AN AMERICAN POOR-HOUSE HORROR.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 39, 29 June 1878, Page 3

AN AMERICAN POOR-HOUSE HORROR.

Hath (X. Y.), April B.—The building of the Steuben County Poor house, burned on Saturday night, was of brick, 30 by 40 feot, and two stories high. Nearly .ill the windows were grated, and there was but one mode of egress from each story. No night watchman was unployod about the buildings, and there was no lire apparatus. Tho County House is two miles from Bath, and the fire department did not go out. An insane epileptic from Hornellsvillo, named Gord, who was locked in a cell on the first floor, set fire tohis bed with a match, probably obtained from a fellow pauper. All tho partitions were of pitch pine, and burned like tinder. The cries of Ford arousod the other inmates only after the building' smoke. The inmate who had Ford in charge opened Ford's door, and the flames burst out and ran along the partition and up the stovepipe hole in the second story. Ford could not bo seen on account of the flames. He had forced his head between the bars of tho window, and, unable to pull it back, was crying for help. Tho flames poured out of the wiudow around his head, and he perished. The upper story was occupied by twenkyiive women and ohildren, and the lower story by eighteen mon. The majority were idiotic cripples or vory agod. Five on the first floor and ten on tho socond were burned. At the first alarm Eli Carington, a keeper, rushed out of the maiu buildings with an employee and knocked in the door at tho foot of the stairs loading from the second story. UMfal or tfljrt women were 1 piled up at the foot of of the stairs, and a cloud of suffocating smokv rolled down. Tho women wore pulled out and Carington startod up the stairs, but was driven back by the • mi ike In five minutes from the time ( f the alarm, tho paupers ooaecd coming <> >t, and in half an hour the roof fell in ". lit first floor door, lending from tho men's department, w»< Hover lok-d, amino

oii.mu the buUding wash* kedinacellexeept Ford Five bodies were taken from the ruins, and to-day about two-thirds of the debris was dug over, and more remains found. Altogether th-v would alvout fill an ordi-nary-sized coffin. Heads .legs.and arms were entirely burned off, and in most eases but a very small portion of (he body could be found. No blame attaches to any one, but the country is severely censured for providing such a man-trap for its paupers. Before the fire there were 140 paupers in the County House.