Evening star., 1950-01-08
38 Women Die
As Sweeps
Mental Hospital
Barred Windows Hal
Davenport Firemen
In Rescue Attempts
By the Associoted Press

BY the Associated Press
DAVENPORT, Iowa, Jan. T.
Fire which struck while the
patients slept roared through the
psychiatric ward of one of Iowa S
major hospitals early today and
snuffed out the lives of at least
SO women.
Coroner c. H. Wildman said
that 81 bodies had been recovered.
The 38th victim was Miss Mar
garet Woeber, 80, who was carried
out of the ward this morning. She
died of shock tonight.
Coroner Wildman said that hos
pital records were inaccurate and
that there was a possibility that
other persons were in the build
ing. He said the intense heat of
the fire probably destroyed COM
pletely any other bodies. that
might have been in the building
Screams of women patients in
st. Elizabeths mental ward build
ing Of the 300-bed Mercy Hospital
sounded the alarm as they awak-
ened to find themselves trapped in
"a flaming hell"
Within two hours only the
charred shell of the 60-year-old
building remained.
Barred Windows Halt Rescues
Fire Chief Lester Schick said, Il
doubt If We ever find out what
caused the fire" He said it started
In a room on the east side of the
building and spread into the hall
up dumb waiter shaft, and then
spread over the top of the building
Barred windows prevented fire.
men from reaching many of the
victims and they perished in their
rooms.
State Fire Marshal Zack Cook
said at Des Moines the hospital
last was inspected about two
years ago. He said that inasmuch
as his department includes only
five men, such inspections are
made only on request of city or
county authorities and none had
been sought at Mercy.
Sister Superior Mary Annunci-
alta, head of the hospital, said 81
patients were treated for burns
or injuries. She said this ac-
counted for the IS women and
three men known to have been
in the ward.
ALI of Dead Were Women.
All of the dead were women.
All except Mrs. Anna Neal, So
year-old nurses aide, were pa
tients.
The three men escaped. two by
leaping from windows.
The alarm was sounded at 8
am. when flames broke out on
the second floor of the three story
brick structure.
st. Elizabeth's ward Is one of
five hospital buildings operated
by the Catholic order, Sisters of
Mercy, on a two block tract in
the northwest sector of this Mis-
sissippi River city of 10000,
Murray Francis, an orderly on
duty in the nearby main hospital
building, said he could hear
screams of terror as he ran toward
the burning ward shortly after 8
am.
Broke Open Door.
Terror stricken women could be
seen huddling at the barred and
wire-meshed windows of the psy-
chiatric division.
While other hospitals attaches
called firemen, Mr.. Francis broke
open the ward buildings front
door. Two nurses aides joined
him in leading the first group of
patients to safety.
Josephine O'Toole, nurses
aide, who was awakened by
screams, was one of the first to
escape. She ran down a smoke
filled stairway from her third
floor room and got out by base
ment exit.
ut was a flaming hell" said
Fire 1t. Al Korando.
Use Axes and Crowbars.
Firemen used axes and crowbars
in their attempts to get through
the steel latticework which held
the patients imprisoned.
ut was pitiful the way the pa
tients waited for f1remen to free
them from the cell-like rooms, +"
said Chief Schick.
Merchant Policeman Bill Steg-
en-, who was among the first to
reach the fire, said it was a scene
OF pure horror"
"It was. pitiful," Mr.. Stegen
said. Women were dashing at
the iron bars, crying for help, and
I saw several faint away and dis
appear in the smoke and flame. -