London is Aghast at Terrible Catastrophe by Fire at Asylum - Place a Death Trap - Terrible Negligence - Iron bars Prevent Escape - Many Women Lose Their Lives
By Scripps-McRae Press Association
London, Jan. 27.
Fire partially destroyed lunatic asylum at Colney Hatch, North London, this morning. Fire started at 5.30 this morning in Jewish wing, which has six hundred inmates, and owing to difficulty of access to the building, blaze had firm hold before firemen arrived on the scene. Patients broke away from attendants and there was terrible panic. Fire now under control. Many bodies found and believed at least fifty perished.
London is filled with horror at disaster. New details are piling up agony. Nothing was provided for such emergency. There were no fire escapes to buildings, especially no water available, which made asylum hopeless deathtrap. Asylum was surrounded by high wall, thus excluding all possible voluntary assistance. Part of building burned was of corrugated iron and wood. Wood, which was of pitch pine, burned like paper, heating iron red hot. Majority of windows barred with iron, preventing escape. Feeble women were seen struggling fiercely to break these bars, at last being forced to fall back and perish in flames. There were 2,600 inmates in entire institution but only 500 occupied burned section. These were mostly old women. Majority of victims were suffocated. Fifty one bodies found so far.
