Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-08
,spro,A,, TELEGRAM TO THE p1spArcn.l

Government is aiding the distressed inmates,
and will assist in rebuilding the institution.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcnl
MONTREAL, May 7.-Thousands of peo-
country to-day visited the scene Of the
frightful holocaust at Tongue Point. All
that remains to-day of the great insane
asylum is a mass of blackened ruins, with
eight tall chimneys standing like solitary
sentinels amid the devastation. Over the
great grounds are scattered the effects of the
institution. The walls that were left stand
ing last night fell in to-day, and now only
a heap of debris remains. beneath which is
buried the remains of at least go human
beings.
The Sisters who we're in charge of the in
stitution say that it is utterly impossible to
say how many perished in the flames.
Sister Theresa, the Lady Superior, admits
that at least 81 have been burned to death,
but DR.. Duquet, the Government In
spector, says that 100 will be nearer the
figure. They were 1000 inmates in the in
sane asylum, and when the fire started they
rushed out indiscriminately. Hundreds
eluded the keepers and escaped to the city
and surrounding country. A number Of
these have since been captured, but many
are still at large.
sHELTERING THE RESCUED.
The rescued are scattered throughout the
various Roman Catholic institutions of the
CITY. The women have been placed in the
~ I'll hr,il -,
this city have been placed at the disposal of
the nuns by the Government, for the shelter
of the male inmates.
Until list is made up of the scattered
inmates and of the missing, it will be i'm
possible to arrive at any idea of
the number lost, but there is
little doubt that it will not be far from 100,
if not more. Six nuns have been burned to
death. They were all young tertiary nuns,
that is, lay sisters, who took the oath OF
chastity and celibacy, but who had no voice
in the management Of the COM
munity. One of these, Sister
Marie Grovel, was so i'll in the
infrmary that she was unable to move.
Four other Sisters ran to her rescue, but all
five perished in the flames. The other Sister,
Mother Labia, who belonged to the Sacred
Heart order, was an inmate of the furious
ward, and when the fire broke out refused to
be removed.
RETURNED TO DIE.
She was rescued with the greatest diff
Guilty, but no sooner had she been taken
from the point of danger than she broke
away from the attendants and rushing into
the burning building, perished in the
flames.
In addition to those who were burned
to death it is feared that many of
the weak and intirm inmates will
succumb to the terrible shock, among these
is Miss Hannah Hickson, of Brooklyn, N.
Y. This young lady, who was private
patient, recently came from Brooklyn to
visit some friends in this city, when she
was taken suddenly i'll and lost her reason.
1t is believed she is a connection of the
Rev. j. L. Balford, of Brooklyn,
Miss Hickson was in a very weak state of
ill health and the shock of the fire, it is be-
lieved, will prove too much for her. To-
night it is reported that she is in a dying
condition.
There is no doubt now that the fire was
the work of one of the crazy patients. DR..
Duquit, the Government Inspector, gives a
thrilling account of the outbreak of the fire,
which leaves no room for doubt that it was
the work of an incendiary.
SIMPLY A FIRE TRAP.
It was near noon and the Sisters in charge
of the various wards in the female depart
ment were preparing for the usual MONDAY
meal. To the left of the center building
was the female department, to the right the
male department On the third fiat of the
female wing were the private wards for pay
patients and in the rear of the latter was
large bath room. 1t was in this bathroom
that the fire, originated. There were no fires
near the spot and the only explanation is
that the fire was started by one Of the in
mates.
the terrible loss of life is simply due to the
disgraceful and culpable neglect Of the most
elementary principles OF safety. There were
no division walls in the building, and it was
the easiest thing in the world for the fire to
communicate from one portion of the
building to another. There was no pro-
vision made for fire, and the Fire Commits
sioner, who is now holding an Investigation,
expresses the opinion that to pile people in
such building was simply to put them into
a coffin to be cremated. l
THE DOMINION DIsGRACED.
He says that the fact that any inspector
should allow people to be piled up in an in
stitution which had no provision for fire is
a disgrace to the whole Dominion. Had
provision been made for the flooding of the
building as soon as the fire broke out it is
probable that not a single life would have
been lost. A thorough investigation will
be held into the cause of the fire.
The work of relieving the distressed in
mates was pushed vigorously to-day. The
big exhibition building in this city, capable
of holding hundreds, has been stocked with
beds and other necessaries and many OF the
patients were moved there tonight. The
Quebec Government has offered to. give the
nuns all the assistance necessary, and the |
work of rebuilding the asylum will be COM
menced without delay. 1t is believed that
the institution will be re-established on an
improved basis.