Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-01
MANlACS IN THEIR FEAR
BATTLE WITH RESCUERS
Cries Of Eight Hundred Patients
Drowned Other Sounds.
SOME PROBABLY AT LARGE
Checking Up Shows More Missing
Than Number of Bodies Recov-
ered-Defective Wiring
Is Blamed.

HAMILTON. Ont. August 1.-At least
eight and perhaps ten lives were lost in
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 800
patients in the building when the fire was
discovered. and it was only a well trained
fre-fightins corps and splendid GOODNESS
and bravery among the nurses and at
tendants under DR.. English that averted
a more ,rightful 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 base
ments. 300 feet in length and about sew
enty feet wide, with wings at either end.
The woman patients, numbering about
$50. occupied quarters in the west wing.
The remainder of the building was taken
up with mems wards, and contained some
OF the most desperate cases in the
asylum.
Maniacs Fought Rescuers.
The women were moved without Sc
" the dOJOlHlliS Ouilo-
ings. The situation among the men was
more serious. The fire broke out on the
fourth floor. in what is known as section
D. where the violent insane are kept
The most OF the men, guarded by at
tendants. moved down three flights Of
stairs out of the fire zone in orderly pro-
cession, but about a score. driven into
frenzy by the sitting smoke and the ex-
element of a midnight fire, fought OF
their rescuers with desperate fury.
Three OF them after being carried down
TO the second floor broke away and fed
back to the turning corridors. The flames
In the meantime had spread down the
hallway and were eating their way through
the floor to the third story. The asylum
brigade, although lighting bravely. was
handicapped by the maniacs and was
losing control.
The city brigade which had been sum-
moned was then toiling up the almost
precipitous roadway leading to the asy-
lum grounds. II was nearly O'Clock be-
fore the first of the apparatus was
brought into play.
Iron Bars Give Trouble.
The firemen ran scaling ladders up to
the third and fourth floor windows, where
il was believed some of the unfortunates
had fed. They found it dificult work to
break down the iron gratings: on the win
dows. and the fire in the meantime was
growing iercer every minute. Crawling
into the sitting smoke. they 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 In this way. and it
was believed at ; O'Clock that every pa
/ tient had been taken out of the burning
section OF the building
The combined fire forces had the situa-
tion we'll in hand BY $50 a m. The two
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
more corpses were found huddied to-
gether in small room.
Ten or Twelve Missing.
At dawn a systematic checking up of
the inmates was begun, and II was found
that between ten and twelve were miss
ing. 1t was thought probable that some
of these had escaped during the excite
ment and are still at large in the sur
rounding fields. Five bodies have been
identified.
The blazing roof OF the asylum. perched
upon the mountainside. attracted :he at
tention OF the entire city. The cry The
asylum Is on Are" rang through the
and hundreds Ee6 h. n. II
II was a weird sight that presented
itself. The screams OF the 500 inmates
OF the four buildings drowned every otier
sound.
The hremen, fighting both flames and
the maniacs. were inconstant peril and
frequently were seen perched on window
sills through which the smoke was pour
ing. trying to drag forth strug Cling
man.
Credit for Five Rescues.
Tillerman Tom Fitzgerald CT the cleo
tric truck is given credit for the rescue