Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-24
BLAME RESTS WITH STATE
Criminal Neglect Shown in Providing for
Yankton Insane Asylum,
coRoNsR'S JURY MAKES CAREFUL REPORT
Main Building il stiII Considered Tn
safe Owing to Imperfect Fire Pro-
lection. nnd Lives of Patients
Continually In jeopardy.

YANKToN, s. D., Feb. 28.-(special)-D
c.. G.. Gross, coroner Of the jury that investi-
gated into the disastrous fire at the State
Asylum for the Insane, has issued a letter
for the benefit OF the public, giving the best
possible Information Of the facts that were
necessarily brief in the verdict returned by
the jury. The letter is a long one, express
ing personal opinions which he formed from
hearing the sworn statements Of over thirty
witnesses. He comedies with the verdict of
the jurors, believing that these men, after
having seen all the witnesses, heard all of
the testimony, seen all the maps and dia-
grams, inquired into all the circumstances
and particulars and inspected all of the
buildings, we're best qualified to judge in
the matter. His letter covers five imports
ant questions, as follows;
First-Why was there no night Waterman
in or about the laundry building On the
night Of the fire?
Second-Why we're eight patients locked
into a dormitory and why was the dormitory
not unlocked after the lire was discovered?
Third-Why were insane patients ara at
PENDANTS from the main building sleeping in
this building, which was intended and con-
structod for laundry purposes?
Fourth-Why was clothing in the drying
room in the basement the night of Saturday,
February II?
Fifth-Why was the pressure OF water in
the hose during the fire so inadequate for
fighting fire and why could not the steam
pump at the well be operated that night?
Legislatures Are NiggnrdIy.
His answer to the first practically reflects
upon past legislatures In not appropriating
sufficient money with which to employ one
The treatment of the second tells that the
eight patients locked in the dormitory were
patients who were Enthusiastically at night
and owing to there being no night watch
man 1t was necessary to lock them in. In
answering why the dormitory was not I'M
locked Coroner Gross goes into the details
OF the fire and although the door was not
unlocked, he tells plainly why, under the
circumstances, no one was found guilty OF
carelessness. He commends in the highest
terms, as did the jury, the noble work OF
the first and second attendants in their eff
forts to save all lives.
The third question again reflects back to
the legislatures. OF this in part he says
'That the state has been criminally negli-
gent and was the party essentially respon-
sible for this horrible catastrophe by means
of which seventeen wards of the state came
to their death, was evident from the testi-
mony of the first witness called, and was
utNcloptu dIu olll llltu ny IhS o-ibiN
of each succeeding witness until the evil
dence against the state became so over
whelming and convincing that were the
state a party liable to criminal prosecution
the coroner would have been compelled to
issue a warrant for its arrest"
He quotes various reports of the superin-
tendent and Board of Charities and Cor
~rections to the different bodies of Legislators
and tells of the apparent Indifference witt
which they were received.
No Money is Wasted.
He dispels q suspicion that many have en-
tertained regarding dances given at the
hospital and says: 1T has been thought by
many that the expense of the dances given
at the hospital by the employees on various
occasions has been borne by the state, and
that the. money used in this and other ways
should have been used for legitimate and
necessary expenses. The superintendent ant
the president of the board testified that no
q dollar had been expended for any such
purpose, the expense being borne by the EN-
ployes and officers themselves. The only
expense these semi-annual entertainment
have been to the state has been for the
small amount of materials required for the
refreshments and was estimated to have
amounted to less than So annually.
The answer as to why clothing was In
Ine Crying TOOH ludI HlSuI 10 lndI III
capacity of that room was too limited tC
permit all the clothing being dried during
the day.
In treating the fifth question he shows
that the water supply was not sufficient
that the pressure has always been made
quate. The pumps are apparently all good
ones, but under the circumstances. with thu
steam connection injured, the direct pres.
sure from the tank was insufficient, and fol
fire protection the amount of water is fal
from being enough.
His letter concludes with many sugges'
tons and communications for needed i'm
p~rovements. From which is quoted the fol
lowing: The conditions existing at the
present time about the hospital are unsafe
and will continue to jeopardize the lives o.
patients, employees and officers so long as
the state fails to provide the funds to cor
rect them. The coroner and jury inspected
the entire institution and they unanimously