Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-08-02
MANIACS TRAPPED
IN FLAMING
ASYLUM
EIGHT BURNED TO DEATH;
MANY HUNDREDS IN PERIL
PIucky Work of Attendants
AyertS Horrible Catastrophe
in Canadian Hospital for in
sane at Hamilton.
TBy Morning Journal Special Leased wire.

BY Morning Journal Special Leased Wire.
Hamilton, ont, Aug. Eight are
dead ana many We're injured in fire
which partly destroyed one of the
main buildings of the insane asylum
ON the brow of the mountain south
west of the city early. today. There
were 500 patients in the building when
the fire was discovered. and ii was
only a we'll trained fire fighting corps
ana splendid coolness ana bravery
among the nurses and attendants
under DR.. English that averted more
frightful loss of life. There are four
buildings in the group within the asyl-
um grounds. The main building.
whore the fire occurred. four story
brick structure with basement. 200
feet in length and about seventy feet
wide. with wings at either end, The
S50 women patients occupied quarters
IN the west wins The remainder of
the building was taken up with mems
wards and contained some OF the most
desperate cases in the asylum
The women were moved without
serious difficulty to houses in the ad.
joining buildings. Tho situation among
the men was more serious. The fire
broke out on he fourth floor in what
is known as section d, where the vio-
lent insane are kept.
The most of the men, guarded by
attendants, moved down three flights
OF stairs out of the fire zone in order
ly procession, but score, driven to
frenzy by the stifflng smoke and the
excitement Of q midnight fire, fought
off their rescuers with desperate
fury Three of them, after being car
ried down to the second floor. broke
away and fled back TO the blazing cor
ridors.
The flames in the meantime had
spread down the hallway and We're
eating their way through the floor to
the third story. The asylum fire com.
pany although fighting bravely. We're
handicapped by the maniacs and were
losing control.
The city department, which had
been summoned. finally arrived, 1t
was nearly o'clock before the first
Of their apparatus was brought into
play. The firemen ran scaling lad
ders to the third and fourth floor win
dows, whore il was believed some OF
the unfortunates had fled. CraWling
into the Sitting smoke the iiremon
groped their way about until they
found a maniac, he was still able TO
offer resistance and it was necessary
to knock him senseless, when he was
dropped into the life nets below Eight
of the insane and one attendant Who
had lost consciousness in the work of
rescue were saved
The blazing roof Of the asylum,
perched on the mountain side, attract
ed the attention Of the entire city,
hundreds flocked up the hill 1t was
weird sight that presented itself,
The screams OF the 500 inmates or
the four buildings drowned every oth-
er sound. The firemen fighting hoth
flam es and the maniacs, were in con-
staut peril and frequently were seen
perched on windowsills through which
the smoke was pouring, trying to drag
forth Il struggling man Tom litz-
gerald Of the electric truck Is given
credit for the rescue Of five men, HIS
sixth broke from his grasp at VIM
dow and fell back into the flames,
where he perished.
The fire is believed to have been
caused by short circuit of an electric
wire in the store room on the top
floor.