The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-10
luRID DAY WITH LUNATlCS.
urILDING FOR NEGROES AT MIL
LEDGEVILLE BURNED.

All the Inmates Rescued and No One
seriously Injured - The Fire
HreaIxs Out at Noon and Burns for
More Than Eight Hours The Pa
.iopts wild With Excitement and
controlled With Great Difficulty.
NIHledgeville, Ga. Nov. 9.-The negro
buiIdjng of the Georgia insane asylum
caught fire this afternoon about 1905
o'clock and continued burning for eight
hours. consuming almost the entire build
Ing.
All the inmates were rescued as far as
now known, and no serious injury is re-
ported as yet.
As soon as the building was found to
he on fire the officers in charge hurriedly
set about the rescue of the inmates. Tho
ron floors were cleared first and the pa
tients carried down to the ground floor,
and from there out into the different yards
connected with that building, where they
were kept until it was seen that the build
ing could not be saved. The patients were
then taken to the yards of the other build
ings. 1t was a most pitiful sight to see
the poor crazy inmates as they huddled
together and into the corners, looking as
if they were fearful of being burned. The
screams that rent the air were enough
TO have turned a heart of stone to one
of pity for the poor creatures. When they
were being carried from their grounds to
other enclosures it was impossible for the
guards to keep them together, and now
and then one broke away from the crowd
screaming and ran in search of a place in
which to hide, and it was with considera-
bic trouble that they were safely placed.
The city fire bell rang at 1920 O'clock
calling out the city f1remen and in a very
short time they were fastening towards
the asylum. When the city reels arrived
the inmates had all been taken from the
building, and the firemen went to work to
try and save the building, or as much of it
as possible. 1t was with difficulty that
they could reach the top of the building, as
all the man holes were cut off by smoke
that could not be gone through, and other
means had to be resorted to until two lad
ders could be spliced The fire was first
seen in the cone of the east wing, and no
one seems to know how it originated. To
this end of the building some of the fire.
men hastened and by heroic efforts saved
the annex, which was built about two
years ago, and used as dining hall, and al
SO part of the main building adjoining.
After two hours it was seen that it was
impossible for the force at work to get
the fire under control, and Macon was tel
egraphed to for aid. A remarkably
quick trip was made with large lot of
hose from that place, and although the
building was doomed when the Maconites
arrived, they did valuable service.
A strong wind blowing from the north
west made the fire unmanageable, and the
Sitting smoke after eight hours was as
strong as at first, and greatly hampered
the work of the firemen. At o'clock the
fire was very nearly under control, when
the main water pipe burst, which made
the firemen helpless to do more, and what
had, up to this time, been saved was at
the mercy of the flames, and the entire
negro building was destroyed.
This building was one of the largest on
the grounds, having nearly 700 inmates
The group OF buildings constituting the
section covered about four acres. The
fire started in the attic, above one of the
wards, on the east side, and was discover
ed by DR.. Detail, who was attending one
of the patients. The fire walls of the
building did not extend to the roof and
as consequence, the fire Travelled under
the roof and dropped sparks below The
tiers being divided by solid brick walls,
the progress of the flames was slow but
steady, about ten hours elapsing before il
was checked. Portions of the section were
saved, but the major part was gutted. The
asylum water service was excellent.
DR.. Powell, superintendent of the asy-
lum, estimates the loss at about 100000,
including buildings and furniture upon
which there is insurance of 50 per cent.
There is room enough in the other build
ings to temporarily care for those who
were dislodged by the fire. The legislature
of Georgia is now in session, and prompt
relief will be granted the asylum