Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-02-18
The State Lunatic Asylum a
Mass of Ruins.
All of the Inmates Saved EN-
cept the One Who APP
piled the Torch.
The Legislature Takes Prompt
Action for Relief.

and 6 o'clock bursting out of an attic
in the east wing of the building, i'm
mediately over the room of lunatic
named j. ID. Brown, from Lafayette
county, and who it is generally be-
lieved set the building on fire. A few
days before, Brown, who was very
unruly fellow, jumped from window
and made his escape, but was recap
tured, and the presumption is that he
secured some matches while out which
he concealed about his person and
used with the above result.
All who were first on the scene say
the flames could have been eaisly ex-
tinguished any time within half an
hour, as they made slow progress, but,
for some reason, not yet fully explain
ed, there was not enough pressure on
at the water works to be available.
When the fire was first discovered,
employees of the institution were
promptly on hand with their hose
ready for action, but there was not
enough pressure to throw water ten
feet. Finally the Jackson fire depart
ment reached the scene and applied
their hose and engines to drawing wa
ter from the asylum pond, and it was
due to their brave and almost super
human efforts that any part of the
main buildings was saved.
Limited space will not permit us to
enter into description of the many
grand, daring and exciting scenes en-
acted before the flames were gotten
under control. 1t seems incredible
that with a great institution contain
ing CPL lunatics, such disaster could
happen and only one life be lost-that
of the unfortunate victim who is sup
posed to have started the fire, and
whose charred trunk was recovered
from the debris several hours after
ward. But DR.. Mitchell and his as
sistants had the inmates under such
fine control that they were transferred
from the burning building into the
buildings lately erected for the color
ed insane, without difficulty or con-
fusion, and without a single ones es-
Gaping. The men being in the wards
first burned were moved first, and af-
forwards, as the central building was
encroached on more and more, the
females were transferred to places of
safety.
The Asylum was the most magniti-
cent and imposing structure in the
State, and the loss will not fall short
of 100000. 1t was erected in 1851,
Messrs. w. S. Langley, C. S. Tar
pley, C. II. Manslip, F. s. Hunt and
j. II. Boyd being commissioners; J.
Willis, architect; C. A. Parker and
c. Dudley builders. The wings have
been extended two or three times
since, and the last addition was the
two new sections for colored patients,
erected in the in the rear of the main
wings and fortunately little apart
from them.
AS far as we can learn, no blame at
taches 10 DR.. Mitchell or any of his
assistants about the institution.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
1t was a fortunate coincidence that
at the time of this great disaster the
Legislature should have been in ses-
sion, aud the subject was promptly
taken up Tuesday afternoon in both
| Houses.
The following concurrent resolution
was adopted:
"Resolved, That Senate and House
committees on Humane and Benevo-
lent institutions be constituted a joint
committee, and as such be instructed
to proceed at once to ascertain the
true condition of affairs produced by
the burning of the State Lunatic Asy-
lum and report to the two houses as
early as possible what disposition can
and should be made of the former IN
mates of the burned building"
Mr.. McSwine introduced II. B. No.
1872, ''For the relief of the inmates of
the State Asylum" which was referred
to Committee on Appropriations. In
a short time Mr.. Vardeman reported
the bill back from the committee,
recommending its passage with GER
tain amendments. 1t was passed
unanimously, and was promptly re-
ported to the Senate, where it was
passed with equal promptness and
unanimlty. 1t provides an apprOpria-
ton of $25 900 with which to meet
the present necessities of the inmates
and begin the work of repair and re-
building.
Mr.. Mcclure, from the Committee
on Humane and Benevolent Institu-
tions, made a verbal report to the
House Tuesday evening, stating that
the committee had just made an ex-
animation of the condition of the
Asylum and found that there were 621
inmates therein at the time of burning;