St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-11
FILLED WITH DEAD.
The Chapel Of the Burned Asy-
lum Turned Into a
M0rgue.
Keeper Driscoll Thinks the
Fire Caught From a De-
feetive Chimney.
One Woman Roasted to Death
Outside the Burning
Building.
Several Deaths From Snow
slides in the Colorado
Mountains.

DOVER, n. H., Feb. 10.-Tonight in
the chapel of the county farm building
on the Settees, which have heretofore
held devout worshippers, lie what can
be found OF thirty four fearfully burned
and charred bodies. The others who
were known to have persisted in the
flames of the insane asylum fire last
night have not yet been found, for the
cellar is full of water and the debris has
not yet been removed. The search of
the ruins will be continued tomorrow.
A possible clue to the origin Of the fire
may be found in the fact that some in
sane pauperS were ha5itual users of to-
bacco and were allowed three friction
matches each to take to their cells, with
which TO light their pipes. This Sys-
tenn, il is said, was brought to the no
tice of the county delegation few days
since, upon its visit to the county farm,
and the advice of one of the members
was that it should be stopped, butwhether
this advice was acted upon is not known.
Keeper Driscoll is of the opinion that
the fire caught from defective Chin
ney, the sides Of the latter being only
the thickness of one brick.
Keeper Drisc0ll used every possible
effort to liberate the inmates, and re-
NAMED in the building until he was
obliged to jump from sec0nd-story
window in order to save himself. A
messenger was at once dispatched to the
city for assistance, and portion OF the
department was sent to the scene, but
before assistance arrived the building
was
Reduced to Ashes
and nothing remained but the smoul-
dering ruins. By the efforts Of the
firemen the main building of the insti.
tuition was saved. Those who arrived
Oh the scene early will never forget the
horrible scenes witnessed. The fire
brightly Illuminated the country for
miles around, and the poor unfortu-
mates could be plainly seen
as they writhed and tossed
about in the blazing furnace. The
fire was. first discovered i'll cell
occupied by woman named LA Fom-
Ian, and was very small: but Waterman
Chesley states that it spread with rap
idity that was astonishing, and before
he had given the alarm to Keeper DrlS-
coil it had gained such Roadway that
LllO only LillitS 1CLl " NC OOHC Hoo W
attempt to rescue the inmates. The two
broke the locks of the fifty cells and
then Chesley got out his wife and two
children. who lived in the build
ing. The fire extended to the main
building of the county farm. which
was occupied by over 100 of the county's
poor. Supt. Delmerritt at once organ
lied fire brigade of these people and
through their heroic efforts the fire was
subdued. One Of the female inmates of
the asylum jumped from the burning
building to the yard below, but was UNI
able to escape owing TO the high fence
that surrounded that portion of the
building and shared the fate of the
others. The building was erected twenty
years ago and cost $4,000
Coroner j. l. Dashiei, or Rochester,
called together jury, and after being
sworn they visited the cellar of the de-
stroyed building, where they could see
many bodies lying. Undertaken Ward
was then ordered to remove them to
the chapel. The bodies taken out were
horribly burned and large portion of
them unrecogniZabie. The search of
the ruins will be confined tomorrow.
At 4 O'Clock the "oroncr's jury reasSem-
bled but an adjournment vas taken un-
til Saturday at 10 a. IL.