Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-12-04


IN snce Responded to by Many Wilmington
III policemen and Firemen-Burned Wings
II Are to be Rebuilt Immediately.
ff Fire last Saturday night destroyed
|}Etthe entire east wing of the Now Castle
County Workhouse. containing all OF
3{hhe working equipment and valuable |
3hnachinery of that institution. During |
|S SXkhe excitement of the fire aBucky' /
#5tCunningham, Fl one of the prisoners, |
|S6umped through window of the resi-
|5bience portion Of the building taxi
|5Bbng the sash out with him. and
|&shscaped. Cunningham is notorious
|& &ikharacter and made two attempts to
s.5ksoape. Once he was intercepted by
zsP Police Officer Harry Pierce. The tire
3l6briRinated in the work room. The
4 H1ames had gained considerable head
e hkay by the time the city fire companies
Il Unassigned to the work arrived on the
Il &&cene. While the building ig insured
4 4 the loss to the prison will be great, as
f. Ethe work room had just begun to pay
u Something. Last month it made about
3{e600 for the institution and the trustees
&. were congratulatlng themselves over its
Hil Success.
Elal After the excitement of the discovery
Hf i}pf the fire had somewhat subsided the
E4 4Alprisoners, l76 in number, were taken
4 |SsIto the walled inclosure at the end OF
#the tunnel, near the powerhouse, and
4 & fwere kept there until the fire was
Il jgotten under control, when they were
ii k Returned to their cells. Both stories
|3}A fof the east wing of the building we're
" completely Quilted, but the fire fighters
2Ilikept the flames from doing much
4l,lhamage to the interior of the remainder
siltof the structure.
IfltI lob diGpnVarad
ihe fire and gave the alarm. 1t was
fftIshortly before 6 O'Clock when Matron
\ SE ESinith noticed that there was fire in
the workroom. She gave the alarm and
Hiltsucceeded in getting the seven female
b Ipr;soners out of the building. The only
E.H tmishap to her charges was caused by
1.-The breaking of the elevator rope which
I, #allowed Mrs. Eliza Rowe to drop
swith the cage from the second story to
Il lfthe cellar and she sustained slight
n t&ini iuries to her hip and back. She got
II Min the elevator without theneonsent of
II Athe matron. The discovery of the fire
Il as told by Mrs. Smith to a reporter of
irhe Gazette was as follows:
Nf 81 was in my room, which is near
H khe workroom. 1t was about 90 minutes
lsf O'Clock. Suddenly the electric
lights in my department went out, and
hbout the same time light flashed
the workroom into my room win
llNiow and across my bed. | saw at once
fNlRkhat there was fire in the workroom.
Nl,alled my husband through the tele-
A TEphone but got no answer. | then BILE y
4 Nfny whistle. This failed to bring any
lIIresponse from the guards below, SO
klgot the women prisoners together and
NNlbhrowing the door open gave the alarm
IlEAgith my voice. Mr.. Meserve told me
N ID remain where / was with my female
NV prisoners until he sent for me. re-
/ III lfmained right there until the word was
II St;ent to me TO bring my women and
&0lhbome down. | could see the flames and
&ll5 had plenty of smoke by the time was
HlF j,alled. My women behaved nicely.
M ELIZA got on the elevator without
}fgt being told by me to do so and the rope
E#s broke, letting her down into the cellar.
4s6 IShe complains Of having injured hel
4*g Iback and hip"
z'iAB{ .'In what Tart of the workroom dc
# Iyou think the fire started?'' she wal
asked. t'In the ceiling of the work
* FHIroom, from the way that the light frs
i Nj lshone across my bed,' she replied.
N Chief of Police George Black had ;
I Ntussle with colored prisoner in th'
4 *& lftunnel. He subdued the unruly prisone
n &kby giving him good choking.
.#X Loss ABOUT $50, 600.
9H&j3 A. S. Reed of the firm of A. S. Reet
9&4k& Bro. Co., the builders of the work
Hs Mhouse, drove out to Greenbank Sun
# DAY and looked at the ruins. He ex
M Spressed the opinion that it would cos
about S25, 600 to rebuild the burne
fportion of the building. The total los
fwill probably be $50, 600. The east win
IN Lis now but blackened walls, and th
roofs are burned from the whole build
i'll ling with the exception Of the west wing
# Lin which the men s cells are located
i&&8 The trustees and Warden Meserv
*were in conference Sunday while
M prisoners, under the supervision of tn
&Z guards, were cleaning up the debris
# WHt will take 100 men about two week
2 # Ito get the wreckage cleared away.
M While the 1863 male prisoners weI
i IA kent in the inclosure at the west en-
of the tunnel on Saturday night tn
MI guards and policemen patrolled th
wall and guarded them with rife!
The colored prisoners seemed to thin
H #nat the occasion was one for rejoioin
and they made the place resound wit
$3 Enusical negro melodies. 1t resemble
81 n southern plantation scene. About
Hb'elock there came rush of watt
Il Down the tunnel and the inclosure WI
n '1t< Bo much flooded that Warden MeserN
E Il #brdered the prisoners returned to the
al bells.
M Chief of Police Black and the da
h orce of city police did excellent wor
IN assisting the officers and trustees
&he institution during the transfer
Nc prisoners and in fighting the fir
k rs Although it took the Wilmington fl
1mpanies over an hour to get to ii
&nene and the water supply being
Hittle unhandy to get at, good servi'
Nas rendered by them and it looks
N the whole building would have bee
lestroyed but for their work.
&VE lmmediately after the fire was di
! IN tvered two messages were sent to Il
EmN Wilmington Fire and Police Depar
&A 2nents for assistance, one from Ward,
H II ~ eserye at the workhouse and Il
bther from General Manager Crook
|Ehe Peoples Railway Co, who saw Il
4 names from his residence at Brand
P 81 ine Springs.
Il The Weoracoe, Water Witch and Uni'