The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-07
FIRE AMONG THE sick
A Woman Suffering With
De1irium Tremens Sets
Her Clothes Af1ame in
the City Hospital.

A woman patient in the City HospitaT
set fire to her clothing last evening, and
it was only the presence of mind of the
physicians and nurses that averted q
holocaust. Kate McCue, forty-two years
old, of No. AZ Beach street, was admitted
to the hospital about tour o'clock yester-
day afternoon suffering from alcoholism.
She was admitted upon the certificate of
City Physician Henry of the Fourth dis
trict.
The woman had been an inmate of the
institution for the same cause several
times before and hers WAS familiar face
to the nurses and physicians. She was in
bad condition when admitted and was
shaking so violently that she could
hardly stand. She was Immediately put
to bed and medicines were admins
tered to put her to sleep.
When the house physician made
his rounds about seven O'Clock she
was resting quietly and was it thonght
that she was on fair way to recovery.
Shortly after nine O'Clock she arose from
the bed and wrapping sheet around her
over her night dress she went to closet.
In the closet there is a single gas jet
protected by globe far above the reach
of person of ordinary height. The
woman must have climbed upon a chair
to reach the flame and set fire to the
sheet wrapped around her, for in few
minutes she emerged from the door
screaming most Economically.
She ran down the ward tanning the
flames by waving the burning sheet to
and fro, and attempting to set fire to the
beds she passed, all the time keeping up
her frightful screaming.
NURSE BROWNS HERoIsM.
Mrs. Brown, the night nurse, sprang
toward her with a blanket, and attempted
to extinguish the flames. But Mrs. Nc
Cue. stout, powerfully built woman,
rendered all the stronger by-her dilerium,
easily shook her off. Several times the
heroic nurse attempted to put out the
flames, but the crazy woman baffied all
her efforts.
THE PATIENTS PANIC STRICKEN.
There were eighty patients in the hos
were panic stricken. Those on the same
floor with the crazy woman started from
their cots, and those who were strong
enough attempted to get up. Those
of the floor below hearing
the screams and the commotiOn above
became frightened and with blanched
faces looked enquiringly toward the
stairs. Warden Osborne was absent aG
the time. and his wife, seeing the blaze
in the darkened room, rendered
the more brilliant and intense than
it really was by the inky darkness OUT
SiQe, Senb OUT flHe private alarm OF the
hospital which was quickly responded to
by the fire department.
In the meantime the nurse ana the
physicians had succeeded in getting a
blanket around the woman and extin-
gushing the flames. An effort was then
made to get her back to bed. But the ex-
citement of the fire had increased her
frenzy and she fought with the strength
of several men.
Warden Osborne. who was in the inn
mediate neighbornood, upon learning of
the fire hastily returned to the hospital.
Seeing the condition the woman was in
he called upon all the attendants about
the place to assist in subduing her and it
required the united efforts of the eight
or ten men employed about the place to
control her. She fought, struggled and
craved during the entire night, but this
morning was resting quietly.
There are now five patients suffering
with delirium tremens in the hospital.
three of whom it was necessary to strap
down last night. There is no separate
ward for them and the Warden is obliged
to care for them in the same room with
the other patients.