Show HOSPITAL HOSPITAL FIRE FIRE DUE TO PATIENT I J Perishes in Blaze Iaze Set by Illicit Matches W WASHINGTON Dec 13 one One patient pa pa- tient Sergeant Alzin Messenger formerly formerly formerly for for- merly of th the Seventh coast artillery was burned to death and several ral ot other patients were injured none seriously Sunday Sunda in a fire that de destroyed destroyed destroyed de- de two of or the psychopathic wards of Walter WaIter Reed military hospital hos hos- I pital the fir fired fire which hospital l authorities believed believe was WM started by one of the patients with matches smuggled into I his room threatened for a time timo to spread to other wards including ROV- ROV eral in which disabled V ci World ria war r I veterans ar are patients but was checked by the combined efforts effort of the hospital hospital hospital hos hos- pital and Washington fire depart depart- ments The two wards No 43 43 in which vi violently insane are confined and No 44 44 in which other psychopathic patients undergo treatment Contained seventy five patients All with vUlt the exception of Sergeant Messenger were gotten out before the tho blaze ze gained much headway Messenger arrived at nt th the thO hospital Saturday from the Panama Pan Pan- ama canal zone pital The authorities loSs IMs was wa estimated by the hospital hos- hos aS little more than I I The board or f Inquiry traced the origin of the fird tied to ward 43 43 In ln whicH Messenger was confined and the Opinion was that use ot of matches matche by Messenger er Set fire to h his bed Hospital explained that rit th the P pati n nt were s searched twice twice- a it day daf A and nd Were ero permitted t to smoke Only Und under r gUard A A. number mummer of f patients w were r carried from the bUrnIng wards by their c cOth tn rades who wh thou though h victims victim m- m 2 l it r shell shock rushed into the through the smoke I Firemen re on reaching chin the s scene nc found many of the p patients U battering h vainly at th the I heavily ny screened windows |