Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-03-15
FOOD FOR FLAMES.
A GREAT NUMBER OF DISASTROUS CONFLA-
CITATIONS OCCUR YESTERDAY.
The Tennessee Insane Asylum Partially Destroyed.
Six Helpless Inmates Burned to Death.
Syracuse Gets Terrific Searching, Loss
Over 100000 ChicagOs Blaze.

NASHVILLE. Tenn, March l4.-This
morning the beautiful Central Insane Asy
lum, situated seven miles from this city, is
almost q mass of ruins. Beneath 1t are the
charred bodies of half a dozen OF the un-
fortunate inmates In the outhouses near
by are huddled the poor demented crea-
lures who found an asylum in the grand
structure now laid in ashes AT lO:l5 last
night Watchman Fitz Hugh discovered an
uglv tongue of flame breaking through the
roof of the western main wing. How
IL caught none could say. In mo-
ment the alarm was given aud the
400 inmates were thrown into wild
commotion Consideration was depicted
on each face as the gravity of the situation
burst on them There were 2S men in the
wing when the fire caught and - of them
were quickly removed to the main hall, the
other six being left 10 their fate behind the
impossible wall Of flames.
The city of Nashville was telephOned to
for aid, but Chief Carrell, of the Fire De
partment. could not be found and his sub
ordinates refused 10 move without orders.
Finally the Chief was found and with two
engines left for the scene of disaster. The
fire engines arrived on the scene at 2;l5,
aad in a few moments fine stream OF
water was playing on the main building.
Previously the servants and guards had
rendered fine service with buckets, and
succeeded in holding the fire in check to
some extent Had il not been for their
service the entire structure would have
been in flames before the arrival Of the
fire department The unfortunate inmates
were in the west wing. They were all
men and white. Their names are j. ).
Johns, Of LutherfOrd; j. Burt Dexter of
Wilson: Blue johnson, of Cannon; John
Kelly. of Wayne; w ii. Beastry, of Hick-
manr B. F. Hollowell, of Davidson,
Tue flames at o'clock in tne morning
were towering above parapeted walls and
the guards were hurrying hither and
thither
A moment later the main wall OF the
building fell in with an awful crash. In
the hall connecting the east and west wings
and the corridors of the east wing the un-
fortunates were huddled together. men,
women and bed clothes being so mixed that
il was hard to distinguish between them.
They did not seem to comprehend the aw-
full situation and most of them were
still undressed as they were when
they were dragged from the rooms Of
the building already in ashes. At
3.l5 the inmates who had been huddled
for several hours in the yard in
lfuut OF Tue tndlu uulluAuS WSAC hSeOi HSu
10 the east wing. About p had escaped,
the majority Of whom were harmless AT
this moment the west wing was entirely
demolished and about One-half OF the main
building Tue dangerous luuatics were
kept locked in the east wing and none OF
them were subjected 10 exposure or danger
during the progress of the fire. The fire
az $50 was reported fully under control
and the inmates were comfortably housed
aud all was quiet II is impossible as yet
TO give any estimate Of the loss, though 1t
will be heavy The building was fully in
snrnd