The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-02-25
Bio Institute For insane in Racine is
Destroyed by Flames on
Friday Evening.
KENOSHA PATIENTS ALL ESCAPE.
Message From Racine This Afternoon
States That all of the Patients Have
Been Found.
(From Saturdays Daily.

Fire destroyed the Racine county
insane asylum at Gat1iff, four miles
west of Racine at nine O'Clock last
night, and it was only with the great
est difficulty that the 1873 patients,
many of whom are from Kenosha
county, were safely gotten out of the
burning structure.
During the panic that followed, sew
era1 of the patients were injured, and
number of others escaped in the
cold and have not been captured.
Most of the inmates were scanti1y
dressed, and suffered intensely from
the cold, many of them being frost
bitten.
AS soon as the news was received in
Racine a special train was hurried to
the asylum, and the patients were
taken to that city, and are being tenn
porari1y cared for in the city hall,
court house, the auditorium, and the
police station.
At midnight the board of supervis-
ors was called into session and be-
gan to devise plans for the future care
of the unfortunate people.
The asylum is a total loss. It is be-
iieved that the damage will be fully
$4,000. The county carried insur-
ance of about 500, 900.
The fire was discovered in the north
end of the attic, shortly before nine
o'clock. The facilities, for fighting
+Lo HI ~ q q xuo+-o 1s4,,;+ad ,.d 49, Go
made such progress that all hopes of
saving the structure were abandoned,
and the efforts of Supt. and Mrs.
Frank diversion, and ex-Supt and Mrs.
E. Harden, assisted by the attendants,
were directed towards the rescue of
the inmates.
The work was necessarily slow, be-
cause it was hard to handle the un-
fortunates. Several of the more VIC
lent ones refused to leave their beds
and had to be overpowered and drag
ged from the burning building, only
to be turned loose out in the cold.
Others became frantic when they
saw the smoke and flames, and refus-
ed to leave the side of the attendants
as they hurried back into the building
in search of more patients.
Several of the more violent ones
ran about the building shouting joy
ous1y as the flames circ1ed about the
easements. The more timid ones
rushed panic stricken to the ward en-
frances and caused fearful Jam in
the doorways, in which several we're
bruised and severely injured.
AS soon as possible securing parties
were sent out to search for those who
had managed to escape before the at
tendants could take charge of the
rescue, and although score or more
were brought in by the securing par
ties early this morning, ten inmates
were still missing.
Some were found in barns and sheds
in the neighborhood. Others had ap-
piled for admission at farmhouses and
were given shelter. Several of these
were violent, and caused much alarm
among the farmers who were aroused
from their midnight s1umber.
One of the patients was found in a
snow drift in an exhausted condition,
and is being cared for in one of the
farmhouses.
The news of the fire reached Racine
shortly before 10 O. CLOCK, and a relief
train was Immediately made up. "A
company of firemen and apparatus
and as many volunteers as could be
obtained, together with score of
physicians, hurried to the scene of
the fire. There was little work for
the firemen by the time they arrived,
as the building was in ashes, so all
attention was turned toward caring
for those who had been rescued.
A message from Racine late this
afternoon states that all the patients
from the asylum have been found and
that none of them were seriously in
jured. Temporary arrangements
have been made for the care of the
people and new asylum will proba-
bly, be built. It has been discovered
that the fire resulted from a defective
f1ue.
The full list of Kenosha patients in
the fire as shown by the list furnished
to the county clerk at the last visit to
the asylum is as follows:
George Bushman.
| Leo p. Burdick.
William Go1dsworthy.
| William Kaston.
| John Mcclure.
| Myron E. Moore.
Henry O'Donne11.
/ Herman Thie1
| Sofia Cober. ~
/ Ellen Courtney.
Mary Harrington.
Louisa c. Ma1n1.
! Sarah H. Riggs.
Ann Riley.
| Agnes Weller.
| H. B. Anderson.
| A very pleasant informal smoker
was given at the hall of the Kenosha
chapter of the Royal Arcanum Fri
day evening. d. ]. Harff, one Of the
/ ma Sf off GERS of the cha s,+a1- xua 9 the