Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-19

soon lneE were compelled to withdraw
from the road furnace which the corri.
dor had become and abandon tho tran.
ped to their fate.
Meantime firernen outside in tho
freezing weather were pouring ton
after ton or water on the blaze. while
others taking their stations in tho cor
ri"ors OF me west wing, fought the
claZe' SlcldlhS root by foot as it raced
toward them A dozen Of those outside
suffered frozen ears. fingers andtocs
while all were covered with iciclcs
The top floor OF the three-story wing
i,ao pcen lald waste and the second
moor pda!y damaged before the fire
men. aided by fire walls with which
the building is divided, were able to
check the advancing flames. Tho fire
wot not completely cxtinguishcd mi il
| noon. when it had ragged for more than
seven hours.
The debris is so thoroughly fro,o, to-
sethcr by the mass of water poured on
the blaze that it will be a slow and
difficult task removing it in A search
for bodies.
Meanwhile several official inyes,ipa-
tions are being pressed.
The first-onc by the board Of man
ascrs--Was begun this morning, while
the fire still burned
Others arc expected by various state
aScncicS.
The Ward Island hospital. with its
t"5S inmates, is said to be the largest
institution for the insane in the world
The main building. a huge rambling
structure of Gothic architecture, was
occupied i'll 1872, and hence is so wears
old.
Its woodwork fed the flames like
finder, and the marvel. according to DR..
it"ynan, was that the damage was not
much greater. The superintendent.
who worked like a Trojan once the fire
had been discovered. was lavish in his
praise of the personnel. both of the hos
rital and the city fire fighters.
But he was cnustic in his comment :
on his ability to obtain adequate fire
protection from state or city for the
nearly 1000 imprisoned souls in his
charge.
The hcroism of another attendant
came to light tonight, when Attend
ant Mcintosh, told his story to DR..
HCyman.
Mcintosh. one of the day force,
was sleeping in his quarters at the
end OF the corridor. Overlooked by
the attendants vino we've hustlin- r.-
tents out, he did not awake until
just before part of the ceiling tell
on a large table in his room.
Crawling under the table, he
rushed to the fire escape at the End
of the hall. There he found nearly O.
score OF patients bewildered. ncsi-
tating. He marshallcd them into
line. marched them down the Il e cs-
cape and led them to an adjoining
building.
Two Of them must have eludcd
him, however, for Whcn DR.. Iavn;al
arrived. he found the two wander ing
about the frozen grounds in their
night shirts. He hustled them inside
and turned them over to an lttend-
ant. rushing on then 20 sid in the
rescue work.
Attendants Campbell and Hill. VS.
to discover the fire. gave t.eir stories
to The Associated Press 'on:gat Al
ter they had been refreshed hy I IL
tic sleep: The matter of fact Calm
ness with which they rad gore ahou;
the work of rescue was effected IN
their dispasSionatc tones in telling
what they had done.
Il was sitting in the corridor"
Campbell said "When ! ..otilDd one
of the electric lights nicllered and
then went out.
Il looked up and thought. what's
that" BY that time another liSnt
went out and, looking up in the d: TX
cncd corridor. | could sec little W!srs
of flame eating through he ce,ii;lg.
/ called o,t to Hill. who was near
me, and he said. Jump for The 0SH.'
| jumped for it and started t" Wo;N.
while he ran to wake the natilnts.
Tho fire went like lightning
do YOU think it could have teen
set by patient" DR.. Heyman asked
him.
"No sir. not a chance. 1t started
in the ceiling. Crossed electric wires
must have done it,
Campbell was Il member IT me
New York fire department :. len
Years before he became m attendant
at the hospital. lie said It was che OF
tho worst fires he had ever seen.
Chief Attendant Hill was equally
matter Of fact in the recital of his
rescue work.
"Aftcr bad gotten Campbell work
ing on the hose, I began tO'run FROM
room to room waking the patients.
shaking them and telling them to get
out" he said. John Curry. an at
tcndant from another ward, IAN TO
my aid and helped me wake t'cn.
| didn't see anything of the thee
attendants who lost their l:rc;. I
think they must have been trapped
in their rooms. They were all Off
duty and sleeping. The fire wen,
50 quick they had no more clance
than tho patients.
I'VE had gotten the most Of the
patients out when the ;ank fcll
through the ceiling. We couldn't DO
much more for the poor wills after
that. for the corridor was blocked.
Curry was the only one of TIC
attendants who reported .difiiculty
in handling patients.
He worked among those ,''1c"t
down the corridor. getting 2't Win
q eroup of them just before the cell
ing fell.
"Thcre were about y dozen that
fought with me and ran back INTO
their room when I led them ou., nc
said. "Thcy didn't make many out
cries. They we're too tc"ror-%trickcn,
guess"
DR.. IIeyman said no had difficulty
in handling one patient hort he VS.
irving to get ont Of tho danger zone.
"This fellow was huge c,np. eva
particularly dangerous" ne said.
when I caught him Dy the arm ana
told him to come on, he turned on
me and said:
"I.ct go. you--ypu've got mo full
of electricity now
"A bur]y guard took charge oe him.
while I went further down The cor
, ridor rounding up other patents.