Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1916-12-27
FIRE AT FARNHURST
Inmates Badly Frightened By
Blaze

l.
the Delaware State Hospital fer
the Insane, at Farnhurst, yester-
day morning did considerable dam
age to the laundry and ball room
of the institution and for an hour
created reign of terror and ex-
citement, the like of which has
never before been experienced 1T
that institution. When the fire was
discoyered1t It spread with such
rapfdity that the lives of helpless
patients were endangered and
the attendants were called upon to
perform two important duties at
the same time-save their charges
and fight the flames.
During the excitement that fol-
lowed the discovery of the fire,
when the wards were filled with
smoke, patients able to move about
ran shrieking towards the exits,
while the calls for help and as
sfstance from those that were bed
ridden added to the confusion at
tendant upon the fire.
The blaze was discovered by a
workman in the laundry dry room,
1t is believed that steam pipes used
in the laundry became excessively
warm and set fire to the woodwork
close by. Because the framework
was so dry the flames spread rapid
ly. They mounted to the ceiling
and began eating their way
through this to the ballroom over
head.
The hospital is greatly over
crowded and because of this fact
women patients had been placed
in temporary quarters in this room
There were about 25 of them.
Attendants Allay Panic
The fire alarm of the hospital
was sounded, calling all the at
tendants into service. While these
endeavored to calm the patients as
much as they could, others put all
their efforts into carrying helpless
patients from the ballroom and adj
Joining wards to places of safety
Shrieking men and women becom'
ing hysterical by the fright occas'
ioned by the fire ran towards the
doors, clad, many of them, in but
flimsy bed clothing. Some tainted
while the hysteria of others made
the work of rescue extremely diff
cult for the attendants.
After all the helpless patients
had been carried from the burning
building and assembled in othe1
wards the attendants devoted thei1
attention to fighting the fire. Wore
of the fire was telephoned to thu
> Fame and Liberty fire companie!
of Wilmington and they sool
reached the hospital.
The hospital attendants with fir
extinguishers and hose had in th
meantime made a gallant fight ant
were about gaining the mastery o
the flames when the firemen arriv
ed. Upon the arrival of the cit,
fire fighters the attendants wer
able to relinquish their labors an
} pay undivided attention to thei
> patients. There are 500 patient
3 crowded into the buildings tha
f have accommodations for 400, an
for hours after the fire was exiting
uished, because of the mental dis
: order of the patients, the attend
e ants were compelled to resort t
i, extraordinary measures in order t
= restrain some of the sufferers fror
: not only doing violence to Others
q = but also to themselves, having bee
worked up into state Of frenzy b
:, the unusual alarm.
n In order to get at all the linge1
s ing flames that had spread b'
: tween the ceiling of the dry roo
f and the floor of the ballroom it We
# necessary for the fremen to brln
their axes into play and the fiot
was cut away in places where tt
flames had spread.
i. After the fire the accommod
~ tions at the hospital became mo,
a crowded than ever, because OF I'll
1t placing of these patients that hf
is been in the ballroom in 9th
- wards. A number of carpente
- y, were placed at work making ter
ii porary repairs so that the ballroo
al could be placed in partial servi
by this evening.