Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2017 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Decatur Herald Vol. IV. No. 87 Sunday, January 13, 1884 THE VERDICT Close of the Inquest Over the Victims of the Belleville Horror. Nobody Very Much to Blame, But Don't Do It Any More. BELLEVILLE, Ill., Jan. 12. - The coroner's jury concluded the inquest over the bodies of the victims of the Convent fire this morning, and returned the following verdict: "BELLEVILLE, Ill., Jan. 12, 1884. "We, the jury impaneled to hold the inquest on the bodies of the victims of the fire at the insti- tution of the Immaculate Conception, in Belleville, Ills., on the night of January 5, 1884, have en- deavored to perform the sad duty imposed upon us to the best of our ability. We have examined many witnesses and made deligent inquiry into all the facts and surroundings which might have been the immediate cause of the catastrophe. From the evi- dence we find that the interior of the building was provided with various halls and stairways; the main stairways leading from the second story to the first, and two stairways leading from the third to the second story, but no means whatever seem to have been provided for escape from the building other than those stairways. The barrels, buckets and hose in the hallways, if any, amounted to virtually nothing in case of fire. The Sisters' dormitories were in the second story, and the majority of the boarders and pupils were in dormi- tories in the third story accompanied by a few Sisters. The evidence seems to locate the origin of the fire in the basement from one of the three hot-air furnaces used in heating the building, and the custom was to fill them with fuel late at night and to let them run without additional fuel until morning. No watchman was employed on the premises, and at the hour of retiring all went to bed, and not a soul was on watch throughout the halls and corridors during the night. When the alarm was given on the night of the fire, we have abundant evidence to show that the halls were full of smoke and intensely heated in portions of the second and third stories, so that the in- mates of the dormitories were entirely precluded from escape through the halls, and were compelled to find means of egress through the windows on ladders, or by jumping to the ground. "Our opinion from the evidence is that the Fire Department of Belleville did all that could be done under the circumstances with the appliances which they had at hand, and while we that a well- organized hook and ladder company might possibly have saved some of those that perished, of this fact we are not assured when we consider the loss of life at the Southern Hotel fire in St. Louis and the frightful holocaust at the Newhall House in Milwaukee, in both of which cities the fire departments are excellent, but were wholly in- sufficient to prevent great loss of life where persons were crowded in the upper stories beyond the reach of ordinary means that might be at hand and in the absence of life-saving attach- ments to the outside of the building. "The using of dormitories above the second story of buildings in all institutions of learn- ing, we most hearthly condemn, and we are of the opinion there should be some Legislative enact- ment on this subject. We hope our Governor, in his next message to the Legislature, will call attention to this matter in such a manner as he may deem wise. "After carefully weighing the evidence we are of the opinion the blame must rest upon the management of the institution for not taking the precautions which the size and character of the building and the number of inmates domi- ciled therein required. While we place this censure on those in charge of the institution we do not believe the neglect was wilful or intentional, but to the contrary, the evidence shows that many precautions were taken, proving to our minds it was not from a desire to econo- mize or from a want of regard for the safety of the inmates which caused them to neglect the provisions of safety, but from a feeling of security engendered by many years of immunity from a serious accident. "We think a night watchman on the premises, to walk the halls and take charge of the fur- naces at night, might have prevented, at least, the appalling loss of life and greatly promoted the safety of the inmates. "When we consider the twenty-six precious lives that were lost, we must say the avenues of escape were too few and the proper pre- cautions were wanting in and around the build- ings and on the premises to save life in case of fire. Of this fact the silent graves in the churchyard and the bereaved and sorrowing households only too strongly testify. "During the inquest forty-three eywitnesses to the fire were examined. JOHN BADER, Coroner. CYRUS THOMPSON, Foreman. JACOB BOLLMAN, FRED W. BESHORE, FRANK KRIETNER, SR. HENRY THEBUS, PETER STANDER,"