Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-05-08
GROWS IN HORROR.
The Tongue Pointe Disaster
Worus Than Reported.
LATEST ESTIMATE ON THE DEAD.

Their Lives-The Ruins Believed To BE
Full of Corpses-Ipsane Men and
Women Supposed to Have Psrished by
Room Fulls-Terrible Disaster to Fer
ryboat-Nine Persons Drowned in the
Ohio.
MONTREAL, May S.-The last report of
the Tongue Pointe asylum authorities to
the legislature showed that there were
1,7s0 inmates instead of / 300 as recently
stated The general opinion now that at
least $50 inmates were burned to death. 1t
is now known that many of the wards were
locked up and the firemen did not reach
them to break in the doors, so that whole
rooms full of inmates persisted. The pa
tients are now confined in houses in the
vicinity and are being cared for comfort
ably.
A Correct Estimate Impossible.
The walls that were left standing Tues
dry night fell in yesterday, and now only
heap of debris remains, beneath which
are buried the remains of scores of human
| beings. The Sisters who were in charge of
the institution say that it is utterly impos-
sible to tell how many persisted. Sister
| Therese, the lady superior, admits that at
| least fifty have been burned to death, but
DIR. Duquet, the government inspector,
| says that 100 will be nearer the figure.
When the fire started the inmates rushed
indiscriminately Hundreds eluded the
| keepers and escaped to the city and the
| surrounding eDuntry Until the scattered
inmates are found it will be impossible to
present a correct death roll.
4 Six Nuns Among TIE Lost.
! Six nuns have been burned to death.
They We're 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 community. 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 persisted in the flames. 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. She was rescued with the
greatest difficulty, 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 persisted
in the flames.
An Incendiary Maniac's Work.
| There is no doubt now that the fire was
1
Duquet, the government Inspector, gives a
thrilling account of the outbreak of the
| fire, which leaves no room for doubt that
it was of incendiary origin. 1t was near
| noon, and the Sisters in charge of the var
| ious wards of the female department were
preparing for the usual MONDAY meal.
! On the third fiat of the female wing was
| the private ward for pay patients and in
| the rear of the latter was a large bath
| room il 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 inmates.
| The Building Perfect Pire Trap.
1 The building was n regular fire trap, and
1 the terrible loss of life is simply due to the
disgracefui and culpable neglect OF the
most elementary principles of safety,
| There were no division walls in the build
| ings and it was the easiest thing in the
world for the fire to communicate from
one portion Of the building to another. No
provision was made for fire, and the fire
commissioner, who is now holding an in
| vestigation, expresses the opinion that to
| pile people in such building was simply
| TO put them into coffin to be cremated.
He says that the fact that any inspector
should allow people to be huddled in an
institution which had no provision for fire
is disgrace TO the whole Dominion.
Caring for the Unfortunates.
The work of relieving the distressed in
mates was pushed vigorously yesterday
The big exhibition buildings in this city,
capable of holding handreds, have been
stocked with beds and other necessities
4 and many of the patients were moved
/ there last night. In the rear of the asy.
/ lum are stables where about 100 men pa
| tients were quartered Tuesday night under
| the supervision of the Sisters and -four
| Montreal policemen. The scene is not one
| to be easily described and surely not to be
easily forgotten. Lying on heaps of straw
sickly and feeble lunatics were to be seen
moaning, gibbering shrieking. twisting
4 and jumping. There We're more sturdy
| ones on the floor around them. 1t made
| one shudder to pass down between the two
| large haymows in which were confined thu
| worst cases, so fierce was the expression o.
their cOuntenanceS