Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-06-13
SANITARIUM BURNED
Chicago HOsnital Proved a Death
Trap For Inmates,
TEN DEAD AND MANY INJURED

Flames Spread So Quickly That Many
Persons Had to Jump From Win.
dows-sensationaI Escapes From
Fourth-story Window.
Chicago, June 10. = Nine men and /
one woman were killed and about 80 /
persons were injured, several fatally,
in a fire which yesterday afternoon de-
strOyed the sanitarium conducted by |
the Saint Luke's Society. at the cor
ner of Wabash avenue and Twenty |
first street.
By far the greater portion of the pa |
tients received in the institution were
those seeking cure from the drink |
habit and those who were addicted to
the use of drugs. When the fire broke
out there was on the fifth floor a
number of patients suffering from de-
lirium tremens. and some who were ue-
ranged by drugs. Several of these
were strapped to their beds, and it was
found impossible to save them, so ra-
pidly did the fire spread through the
building.
The fire originated in the basement
Of the building and spread rapidly
to the upper stories through the eleva-
tor shaft. The blaze was discovered
by James Newell. a grocer, who was
driving through the alley in the rear
of the building. Newell shouted to
several men in the alley to give the
alarm and to alarm the inmates of the
building. Several hurried to do this,
but by the time they reached the first
floor of the building, the flames had
been carried to the roof, had eaten
through it and We're leaping high in the
air
Several of the patients jumped from
the windows to the pavement. The
fire department was on the scene in
few minutes and as the windows were
filled with people shrieking for help
the firemen devoted their first efforts
to save lives and allowed the fire to
burn. While this was the means OF
saving a large number of people, who
were carried down the ladders by the
| firemen, it gave the fire such a head
way that there was almost no chance
for those on the upper floors of the
building to make their escape, and such
of them as were not sufocated were
killed or badly injured by leaping from
the windows.
A scene that wrought to the pitch OF
madness the great crowd that had
gathered around the building was en-
acted at a fOurth-story window on the
north side. Across this window was
a heavy wire screen, and on the out
side of the screen were iron bars run
ming parallel to the sill. Behind then
was gathered a crowd of 25 men. Els
cape in other directions was impossi
BILE for the fire filled all the halls anC
was steadily eating it's way toward
the window at which the men were
standing. The men closest to the
screen tore and tugged at it in a vaiI
effort to tear it from it's fastenings
and the men behind them fought mad
ly to get close enough to the screen Il
fasten their fingers in it. So fercel,
did the prisoners pull at the screel
that from the street below were plainl,
visible tiny streams of blood tina
trickled from lacerated fingers ant
hands and flowed over the window sill
Finally the screen was torn from it
fastenings, and after several minute
J of hard Juggling the bars were ais
torn out.
Then a new danger assailed tn
prisoners. The crowd behind, heal
ing that at last the way was opeI
) pushed forward with such haste tina
those near the window were nearl
, forced through to meet death on tn
sidewalk, four stories below. The frs
man through was DR.. G. A. Anderson
2 of Chicago. He hestitated for an il
r slant, then sprang for the fire escape
l clutched it and was saved. The mex
l man through the window was G. s
, Colt. Anderson was so much e.
e hausted that he was not able to dra
e Colt after him and Colt was so badl
s burned that he was not able to max
I the leap himself Clinton Osborn
r crawled out beside Colt and told tn
men inside to grasp his feet. Til
they did, and, telling Colt to take hol
of his wrists and drop over the windo
s sill, Osborne, hanging head downwar
Z swung Colt to and fro until he hs
e acquired sufficient momentum, an
L then swung him up and onto the Ian
l. ing of the fire escape, where DIR. A,
o derson seized and held him. He an
/ Colt then formed a chain, Colt hol
IS ing to the fire escape, and Anderso
is tightly held by Colt with one han
y reaching out toward the window,
le that the men one by one as the
N crawled through were able to take OF
Ie step on a ledge and make a short les
to the platform of the fire escap
down which they made their way
re the ground. twenty-five men mat
an their escape in this manner, and wht
lis the last one passed under the ire
les bar the building was a furnace clo
nc behind them.