The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18
And Gaze on the Burning
Asylum with Glee.
Further Details OF the Disaster
at Nashville.
Only Nine Lives Believed to
Have Been Lost.
A Sleepy Fire Chief Responsible
for Much Loss.

ated seven miles from this city is almost a
mass of ruins; beneath it are the charred |
bodies of nine of the unfortunate in |
mates; in the outhouses near by are
huddled the poor demented creatures,
who found an asylum in the grand old
structure now laid low; and on the lawn
the long, parched trees, denuded of branch
and foliage, stand; the spectral trunks
with gaunt outstretched arms marking
the spot where stood the massive build
ing, alive with human beings, the OBJ
served of all who passed that way, and one
of the most beautiful and attractive spots
in lovely middle Tennessee.
At 1915 o'clock last night Watchman
Fitzhugh discovered an ugly tongue of
flame breaking through the roof in the
rear part of the west or male wing OF the
building. How it caught none could di-
vine but it reached from the ground
through the second and third stories and
cut off the few rooms that were
behind it. In a moment the alarm
was given and the 400 inmates of the
institution was thrown into wild commo-
ton. CONSERVATION was depicted on each
face as the gravity OF the situation burst
upon them. There were twenty-eight
men in the wing when the fire caught,
and twenty-five Of them were quickly re-
moved to the main hall, the other nine be-
ing left to the fate behind their impassa-
bic wall of flame.
The city was telephoned for aid, but
Chief Carol of the fire department cCulu
not be found and his subordinates refused
to move without orders. Finally, after
two hours delay, the chief was found and
he, with two engines, lett for the scene OF
disaster. In the meantime the west wind
had collapsed. the fire had caught the
main building AID the inmates, frantic by
their danger, were beginning to break
from the guards and scatter like atfrlghted
animals to the surrounding country.
The fire department arrived on the
scene at 2:l5 o'clock, and in a few
| moments fine stream OF water
was playing on the main building. Pre-
viouslv the inmates of the asylum, the
servants and the guards had rendered fire
service with buckets and succeeded in
holding the fire in check to some extent.
Had it not been for their valiant services
the entire structure would have been IN
names DelOTe tile dIIlNdl VI IhS hi0 u0P'
ment.
The unfortunate inmates who lost their
| lives were in the west wing. They were
all male and white. Their names were:
DIR. FRANK HOLLOWELL of David
on county.
JOHN P0INDEXTER OF wilson
| county.
A. L. GOODLETT of Davidson county.
of RnrharfOr1
| county.
w. j. SETTLES of Wilson county.
w. II. BEASLEY of Hickman county.
J. BROOKS of Davidson county.
JOHN KELLY of Wayne county.
JOHN NANCE of Smith county.
The scene within the quadrangle in the
rear OF the superintendent office was all
| glare and confusion at l o'clock when an
| Associated Press reporter arrived. The
| flames In the west wing were towering
above the parapeted walls and guards
were hurrying hither and thither. A
moment later the inner wall of the burn
ing building fell in with an awful crash,
! and clouds of sparks covered the entire
visible heavens. In another instant
| shower Of cinders and charred fragments
| of wood fell upon the roofs of the remain
| ing buildings and ratified upon the stone
paved court. In the hall connecting the
east an west wings and in the corridors OF
| the west wing the terrified unlortunates
were huddled together like sheep, men,
women and bed clothes being so inter-
| mingled that it was hard to distinguish
between them. They did not seem to
| comprehend the awful situation, and
| most OF them were still undressed as they
were when they were dragged from the
building already in ashes.
| DR.. Calender sat in his Office with an
expression of despair on his features and
great beads of perspiration stood upon his
| brow. COUGHING in the corners were the
figures OF inmates, who, perhaps, had
clearer appreciation of the impending
| danger than their companions and had
stolen in, thinking themselves safe with
| the superintendent By midnight moth
| ing remained for the men who had fought
| so nobly to do but stand aside and await
the coming of the engines OF the city. IL
| was O heartrending sight TO see hundreds
! of men who had gathered from the coun-
try for miles around talking in groops or
gazing helplessly on the work of destruc-
ton while within the hall, few steps
away, the wild eyes OF mass OF misera-
| BILE creatures glared about in the unearthly
light, and the minds behind them were
too weak TO know that in a short while
| tneY might De out IN the cOlQ nlRuL Wluu
with nothing but the sky for a covering.
When one of the reporters was about
mile this side of the confagration on the
way out, he met couple of lunatics In
shirt sleeves trudging along the highway
with their arms locked about each others
neck. AS they passed one of them cried
out: "Fire, fire; cold, cold" On bis re-
turn the same pair was overtaken just
within the corporation line. This time
they were heard to say 1--WE are free, we
are free; but don't you tell, don't you
tell" and, turning around, saw that their
arms were still locked about each others
neck. Hiding in the shrubbery imme-
diately around the asylum were many
who had escaped when the sudden exodus
was made from the west wing. Most of
them were partially dressed. but almost
without exception their faces were COW
cred with smiles. az IL the downfall of
their refuge was source OF pleasure to
III