The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-11-25
INSANE MEN RUSH BACK
INTO BURNING ASYLUM
One Frightened Maniac Dies i'm
Flames Under Porch at
Amityvillc Home.
TWO BUILDINGS ARE LOST
Sparks Set Fire to Beds Of Pa
ticnts in Nearby state
Institutions.

AMIrYvlLLE. L. l., Nov. - The An
Home for the Insane in this village were
burned to the ground to-day and .
patient, Fritz Mandary. who in terror
of the flames crawled underneath a
porch, was burned TO death.
The fire was caused by a spark from
the engine house smokestack. few
yards in the rear of the Annex, which
lodged in the cupola of the large build
ing. Famed by stiff east wind. II
soon started blaze The fire was dis
covered before long and could proba bly,
have been confined to the roof OF the
building If the water pressure had been
sufficient to throw a stream higher
than two stories.
The fremen were helpless There was
enough steam in the waterworks
boiler to blow the fire alarm whistle.
The home is half mile north Of
Amityville on Broadway and houses
about three hundred patients. none On
them violent The main building Is on
the road and between II and the Annex
are dozen small cottages. Most OF the
patients for the care Of whom the IN
stitution is paid are in the main build
Ing. The Annex contained about fifty
charity patients. men and children.
Near by and in line with the sparks
are I.oudon Hall and the Long Island
Home. State institution. which to-
gcther hold about thousand harm
lessly insane patients.
William Conley, the watchman. saw
the little squirt of flame on the cupola
and telephoned for the two hose COM
panies and the hook and ladder. which
make up the Amityyille fire department.
The blaze had made little tower Of
flame of the cupola when the firemen
arrived. and they realized that they were
in for tough fight. Additional appara =
tus was called from Lyndenhurst and
Farmingdale, each about three miles
away.
The women nurses who had charge
Of the children on the first floor OF the
building grabbed some OF their little
charges by the hands when the alarm
was given nd shoolng the rest before
them made their way safely outside.
More difficulty was experienced with
the men upstairs. who no sooner
reached the open than they broke away
and dashed back into the building.
Again and again attendants went inside
after them and by sheer force dragged
them from the building. Two men bed
ridden for Yeas were carried out on
cots.
Under the direction OF Supt. G. l..
Markham and the visiting physician,
DR.. Charles A. Luce. all We're distributed
through the cottages which seemed safe
from the fire and locked up. All except
Mandary. who unnoticed in the smoke
which yelled the front OF the annex.
crawled under porch anu was killed.
The firemen, after telephon.Dg to the
Amityvile water works for more pres
sure, gave up all attempt To save the
annex and turned their slender streams
ON the rows OF cottages To keep them
from catching. The cottage next to the
annex was soon afire.
This cottage contained twenty five
women and children, who hudded to-
gether IN fright and We're led from the
building like sheep. Both the cottage
! and the annex We're in a few moments
a solid mass Of fire on which even a
downpour of hail and rain from a thun-
der shower made no impression.
| Showers OF sparks blown by the wind
were waited toward Loudon Hall and
the Long Island Home, just back of It,
They drifted In windows and set fire
| to beds. and kindled the roofs in a
dozen places Men with buckets put on,
most of these small fires and the rain
doused the rest
! In the excitement OF herding the
patients together and away from the
burning buildings number of them
slipped away. but were soon caught and
brought back. One of these, a man
| named Seeley, at one time was one OF
p. 7. Barnum's side shows. called the
What Is It?" Seeley has most of the
facial and physical characteristics OF
! the monkey. He has been in the place
fifteen years.
| Another man slipped away and got
into a small corncrib in back of the
annex. He was not noticed until the
crib caught fire and a stream was
turned on it. A dog inside began to
bark loudly and some OF the attendants
found the insane man inside jumping
up and down with glee with the dog
clasped in his arms,
| In a short time both the annex and
the cottage had burned to heap oi
| smouldering tlmbers. DR., Markham
estimated the damage at about $500.
Mandary, the man who was burned
to death, had been in the home about
sixteen years. He was taken there
from St GATHERINGS Hospital In Brook
, lyn and was a charity patient. He had
no relatives