Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-02-05
CRIPPLES BURN TO DEATH
Destruction Of the Surgical
Institute at indianapolis.
A Score of Patients Perish Amid
Pitiful Scenes.

The Surgical Institute at Indianapolis,
Ind, burned at midnight and twenty one
helpless, crippled children, inmates of the
institution, lost their lives, and twenty other
persons were injured, some Of them badly.
Two hundred and forty-six patients and
thirty nurses sleeping in the two four-story
buildings at the corner Of Illinois and
Georgia streets. on which the institute is
located, were placed IN imminent danger Of
their lives.
The fire started at midnight in the office
building. above which were the wards for
babes and mothers, and known as the A. B.
c. departments. Smoke was discovered is
suing from room adjoining the operating
room back of the Office. The fire is asserted
to have started from spontaneous combus-
ton of chemicals, and in fifteen minutes the
whole lower floor was in flames.
The attendants awakened all the patients.
In the halls and supper rooms pandemOnium
reigned. Shrieks 10 help went I'D as the
inmates realized their terrible situation. In
a few minutes white faces appeared at each
window of the large building. The police,
firemen and attendants all worked diligent-
ly, and maLy patients were taken from the
upper floors by means OF the ladders and
carried TO places OF safety by them. No
attempt was made to save anything but life.
The patients, both male and female. who
could get about assisted in the work of res
cue.
In the halls and on the stairways, before
the fire had communicated to the main build
ing, inmates wrapped in oed-clothing crawled
and helped themselves along from one floor
to another. The crowd turned in to help in
the work of rescue. Cots were rudely con-
structed from mattresses, and policemen
carried the helpless persons across the street
to the new annex. At least 125 persons
were taken out by the firemen and carried
to adjoining stores.
carried to Weddel's restaurant. One of
them said: II was sleeping in my bed on
the fourth floor. | awoke with sense OF
strangulation. From less than foot above
my face and up to the ceiling was dense
mass of smoke. I just rolled off my bed.
It was so hot thong hit [ was going to die.
I called as loud as | could for help. just
then there was a crash of the door and a
big colorod man fell over me. He picked
me up bodily, dashed through the halls
down stairways, and brought me here"
Ethel Piatt, an eight-year-old daughter of
James M. Piatt, of Pinkneyvllle. ILL.,, was
found in her bed on the third floor half
strangled with smoke and helpless from
spinal trouble. Wrapped in a blanket she
was taken up in the arms of a hremen, car
ried down to the next floor, through dense
smoke and past roaring flames, to window,
and as the crowd gathered below and e8-
tended their arms she was thrown out. Her
limb was broken by the fall.
In room on the GA B. c." floor Mrs. E.
D. Purdy was sleeping with her little daugh-
ter, and had only time to spring from her
bed, throw quilt over the crippled child,
and, with nothing but her n1ght-robe to
protect her, attempted to make an escape.
She ran into the halls, fell, recovered her
feet, and then stopping dragged her little
girl about seventy-fve feet to the
Top Of a stairway. Again she took
her child, now unconscious in her arms, and
bod bor half down the SfAnS
leading to the third floor when she lost her
balance and fell downward, the little one
falling upon the mother and remaining up
permost until she reached the landing about
ten steps below. Here the mother and child
were found by John Gavin and CONNER
cia1 traveller and rescued.
Lazarus Stearn, of Dubuque. Iowa, who
had been an inmate of the institution about
five months was lett in room 1O1. He was
helpless. The fire burned through the par
tition at the foot of his bed, and burning
boards fell on him. He lost consciousness.
He was removed by the police and firemen,
but when taken to the restaurant it was
found that his feet were terribly burned.
At the restaurant OF A. j. Griffith, di
rectly west of the Institute, the scene was
terrible. More than fifty rescued inmates
were huddled in groups on the floor, from
old men down to babies.
Nine bodies were taken from the upper
floor of the main building. Three bodies
were taken out of one room of the ruins,
one man and one woman, and another SO
badly burned as to make the sex undistin-
guishable.
During the fire two women jumped from
the windows. One of these was badly in
iur ed, but another, who was caught by
man standing in the crowd below, escaped
serious injury. Two others threw out their
children which were caught and saved by
the firemen.
Twenty-one helpless cripples, and others.
inmates of the institution, lost their lives
and twenty other persons were injured,
some of them badly; most of them slightly.
There was total insurance of S5l, 500 on
the Surgical Institute buildings furniture
and surgical supplies, placed through the
agency of McGillard & Dark. The loss will
be at least 5000.