Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-10-19
EXCITING FIRE IN BALTIMORE
Brush Electric Power House
Destroyed.
FLAMES SPREAD TO THE CITYJAIL
Many Prisoners Suffocated
by the Dense Smoke.
All Finally Rescued without Loss of Life
THE Brush Electric Company's Power
House Entirely Destroyed, Involving u
Heavy Loss.


Heavy Loss.
BALTIMORE, MD, Oct. 14.-At $50
o'clock, last night, fire broke out in the
power house of the Brush electric works,
Monument and Constitution streets.
The fire seat up showers Of sparks,
which flew in every direction and pro-
duced panic among the people who
live in the vicinity. They were all at
work getting their goods in order for
hurried stampede as soon as necessary.
Not far from the electric works are
the city Jail and the State penitentiary.
Nobody thought they were in danger at
first, but when the wind began to blow
great showers of burning fragments in
the direction of the Jail CONSERVATION
seemed to reign. Suddenly shout went
up "Ihe jail is on fire the Jail is on
tirew The building had become ignited
and frantic efforts were made TO put out
the flames, but in vain. The fire went
from point to point quickly, and soon
one wing was SO overspread by the
flames that its destruction was sure.
Then came the worst of all. Smoke
filled the corridors and cells, prisoners
begged piteously TO be released, deputy
wardcns rushed from place to place un-
locking the iron doors and trying to
keep tine prisoners together so that none
could escape. The smoke was so dense
that il was binding and suifocating.
The poor creatures who had not been
reached by the wardens who were un-
locking the doors screamed in terror.
Some tore their hair out by the roots,
some battered their heads against the
walls of the cells, some feel upon the floor
in faint, while others-notably the
colored plisoDers-lost their wits and
began to shout and laugh and sing.
When their doors were unlocked they
were taken out and carried to the lawn
on Buren, street front, where they were
laid upon the grass and attended by
Drs. Hill, Geer, Wood and other physi.
clans. Those OF the prisoners who could
stand were in groups ON the lawn talk
ing incoherently and looking as if they
were craZed or else stealthily moving
about looking for n chance 10 escape.
The injured were afterward taken to
the hospitals in patrol wagons.
Such, in brief, was the scene inside
the Jail. Outside, thousands of people
were on the hillsides, on the platforms
of the elevated railway and ON the streets,
look on in wonderment. The details of
the fire follow:
RECEIVING THE HELPLESS.
AT 10,45 o'clock the fire was seen cir
cling around the ventilator ON the south
wing of the Jail. Two hundred and
twenty-five prisoners were confined in
this wing and 544 in the whole building,
not including the annex. Warden Con-
stantine gave the order to release them.
Before this could be done the Jail was
filled with smoke.
Many Of the prisoners in their mad
frenzy jumped from the tiers to the
cement floor of the basement and re-
ceived painful injuries. To the specta-
tors the officers of the Jail appeared uu-
equal TO the emergency and stood help
lessly in the main corridor Fortunately
for the prisoners Police Marshals Frey
and Farnan arrived TO assist Warden
Constantine's men. Patrolmen We're sta
TONED along the walls of the Jail TO
prevent the prisoners from escaping.
When the doors were opened the terri.
ned prisoners made break for the front
gate. They were held in check by a
squad Of patrolmen and deputy wardens
ana made to stay alongside the Buren,
street wall.
On account of the fire at the electric
WORKS the lire department was slow in
getting TO work on the Jail fire, and the
entlre roof OF the south wing was ablaze
before they had water ON il. In the
meantime the entire Jail building had
been illled with smoke and the prisoners
in the north wing shrieked for help SO
loudly that their voices could be heard
above the roar of the flames, which
were consuming the south wing. Strenu-
GUS efforts were made to relieve them,
put 1t was 1870 o'clock, one and three
quarter hours after the fire started be-
fore man was carried out
The prisoners on the lower tiers were
released without much difficulty. The
upper tiers, however, were filled with
dense smoke, alike dangerous to prison.
ers and rescuers. Assistant Chief w.
Nj, Dunn and Captain Shipley of No. l
truck company, braved the danger, and
opened nearly all the cells on the top
tiers, at the risk of their lives. Assist
ant Chief Dunn was overcome by smoke
and sank to the floor before the cells on
the upper tier could be opened, and be.
tore he could be carried out of the build
ing Captain Shipley fell across him.
THE FEMALE PRISONERS.
The female prisoners in jail were con-
fined in the annex which runs north
from Madison street, east of the Jail,
and is separated from it by large yard.
Mrs. Ellen Bishop is matron. Seventy.
eight women were in the building.
They were locked in their cells. The
annex is four stories high. Colored
prisoners in peace cases and white
prisoners sentenced in court cases were
on the fourth floor. Colored prisoners
who have been sentenced in court were
ON the third floor, and white prisoners
neld IN peace cases were on the second
hoor, The ground floor is used as a
dining and general assembly hall.
The loss to the Brush Company liz
fully $1,0O0000. The jail was damaged
to the extent of $4,000.
m