New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-25


story of the annex, where the fire
started.
The inmates in the various buildings,
many of whom were bedridden, were
terrorstricken, and, despite their physi-
cal condition, many Of them dragged
themselves to the windows and tried to
leap to the ground. 1t was due only ="
the efforts Of the attendants that some
failed in their attempt.
Patients Helpless in Bed.
II was about noon wnen the fire was
discovered by one Of the attendants, in
the ceiling of one Of the rooms of the
annex. He informed the superintend-
ent, c. i. Markham, who gave the
alarm, which quickly assembled all the
employees of the institution. OF the
sixty patients in the building more than
dozen were lying helpless or their
cots. They were picked up, cots and
all, by the attendants and carried from
the blazing structure.
In the mean time the six hundred
patients i'm the other buildings had be-
come wildly excited Many of them
broke away from the few attendants
sent TO watch them and dashed madly
about. Some rushed from the building.
and after getting outside made for the
annex. Several of these, as though
fascinated by the towering flames that
by this time enveloped the annex,
dashed for the doorways.
A force Of employees on guard for just
such an attempt had its hands full in
driving the insane back from the blaz-
ing entrances. Monrady, however,
euded the attendants and rushed up
the burning stairways. Two of the at
tendants hurried after him, but were
driven back by tie flames. Later
Mondrays charred body was found
about twenty feet from the doorway.
In the excitement another patient
evaded the attendants and managed TO
get inside a small corncrib, not far
from what is known as the boys cot
tage." This crib caught fire later and
the plight of the insane man was dis
covered. A dog which the patient had
picked up in his fight was responsible
for the discovery of the man, the heat
causing the animal to give vent to
shrill barks. When the insane man
was dragged out he held the dog firmly
grasped in his arms, and was in high
state of merriment at the antics of the
animal and sight of the flames.
Fire Reaches Boys Cottage.
From the annex the blaze leaped to
the boys cottage" only a few feet
away In this building there were
fifteen patients, some of whom had To
be carried out by the attendants. Al.
were taken outside, however, in good
time. These patients, with the other
rescued ones, were placed in other
buildings out of reach of the flames.
In the mean time the alarm had been
turned in by DR.. John F. Louder, one
Of the owners of Knickerbocller Hall,
which adjoins the Brunswick Home on
the north and west. The firemen re-
sponded promptly, but found the sup
ply of water inadequate TO fight the
rapidly spreading flames effectually.
The firemen gave their attention to
saving the other buildings of the insti-
tuition, and this after a bitter struggle
they succeeded in doing. The flames
at one time gave evidence OF spreading
to Louden Hall and the Long Island
Home. Another sanatorium near by
caught fire. but the blaze was sxtin-
guished without much damage. The
patients In these buildings were care
fully guarded by attendants and all es-
capped injury. The employees OF these
two buildings aided the work of the
firemen by forming bucket brigades.
which kept the roofs thoroughly wet
ted.
In the work of getting the patients
from the two buildings which were de-
stroyed the attendants and citizens who
had volunteered had lots of trouble in
preventing the insane patients from get
ting away from the place entirely. Sew
eral of the patients. while being led TO
other buildings, bolted from the lines
that had been formed. and some were
chased for a considerable distance before
they were captured.
Attendants Worked Like Heroes.
1t was at first thought that at least
Ave persons had lost their lives and that
twenty-five were missing, but after the
walls Of the buildings where the fire CEN
tired had fallen search disclosed only
the body of Mondary.
According TO DR.. Markham, the reports
submitted to him last night Indicated