The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-05-08

lay sick In the infrmary on the fifth floor.
and to her rescue came three others.
They seized their companion and bore her
in blanket 10 the staircase, but thcy were
met by sheet OF fame aud al perished.
None Of the7n were over 10 years Of age.
The sisters worked with tho persistence
Of heroines, By turns inpioring. beseeching
and commanding the patients. and finally
saving very large number, IN view OF the
inadequate facilities at hand. Sister
There's, the superioress, is broken hearted
and, being II present In iIl-healih, her
name may be added 30 the already long
list Of victims. Drs- Bourqua and Baralet
were carried from the building uncon-
scious. and whatever must be said OF the
management a. q whols. the individuals
exercised every power TO lessen the ealam-
ity they had neglected TO avert.
Loud Explosion
was followed BY crash Of beams. The
interior was giving way. The wild faces
shrank from the windows aud the shrieks
Of the maniacs were lost in the general up-
roar. One by one the walls toppled In
ward, and the fierce blaze burst mp from
the nesly added fuel. rose 10 the dark sky
and shot its glare oven the 81. Lawrence TO
the southern shore and even tinged the
crest Of Mt, Royal, ten miles distant.
Then IL died down into blackness, aud
nothing bnt few broken towers remained
bounding the seethsng mass Of metal and
debris under which ara now not the bodies,
but the ashes, OF 100 victims.
rs tb{a ffss.a xvaa esntnnk and Waa
growing dark and very cold. The spriug
rains had converted the place into qnag-
mire, and only horsemen coul get from
place to place. The poor sisters, most Of
them yonng and delicate, stood ankle deep
in tae mud securing and superintending
the removal of such furniture a. had been
saved. The patients wandered about
aimlessly, clad In scant garments.
When released many of them ieaped
for joy and bounded like deer
across thu fields to the woods. Patients of
both SEXES escaped, and though Gordon
OF police was thrown around, not oil we're
included, end horribly suggestive tale
was borne in by habitant who was COM
ing through the woods to the scene of the
disaster. A new decade had come upon
the inhabitants from theipresence Of so
many escaped lunatics, and they viii
coant themselves fortunate if they are not
visited by series OF snch crimes as only
madmen can devise.
All the time the lire was burning every
high house top IN Montreal had Its curious
sight -sesrs. The long road was thronged
with oxrriEggs. fhs TTEnspoH service OF
Montreal was pressed into service, and
every available cab, omnibus and hack went
out allied with people.
Premier Mercier has placed the Montreal
exhibition buildings al the disposal OF the
nuns, and co. morrow the buildings will be
stocked with provisions.
The stranxest wonder
TO the firemen is that such an absence OF
FIRE fighting facilities could exist. Although
the appliances were there they were utterly
gines, ten good pumps and new boilers,
but no connection existed between the
pumps and the boilers.
The Sisters of Providence spend in
founding and organizing this institution
81, ,Is2, ,232, OF which 800, 900 was spent on
the buildings The building was insured
by the government for s30o,0o0. With
the exception of the medical department,
consisting OF the doctors, the sisters re-
tanned complete control of all the depart
msnss of the asylum
Al latest reports the death roll is esti-
mated at fifty. although many more are
missing. bus are expected to tnrn up. 1t
In feared that seven tertiary nuns were
burned, as three moro are missing besides
those named above. They were not, how
ever, seen In the flames, and the sisters
prefer not to give ont the names at pres
ent.
The laundry of the insane asylum 10
which one hundred patients were housed
during the night has taken FIRE. The in-
mates we're removed and all are now safe.