The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-04-02
COnyictS Marched From Cells
at Fit. LeayenWOrth
SOLDIERS LEPT ON GUARD
/ 200 Soldiers Thrown Around Walls to
Prevent Escape--Panic Behind Steel
Bars-Cells So Hot That Prison
ers in Danger Of SuffocatiOn.

Leavenworth, Kan, April 2.--It took
200 United States soldiers to maintain
order and to prevent prisoners from es-
Gaping during the fire WI destroyed
four buildings Of the federal military
prison here early yesterday.
All the eight hundred prisoners were
marched out OF their cells when it seem.
ed certain that the whole prison would
be destroyed and were guarded until the
FIRE was under control Then after some
Of the cell houses had cooled sufficiently
they were marched back again
When the ere was discovered before
midnight BY sentry the entire garrison
at Fort Leavenworth turned out and the
Thirteenth Infantry, armed with rifles,
was thrown around the prison.
The fire, which probably started in the
prison tailor shop, gained rapidly and the
fire department Of Leavenworth joined
forces with the soldiers in lighting the
flames, sThe fire was confined to the cen
trail row Of buildings and consumed the
industrial departments Of The prison, in.
GLIDING the paint shop, the tailor shop,
carpenter shop and laundry. These
buildings contained many combustibles
and the flames threatened the other
buildings. The cell houses filed with
smoke and got sufFocatingly hot,
After bugle calls were sounded, the
FIRST guard line was placed about 100
feet from the prison wall and the men
in it were stationed 10 feet apart.
The second line was 200 feet farther
back. Through this line only an officer
or a soldier on duty was allowed 70
pass.
When the fire started the prisoners
yelled. 'Iet il burn" The water press
ure was poor, and as the water sputtered
uselessly from the house the prisoners
laughed The flames leaped higher and a
gust Of wind whipped smoke into the
nearest Of the three cell houses
The tone Of the prisoners changed then.
For Gods sake. take US out" they
SCREAMED IN terfo. Colonel Louehba7
oueh saw the danger and ordered the
doors unlocked The 500 prisoners fell
in, each convict with bis hands on the
shoulders Of the man in front Of him
At double quick they marched 10 the
farthest corner Of the prison enclosure,
while 100 prison guards guarded them
with leveled rifles. Two OF the conviets
famed from fright
Hall an hour after the fire broke out
the Leavenworth city fire department
reached the fort, oNthing could y done
to save tho burning buildings, however,
and tie iiremen devoted their attention
To saving the main structure.
Tho records were taken from the adj
ministration building and preparations
made to blow it mp il necessary. a new
military prison is under construction and
it Il not probable the burned buildings
win be rebuilt.
A few men were overcome by the
heat Lieut.. w. O. Jones, Thirteenth
Infantry, was painfully sealded BY a
gust of steam and hot water from a
burning roof.
Mai Thomas II. Slavens, commandant
Of the prison, said the fire was probably
caused by defective wiring. He placed
the damage at $4,000, The buildings
burned were among the Oldest at Fort
Leayenworth They were erected IN 1857
and 1855 and were first used for an army
commissary storehousc.