New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-11

buttons, the great majority were chronic cases.
The only means of protection were fire pals set in
quartet along the corridors, each bucket hlled
with water There was no force pump, and the
nearest efficient fire apparatus was four miles OIL
by the lonely ice-bound road. Here were upward
of forty eight persons, a third Of whom were nm
der lock and KEY, at the mercy of the fire, with
which mad woman was so recklessly ir' licking
The keeper succeeded in opening fifteen cell doors
before he WAS obliged to fly for his life and escape
Sy jumping from window. The flames rushed
through the corridors the length of the building
n35 feet and the smoke enveloped the stairs
There was no escape except by the windows and
the lunatics on the second floor soon became fren-
lied They laughed and sang and shouted, while
some sat Supplied and gazed with melancholy
pleasure upon the approaching flames. The build
ing soon became furnace.
The county farm house was burned twelve
years ago. thirteen persons losing their lives prob
ably because the County Commissioners would not
consent TO the expense Of a night watchman a
new building Of brick erected on the same
site and the insane department building. winch
was the scene of last nights fire,
was built near by. Legislative Com
mittee called the attention of the County COM
missioners to the condition of the new insane
asylum as regards facilities for escape in case OF
arom the lower a single staircase in the cen
ire of the building, boxed in, and every night both
doors of this stairway were kept locked. The
committee recommended the addition Of another
etNrcase at the rear CT the building, and II is said
THAT this was added The fire escapes, 1t is SAID,
were not added TO the building
Frank p Waldron, Of this city, seems TO bc
the only person not connected with the burned
institution who secured fair view of last night s
fire and is able to give lucid account of the
scene He arrived at the scene thirty-fve min
utes after the fire had been discovered. The
asylum was entirely in flames. The building then
WAS practically gone. THE paurcrS from the main
building" says Mr. WadrOn, e should Judge
dozen or fifteen Of them, were running wildly
around not doing anything to stay the fire. but
shouting and crying in fear i at once made up
the asylum, they We're beyond hope Of succor.
pouring water on the main building to keep that
from catching fire from sparks. Perhaps there
were thirty persons there. directed by the super;
intendent They had small lo rubber t r anG
s sS the ene structure ics that was in aanss:
drawn from the sinks in the main building. At
that time inmates were also turning cattle out
Of the barn and driving them to small barn
kept in safety. There were three bodies then in
eight. I did not want to see more. 1t was an
awful spectacle One body was on the ground
outside about ten feet away from the burning
wall Another lay on stonewOrk just inside the
WALL. where the flames had consumed everything
combdstble. The third was hanging outside OF
the wall near a window 1t looked as if the person
90 whom this body had belonged had been awak
ened by the smoke and flames and had rushed 10
a window and wrenched at the iron bars in order
to escape. When the walls fell the body hung
out Of what was the window frame and was held
by piece of charred timber. Three walls went
down before the flames as approached the farm
and tile fourth fell after had been there
about five minutes. 1he rooms in which the in
mates slept were merely wooden cells and were
not constructed TO keep schcmina State prisoners
from escaping. Portions Of bodies We're pel
promscuously among the timbcrs, so that II is
impossible to tell how many met death in their
beds"
Concord, n. H., Feb Ie.-The House this after
noon adopted resolutions authorizing the state
Board Of Health TO investigate the causes OF
last nights disaster at the STAFFORD County farm,
with Instructions to report as early as possible.