Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-08-01
INSANE MEN
DIE IN FIRE
Great Asylum at Hamilton,
Ontario, a Scene of
Terror
PATIENTS FLEE SCREECH|NC
Many Ran Back Into the Furnace
of Seething Flames and
Perished.

Hamilton Ont, Aug, Eight are
dead and many were injured in a fire
which partly destroyed one OF the
main buildings of the insane asylum
on the side Of the mountain south
west of the city early today.
There were 500 patients in thu
building when the fire was discovered
and it was only a we'll trained fir,
| fighting corps and. splendid coolnesi
and bravery among the nurses and at
tendants under DR.. English tha
averted more frightful loss of life
There are four buildings in th'
group within the asylum grounds Thu
main building, where the fire occurred
lis four story brick structure will
basement 200 feet in height and about
seventy feet wide, with wings at eth
er end. The $50 women patients oc
cupied 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.
Crazy Men Fight Rescuers.
The women were moved without
serious difficulty to houses in the ad,
joining buildings. 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 attend.
ants, 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 desper
ate fury. Three of them, after being
carried down to the second floor
broke away and fled back to the blaz
ing 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 fighting bravely were handi
capped by the maniacs and were los
ing control.
Had to Knock Down Insane Men.
The city brigade, which had beer
summoned, finally arrived. 1t was
nearly o'clock before the first ol
their apparatus was brought into play
The firemen ran scaling ladders to
the third and fourth floor windows
where it was believed some of the
unfortunates had fled. Crawling into
the sitting smoke the firemen groped
their way about until they found a
maniac. He was still able to offer re
sistance and 1t 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 res
cue, were saved. The blazing of the
asylum, perched on the mountain side
attracted the attention of the entire
city. Hundreds flocked up the hill.
Screams Of 300 Inmates.
1t was a weird sight that presented
itself. The screams of 500 inmates o1
the four buildings drowned every 9th
er sound. The firemen, fighting both
the flames and the maniacs, were in
constant peril and frequently were
seen perched on window sills through
which the smoke was pouring, trying
to drag forth a struggling man.
Rescued Five Men.
Tom Fitzgerald, of the electro
truck, is given credit for the rescu
of five men. His sixth broke from
his grasp at window and fled bacl
into the flames, where he perished.
The fire is believed to have bee
caused by a short circuit of an elet
trio wire in the store room on the to-
floor.