The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-13

cottages alLdcneQ 10 the oldle InSddlS
Asylum here was burned at o'clock this
morning. Seventeen female patients are
unaccounted for and are supposed to have
perished in the building. The names Of the
missing and the counties from where they
came are:
AUGUSTA BOFRSE, Lake county.
JULIA ERICKSON, Meade.
ELLA L0KK FN. Coddington.
JOSINA OLSON, Hamlin.
MARTENIA TENNYSON, Pennington.
ELIZABETH STOLPE, Dawson.
MAGGIE FLYNN, Hamlin.
LUCINA GOSSAGE, Hamlin.
ADELINA HURLEY. Potter.
CHRISTINA JOHNSTON. Coddington.
JENNIE KRONIG, Pennington.
LUCIA KEENE, Coddington.
CAROLINE LINDBERG, Brown.
KATIE PLAYITZ, Bonhomme.
GAINI SWANSON, Kingsbury.
The cottage was erected of stone and
granite walls with wooden interior and was
intended for laundry purposes, but owing to
the crowded condition Of the main building
forty of the female patients were placed
here, with the laundry in the basement.
The exact cause of the fire is not known,
except that it originated in the dryroom
Of the laundry. There was coil of steam
pipes in the room and the theory is that
either fine particles similar to lint settled
on the pipes and ignited, or that clothes
which were thickly hung about dropped on
the pipes and were fired.
The fighting of the fire was greatly him
dered by loss of power The burned cot
tage stood about three hundred feet in the
rear of the main building. the water tank
which is for fire protection being one hun
dred feet in the rear of the cottage. The
steam pipes used for pumping run from
the boiler room of the main building
through the cottage for heating and then
to the artesian well or tank. The intense
heat in the burning building caused the
pipes to burst shortly after the fighting Of
the fire began, thus leaving the fire fighters
without power and forcing them to depend
entirely on direct pressure from the tank,
which was in no way sufficient to quench
the fierce flames. Two streams of water
were thrown on the building, but did little
good.
With the thermometer standing at % de-
grees below zero it was a heartrending
sight to witness thosa who escaped come
down the narrow flight of stairs in their
night clothing and bare feet into the bitter
cold, and had it not been for the nearness
of shelter the suffering and probable loss
of life from freezing would have been ter
rible. The building was three stories high,
with an attic and two entrances one east
and one west. There was one stairway from
the second and third floors which led into
the main halls to these entrances, thus Civ
ing but one egress for those in the second
and third floors and attic. Fifty-two per-
sons were in the burning building, forty
patients and twelve female attendants. The
attendants escaped, as did the others who
were saved, with none of them personal ef-
fects, many losing all that they possessed.
The loss of this building places the institu-
ton practically where it was prior to the
erection of the new cottage just completed
intended for the accommodation of patients,
but it will be minus laundry. An inquest
is now in progress at the asylum which
may develop the exact cause of the fire. 1t
is not thought blame will be attached to
anyone for carelessness. Portions of charred
remains can be seen in the debris at the
bottom of the basement. which appear to
be in a pile near the northeast we'll. The
work of removing the remains and debris
will begin in the morning. The four walls
of huge stone still stand black and grim
and will make the work of removal dan
gerous, as a collapse is liable to come with
out a moments warning. Competent labor
will be employed for the removal of the
walls, debris and remains. The replacing of
the laundary will necessarily be made at
once and undoubtedly steps for the imme-
date replacing of the building will be
taken. The asylum, in 1882, then frame
building, was destroyed and only six lives
lost. Except for loss of property, it was in
no sense an instance to this mornings fire.
The total loss on building and machinery is
estimated to be $lS00O. No insurance.