Lunatic Asylum Fire
Augusta, ME
December 4, 1850
The Lunatic Asylum at Augusta, Maine, was destroyed by fire on the morning of December 4, 1850. The number of inmates who perished is said to be seven or eight. The bodies of seven have been found. Most of the inmates were necessarily turned out, into the open air. Some found refuge in the jail and almshouse, others in private dwellings, and it is supposed that a few were wandering abroad. The fire originated in the air-chamber contiguous to the furnace, and when discovered had filled the galleries with gas and smoke, which rendered the efforts to rescue the patients extremely hazardous. |
