The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-05-09
IN A FIERY FURNACE.
FEARFUL TRAGEDY ENACTED Al
TONGUE PONTE, QUEBEC.
An Insane Asylum Containing over 1900
Patients Burned to the C~iround-Over 100
People Believed to Have Boon COnsuMed
Particulars of the Sad Affair.

People Believed to Have Been Consumed
Particulars of the Sad Affair.
The insane asylum at Tongue Point,
nine miles from Montreal, caught fire and
Don it was n mass of flames with no hope
Of saving thetbuilding from utter destruc-
zion. As near as can be calculated at this
hour there are from 100 to $50 insane in
mates in the burning building with no
chance of their escape. The fire
apparatus in the asylum is u~tteraly made
quate to control the flames and several
steamers have been sent from Montreal on
Especial train. The sights in the grounds
surrounding the institution are horrible
beyond description. Hundreds oflunatics,
male and female, are grouped together,
gibbering and in a frenzied condition. The
nuns are making every effort to control
them and allay their fears, and as rapidly
as possible the poor creatures are being re-
moved to places of shelter in the neighbour
hood.
The excitement among the lunatics on
the grounds became SO great that o detach-
ment of the Montreal police force was hur-
RED out to assist the guards. There were
1900 persons in the asylum when the fire
broke out.
Particulars in Detail.
A long line of gaunt towers is ali one
now sees of the Tongue Pointe lunatic
asylum. located ten miles from Montreal,
and which, with many lives, was consumed
by the flames. The sights witnessed be-
fore this tragic scene are SUCH as can never
be forgotten. Nothing could exceed the
horror attending the terrible calamity.
considering the number of victims, the
terrible nature OF their death and the man.
ner in which the helpless victims re.
ceived their fate. What to spectators
was a scene of horror was to the ~lunatics {
moment of supreme glee, and in their de.
light they disported themselves in the
flames and waved their blazing limbs il
turbulent satisfaction at the ruin that wa:
about them, and not until the wall
tumb!ed over their heads were their mania
cal screams silenced.
There were incarcerated in Tongue
Pointe 1900 lunatics, for that asylum wal
a prison more than a hospital, and o no
more than LOO are accounted for, bu'
many escaped into the fields and woods
and the dead are among the ashes. Wha
the number Of dead is is purely a matter Of
conjecture and can never be ascertained
since there was no other record kept thar
that in the asylum books, and they are de,
stroyed. Taking into consideration thu
whole Of the evidence from firemen, hal
insane inmates and the sisters in charge
it is a conservative estimate tt
say that 100 victims met their death
though some assert the number is double
that and others place it below this figure
However, the fact remains that no sucl
calamity has fallen upon the province Of
Quebec since the earliest times. Evel
since Quebec was a province its manage
ment of these most helpless of creatures
has been its shame. They. have beer
farmed out to nuns at 800 a head q year
and the sisters aim in a way to keep them
as frugally as possible.
From the construction of the building
there is doubt in some minds as to whether
it was intended for an asylum or a blast
furnace-in any case it served the latter
purpose admirably. 1t was constructed o.
brick and was 600 feet long, running bacl
from the river half the distance. Thu
main building occupied the center and OF
each side extended four wings, six stories
in height.
The Fire Started i'll a Cupboard
tn the upper rea9 story yH By a a" ]c afs1 Ssm patisS Stlas al i
as ventilation was carried on by a longi
tudinal shaft connected with the towers
the flames soon appearing through the roo:
in the center of each tower. A Telegram
was sent to Montreal for aid, and an en-
CINE and reels started at once. The
might as we'll nave remained ct home, TO
in five minutes they exhausted the waite
supply. The only thing that could say
the building was the St. Lawrence rivel
and it was half q mile distant. When tn
Associated Press reporter arrived with tn
fremen, the dome of one tower had jus
fallen and the flames were bursting OF
everywhere.
AS the heat increased the statues fe
from their inches TO the ground and the
the habitants Frustrated themselves, cryin
aloud that the saints had deserted them, in
deed. Beds, furniture and utensils 0
every description were being showered frol
the windows, and a stream of ill-clad me
poured out of tho eastern wing. Not
male patient was lost. Among the wome
it was different. The less hopeless case
were placed in the lower wards, and the
were removed without difficulty, but fro,
the upper wards, where the violent patient
were secured, there came the wildes
screams as they resisted the nuns who wei
beseeching them to make their escape.
At one window q maniac could be see
peering through the bars, gtinning IN
jabbering at the bright flame that went u
to the sky. AS the heat BECAME more in
tense she would grasp the bars and renal
there until the flames enveloped her.
The Inhabitants had come from all part
roundabout, attracted by the blaze, and o.
hour later the little village was one surginI
mass Of shouting, vociferating people.
When the fremen found they we,
powerless to- save the building they turne
their attention to the inmates and burst i
the doors with axes. Inside Chief Benoi
says it was such a sight as no fireman eve
before witnessed. In one ward he entere
there were twenty-five patients, and at b
approach they huddled together like q pac
of beasts, entwining their arms INTO or
mass of humanity. He seized the heares
But" said tho chief, Il could no mol
separate the crowd than I could the part
of your horse"
He tugged at them until the fire darte
into their garments and
EMBODIED Them Like a Stroud of Flam,
and then be escaped with his life. In an
other ward three fremen we're nearl
trapped to death. They entered, and tt
door, which had a spring lock, closed b.
hind them. As is customary there was Z
handle on the inside. The door resiste
their axes and they rushed to the window
but were driven back by the flames. tt
chief, suspecting their peril, sent aid to tt
other side and the men were carried dow
on ladders.
The engineer of the building did goe
-orl, cop;,r n;po p,kio,y, op5 ororr e.