The San Francisco call., 1909-11-19
Mills Ward of St. Lnke's Burned.
Following Discharge of
Drunken EmplOye
Brave Nurses Rush to Aid oil
Their Patients and Save
Many Lives
Dismissed Scrnbman Driven
Away by the Police After
Making Threats
When Accused of Crime Offers
Resistance and Is Overcome
by the Officers


THE presence of mind and cour-
age of three remarkably self
= possessed young women saved
the lives of many helpless persons
when the Mills ward of St. Luke's
hospital, Twenty-seventh and Valen-
cia streets, burned at an early hour
yesterday morning through the al
legged incendiarism of Thomas Z.
Saunders, a discharged employe of the
hospital. Saunders is in the city
prison, awaiting formal charge of
committing the crime He was ar
rested in Michaers saloon, Twenty
eighth and Valencia streets, at 10:45
o'clock yesterday morning. The wing
of the hospital which he is accused
of maliciously setting on FIRE was not
entirely destroyed, but the flames and
smoke which ruined it jeopardized the
lives of II bedridden sufferers. For
tunately all of them were rescued un-
scathed, Frank White, an orderly in
the ward, being the only person in
Nurse Sees Smoke
jared.
Ii was 5:45 O'Clock Thursday
morning when Miss Luna Tuly, a
nurse ON night duty in the Mills ward,
discovered smoke seeping through the
holes made for radiator pipes on the
first floor of the building. She realized
the peril of hospital fire. particularly
as the structure was a frame one, but
she did not scream or indulge herself
in fit of hysteria as was her feminine
prerogative Quickly and quietly she
aroused the II patients and informed
her sister nurses, Miss Maud McLoud
and Miss Kittie Ivory, that the ward
was on fire. Miss McLoud FASTENED
into the other wards and awakened
the internes and the other nurses,
while>~Miss Ivory turned in the FIRE
alarm These. three modest heroines
undoubtedly prevented the loss of
many lives and the destruction of the
entire hospital
Carries Out Patients
Mills ward is one of a group of
frame buildings connected by covered
passageways and in a few moments
the entire hospital was aroused. The
first able bodied man on the scene
was Frank White, an orderly and as
sistant steward, who was sleeping in
the Keene ward, Immediately adioin-
ing. He was awakened by Miss Tully
and seizing a sheet, which he soaked
with water. he rushed into the burning
building, which by this time was en-
veloped in smoke and flames at each
of its four corners. Reckless of con-
sequences he made his way through
the rooms to the rescue of the patients
He carried three of the four who were
| utterly helpless to points of safety
and assisted several others to escape
from the burning building before he
was overcome by smoke. Those whom
he bodily carried ont are Mrs. George
Munger and her newly born daughter
and Mrs D. F. Dunn
Doctor Is a Hero
Another hero is DR.. Lloyd A. Craig.
resident physician of st. Mary's hos
pital, who has been seriously i'll at
the hospital for two weeks. Until the
occurrence of the fire he had been un-
able to help himself in the slightest
degree, but under the stress of the ex-
citement he jumped from his bed. hast
lily threw en- a few garments and start
ed to make his escape As he was
feeling his way out of the smoke filed
building he heard the cries of Mrs.
]. Simpson. another patient, and went
to her rescue. With strength almost
miraculously returned he lifted the
woman from her bed. elrried her to the
entrance of the building. down a flight
of steps TO the lawn and 100 feet be-
yond. when he tainted from exhaustion.
DIR. F. w. Birtch. residents physician
of ST. Luke's. directed the work of re-
moving the patients from the Keene
ward. which was threatened by the
eon1a grafton. his working force con-
sisting of Drs- Herbert BowIes. G. A.
Wrinkle, Edward Shoff. Edgar Leavfts
and William Wood, internes. Doctor
Birtch accords the nurses named. par
ticularly Miss Tully. the greatest credit
for saving the menaced patients.
Among the thrilling incidents of tia