Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-23
NO HELP FOR THEN
Patients Roasted Alive in =
Burning Hospital.
ScuRES IN THE AWE VI flames
The National Surgical institute ~ Incian-
spoiis pesIoyed-Ninetesn Of
Its Inmates Perish.

surgical institute burned THURSDAY
night at midnight Nineteen help
isss. crippled children, inmates Of
the institution, lost their lives, and
twenty other persons were injured.
some Of then badly, most Of
them slightly. Two hundred and forty
six patients and thirty nurses, sleeping
in the two foarstery buildings 1t the
corner of nlinois and Georgia streets,
in which the institute 10 located. were
in imminent danger OF their lives
A ssrrewfsi stery.
Their rescue, the fight with the
flames. and the fnal discovery Of the
eharred remains OF the poor, dead chill
dren wrapped in each others withered
arms. make . story rarely parslieled in
the annals of modern cities II was al
most on the stroke of - when Janitsr
Gill gave the alarm, instantly followed
by the second and third. The tele-
phone had conveyed to the chief the
news that the building OF all others
where dire was dreaded was in flames.
This meant NO ordinary danger 1t
proved 70 be holocaust
The Dead.
At $50 q. a. there were nineteen
dead bodies. Some were killed by
jumping, but the others were suffocatcd
or burned to death The list of identi.
ned dead is:
Trina Payae,,aged -, Dexter. No: Minnie Ar.
mold. aged IL. Lancaster, Mo-; william Ram
stalk. Ia. Mtlwaukee; Mrs t. Bear ana child:
all Gnir a ~
Ellis, aged 70: Kats L. Strsushan, relatives II
ia Massachusetts, svcSue; Mrs. Burns and
nephew. Of 81 Paul. MINI; c. H. German. Nc.
Donald. Mich. Hannah Brock. Taylorsville,
H.; Frank Dockcndorf. Saltwater, MINI:
Minnie Mcdonald. Negsunec, Mich.
Missing asa Injured.
Mrs NJ. X. Lump and Arthur Bsyless are
missing.
Injured: Minnie Lazurus. aged =. leg broken
Mrs. n. II. Edens ana son. both severely in.
jured: Nrs Thomas, ls4 Massachusetts, avenue
burned about the face and body. In terrible ago.
ny: Fannie Breeder, Memphis. Tenn. burned
In dozen places; Mrs. J. h. Guild. Mcdary.
willie, Ind, internally injured by fell from the
ladder, probably fatal: Mary Stearns. Warren.
L., terribly burned about the feet while run.
ming into the burning hallway; Clara Norris.
hurt in back; Grant Vsn Hocsen. Athens. N.
T.. hand and car burned Clarence Mead.
AtncuS, bo8 Su8utty uuIt, VIII
liam II. Albach. Dunkirk. N. Y, slightly
burned; Leoya Knowles, Independence. lad,
back hurt by jumping out Of third story window
n. w. wydner, Troy, o., internally injured by
falling cut OF . window white trying te escape
William Manifold, Otssgo. NJ r., foot hurt
while jumping; Mrs. John S. Stokes. Danvillc,
H., spra!ned ankle; Nellie Mason. OF Walwor,h
county. Via, jumped out Of third-story window
and viii die from her injuries; Mrs. G. ]. Siup-
mt nv
riously burnod r. Conner, fell from the second
70 the FIRST door, seriosis II not fatal
internal injuries: w. NJ. Widcner, Miami
county o., terribly crushed ana fatally in
iured; Roy Harris, New Orleans, not seriously
hurt
OriR,s Of the Ylrs.
The fire started just before midnight
and the first alarm was quickly fol-
lowed by second. third and fourth calls.
From all that can Be ascertained il Is
probable that tho IRE originated In the
room whore the printing matter. cir.
culars, etc, were kept This IL on the
ground door in the rear of the main
building. Mrs Copeland, one OF the
rescued attendants, said that an hour
before the alarm of Gre was turned in
the night watchmau came TO her room
and asked her il she was burning pa
per. She told him that she was not
and in few minutes he again asked
her. This proves that the FIRE had been
smoldering for some time.
Scenes OF Horror.
When the department arrived, from
the second. third and fourth story win
dows women clad in their flowing
night robes were clinging. crying out
in their horror and desperation at the
prospect Of death either from the roar
ing. cracking flames or from a jump
to the ground below. The scene rs IL
appeared TO those who first reached
the place Is one that will never be for.
gotten. The flames as they burst
from the Georgia-strcet snnex and
gradually encroached on the main
building shed lurid light over the sur.
rounding buildings aud cast. . dark
shadow on the street below. And
above the furious roar OF the flames
could be heard the awful screams and
agonizing grosns of the poor, Tortured
women and girls who chung to the win
dow si,ls with their bare fingers.
Ksseosrs work Nobiy.
Strong arms were soon 60 the rescue
ard words Of encouragement were
raised to the windows and the work OF
rescuiny those ia the rear end Of the
building began. II was here that the
flames ragged most furiously and 10 Wa
necessary TO get the endangered in.
mates down without delay. In . very
few minutes all those who had
been seen at the windows when the de-
partment FIRST arri-ed had been res
cued, but while the work wss going on
one or two women, driven TO despcra-
ton by the fierce heat and the
thought of . horrible death. leaped
to the ground. to receive injuries
from which they cannot recover. There
were volunteers by the hundred: brave
men who risked their lives time and
time again in the brief period of 81.
teen minutes to save the lives oi
poor crippled children. the sight o,
whom in the midst Of the fearful
holocaust caused strong men TO shud
der and grow sick at heart Tcnderly
the rescued were carried to some tenn
porary refuge and placed under tbs
care of kind hands. where the bes,
physicians Of the city we're ready u
icnd their aid
a Desth-rssp.
The citizens are strong in their con
dennatien of the gross negligence o,
the management Of the institute in The
matter Of exit. the building having
only a narrow hall and staircases and
being . death-trsp The owners vii