The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-05-16

met BY !. shsss vera =. over 20 years o. .sne
Nom INV o. s, .nss. woIksd, 1 1snss ~ S.R|y gS5,s
Siyyy he s. w.. by tusp f,s aV' tns ssiis
Of hers: ~ - IS implorins, b~sseecSiinp
and commanding ID the patients, and finally
saving . very large number. in view Of the
inadequate facilities ct hand. Sister
There's, the superioress, ID byoken-heartsd
aud. being at present in ill-health, her
name may be added to the already long
list OF victims. Drs. Dourqua and Baralet
were carried from the building uncon.
scfous, and whatever must BE- said Of the
management 90 q whole, the individuals
exercised every power to lessen the calam.
ity they hAd neglected to avert.
A oud Explosion
was followed by q crash Of beams. The
interior was giving way. The wild faces
shrank from the windows and the shrieks
OF the maniacs we're lost in the general up.
roar. One by one the walls toppled In.
ward, and the fierce blaze burst up from
the ne Wy added fuel, rose to the dark sky
aud shot it's glare over the st. Lawrence to
the southern shore and even tinged the
crest Of Mt. Royal, ten miles distant.
Then it died down into blackness, and
nothing but Q few broken towers remained
bounding the seething mass Of metal and
debris under which are now not the bodies,
but the ashes, Of 100 victims.
By this time it was G o'clock aud was
growing dark and very cold. The spring
rains had converted the place into q qusg-
mire, and only horsemen could get from
place to place. The poor sisters, most of
them young and delicate, stood ankle deep
in the mud securing and experimenting
the removal Of such furniture az had been
saved. The patients wandered about
aimlessly, clad in scant garments.
When released many of them leaped
for joy and bounded like deer
across the fields to the woods. Patients Of
both sexes escaped, and though q Gordon
OF police was thrown around, not all we're
included. and a horribly suggestive tale
was borne in by Q hsbitant who was COM
ing through the woods to the scene Of the
disaster. A new decade had come upon
the Inhabitants from the presence Of so
many escaped lunatics, and they will
visited by . series OF such crimes as only
madmen con devise.
All the time the fire was burning every
high house top in Montreal had Its curious
sight The long road was thronged
with carriages. The transport service of
Montreal wa pressed into service, and
every available cab, omnibus and hack wont
out filled with people.
Premier MERCER has placedthe Montreal
exhibition buildings at the disposal Of the
nuns, aud tomorrow the buildings will be
stocked with provisions.
The Strangest Wonder
to the firemen is that such an absence Of
fire fighting facilities could exist. Although
the appliances were there they were utterly
useless. Tho institution had excellent en-
gines, ten good pumps and now boilers.
but no connection existed between the
pumps and the boilers.
The Sisters of Providence spend in
founding and organizing this institution
81, 1872, 800, OF which 100000 was spent on
the buildings. The building was insured
by the government for $500, 600. With
the exception of the medical department,
consisting of the doctors, the sisters re-
tanned complete control of all the depart
ments of the asylum.
At latest reports the death roll Is esti.
mated at fifty, although many more are
missing, but are expected to turn up. It
is feared that seven tertiary nuns were
burned, as three more are missing besides
those named above. They were not, how
ever, seen in the flames, and the sisters
prefer not to give out the names at pres.
snt.