Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-02
STARTS ON THE Fpr - oA
Men Inmates Hamper sscuers by
Making Desperate Resistance
WOMEN PATIENTS T7ACTABLE
Four Buildings in One Group Within
Asylum Grounds.
There Were Eight Hundred Patients
in InstitHtion, but Efficient Work
OF Firemen Prevents Greater
Loss OF Life.

HAMILTON. Ont. Aug. 1--At least eight
and perhaps ten lives were lost in a fire
which partly destroyed one of the main
buildings Of the insane asylum on the
side OF the mountain southwest OF the city
early today There were 500 patients in the
buildings when the fire was discovered and
it was only a well-traTned fire fighting
corps and splendid GOODNESS and bravery
among the nurses and attendants under
DR.. English that averted a more frightful
loss Of life.
There are four buildings In the group
within the asylum grounds. The main
building where the fire occurred is a four
story brick structure with basement, 200
feet in length and about seventy feet wide
with wings at either end. The women pa
tents numbering about $50. occupied quar-
ters in the west wing. The remainder OF
the buildings was taken up with men 9
wards and contained some of the most
desperate cases in the asylum
Maniacs become violent.
The women were moved without serious
difficulty to houses in the adjoining build
ings. The situation among the men was
more. serious The fire broke out on the
fourth floor in what is known as section D.
most of the men, guarded by attendants
moved down three flights OF stairs out Of
the fire zone in orderly procession. but
about a score driven into a frenzy by the
sitting smoke. and the excitement of a
midnight fire. fought off their rescuers with
desperate fury. Three of them. after be-
ing carried down to the second floor, broke
away and fled back to the blazing cor
ridors.
The flames in the meantime had suread
down the hallway and were eating their
way through the floor TO the third story
The asylum brigade although fighting
bravely, were handicapped by the maniacs
and were losing control.
City Brigade Arrives.
The city brigade, which was summoned.
was then toiling up the almost precipitous
roadway leading to the asylum grounds
1t was nearly o'clock before the first
Of their apparatus was brought into play
The fremen ran sealing ladders CD 70 The
third and fourth floor Windows, where n
was believed some OF the unfortunate had
fled. They found II difficult work to break
down the iron gratings on the windows. and
the fire in the meantime was growing
fiercer every minute. Crawling into the
sitting smoke the firemen grouped their
way about until they found a maniac.
He was still able TO offer resistance and II
was necessary 10 knock him senseless.
when he was dropped into the life nets be-
low. Eight OF the insane and one atten-
dant who had lost consciousness in the
the work of rescue were saved. and IL was
believed at o'clock that every patient
had been taken out OF the burning section
OF the building.
Eight Bodies Found.
| The combined fire forces had the situ-
alton well in hand by $50 a. m. The upper
floors and the roof OF the east wing were
burned and the lower floors were flooded
with water. As the firemen worked their
way into the burned section. bodies were
found. Three were in the hallway on the
top floor and one helpless paralytic was
burned TO death in his cell Four more
corpses were found huddled together in a
small room
| At dawn a systematic checking up of
the inmates was begun and il was found
that between ten and twelve were missing.
1t was thought probable that some of these
had escaped and were still at large in the
surrounding fields
| Five bodies have been identified.