The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-15
NAsavILLE's HusNED ASYLUM.
The Bodies OF I ight inmates
Beneath the Ruins.

Beneath the Ruins.
NASHVILLE, TENN, March l4-The
beautiful Central Insane Asylum. seven
miles from this city, is almost a mass OF
ruins, and beneath it are the charred bodies
OF eight inmates. In the outhouses
near by are huddled the poor demented
| creatures who inhabited the asylum, grand
old structure, now laid in ashes. At 1918
O'Clock last night tongue Of fame broke
through the roof on the western
main wing How il caught none could
divine, but ii reached from the ground
through the second and third stories and
cut of a few roolns beyond it. An alarm
was given and the 400 inmates Of the in
stitution were thrown into the widest COM
motion. TwenLv-eight meu were in the
wing when the fire caught, aud twenty-five
OF them were quickly removed to tine main
hall, the other SIX being left to their fate
between an impossible wall Of flame. The
loss is heavy but the building was insured.
DELAY IN SENDING ENGINES.
! The city was telepboned 20 for aid. but
Chief Carell of the fire department could
not be found and bis subordnates refused
to move without Instructions Finally,
after two hours delay, the chief was found,
and he, with two engines, left for tho scene
of disaster.
In the meantime the west wing had col
lapsed, and the inmates, made frantic by
their danger were beginning to break from
the guard and scatter like frightened AMI
mails over the surrounding country.
ARRIVAL OF THE ENGINES.
The fire engines arrived at 2:l5 o'clock,
and in a few minutes fine stream of water
was playing on the main building. Provi-
ously the inmates of the asylum, servants
and guards, bad rendered fine service with
buckets and succeeded in holding the fire in
check to some extent. Had 10 not been for
their valiant services the entire structure
would have been in flames before the
arrival Of the fire department..
By midnight nothing remained for the
men who had fought so nobly to DO but TO
stand aside and await the coming Of the
engines from the city.
JOY OF THE FREED LUNATIcs.
When one OF the reporters was about a
mile this side of the conhagration on tho
way out he met couple of lunatics in shirt
sleeves trudging along the highway with
their arms locked about each others necks
As they passed one of them cried out:
Fire, fire, cold, cold.n On his return the
same pair we're 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 tellr And.
turning around, saw tha5 their arms WEI Q
well locked about each others necks.
HIDING IN THE sHRUBBRRY.
Hiding in the shrubbery Immediately
around the road were many who had escaped
when the sudden exodus was made from the
west wing Most OF them were but par
TALLY dressed, but almost without exception
their faces we're covered with smiles, as il
the downfall Of their refuge was q source of
pleasure to them and the biting wind q
thing uufelt.
| Q.fE ryc 4, i knov
huddled for several hours in the yard 10
front of the main building. were returned
to the east wing. About ffty bad
escaped, the majority OF whom were harm
less.
At this moment the west wing had be-
come entirely demolished and about one
half Of the main buildings
THE DANGEROUS LUNATIos CONFINED.
The dangerous lunatics were kept locked
oil the time In the east wing and none of
them were subjected to exposure or danger
during the progress of the flames.
1t was reported at $3.50 this morning that
one Of the women, an inmate Of the asylum,
had been drowned in the lake on the lawn,
but her name could not be learned.
The tirs was at the same time reported
fully under control, aud the inmates were
comfortably housed and all was quiet.
A LIST OF THE DEAD.
Following is O corrected list of the dead
DIR. Frank Hollowell OF Davidson county,
John Poindexter OF Wilson county, A. r.
Goodlett Of Davidson county, John s. John
son Of Rutherford county, j. 8. Settle oi
Wilson county, w. Fl. Beasley Of hickman
county. J. Brooks OF Davidson county
John Kelly Of Wayne county and Johr
Nance Of Smith county.
The loss to the building 10 estimated al
about $4,000. 1t is fully covered by insur-
sncs. The FIRE is supposed TO have beer
caused by Lee Ford, an inmate who 10 som'
mysterious manner escaped Its reported
that he was recaptured to-day near La
vrgne. About l25 Of the inmates will b,
transferred to the West Tennessee asylum
at Bolivar until the asylum here Is rebuilt
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