid, and an en-
gine and reals started af once. They
might as well have remained at home, for
In Eve minutes they exhausted the water
supply. The only thing that could save
the building was the st. Lawrence river,
| and II was half q mile distant. When the
| Associated Press reporter arrived with the
firemen, the dome Of ons tower had just
| fallen and the flames we're bursting out
everywhere.
As the beat increased the statues fell
/ from their inches 20 the ground and then
the habisants prostrated themselves, crying
aloud that the saints bad deserted them, in
decd. Beds, furniture and utensils of
every description were being showered from
| the windows, and stream Of ili-elad men
poured out of the eastern wing. Not a
| male patient was lost. Among the women
i II was different. The less hopeless cases
| were placed In the lower wards. and they
were removed without difficulty, but from
the upper wards, where the violent patients
were secnred, there came the widest
screams as they resisted the nuns who were
beseeching shem TO make their escape.
AT one window Q maniac could be seen
peering through the bars, grinning and
jabbsring at the bright flame that went up
TO the sky. As the heat became more in
tense she would grasp the bars and remain
there until the flames enveloped her.
The inhabitants had come from all parts
roundabout, attracted by the blaze. and an
hour later the little village was one surging
mass Of shouting, yociferating people.
When the hremen found they were
powsrless TO save the building they turned
their attention 10 the inmates and burst In
the doors with axes. Inside Chief Benoii
says IL was such sight as no fireman ever
before Witnessed. In one ward he entered
there we're twenty-five patients, and at hii
approach they hnddIed togsther like 3 pacl
Of beasts, entwininR their arms into ons
mass of humanity. He seized the nearest
-But, said the chief, Il could no NOR.
separate the crowd than could the parts
or your horse.
He tuQged az them until the Are darted
into their garments and
Enfeiaea Thsm Liks . shroad OF Kaame
aud then he escaped with his life. In an.
other ward three hremen we're neariy
trapped to death. They entered, and tn
door, which had spring lock, closed be
hind them. As IN customary there was n.
handle on the inside. The door resiste.
their axes and they rushed TO the windows
but we're driven back by the flames. Tn
chief, suspecting thsirps sent aid TO th
ether side and the men we're carried dow
on ladders.
The engineer Of the building did 300
work, saving nine patients, and every fire
man made a record OF which ne may fss
proud. On the. FIRST alarm the engines
turned on the hose. but Il vas utterly uss
> less. % the flre lesped along The ventilai
) ing shaft 10 the towers and burned in
|: dozen places At once.
One Of the tertiary nnns, scsur Mari.