Fire Sweeps Through St. Luke’s Hospital
105 patients are safely evacuated into the bitter cold as fire destroys the west wing of Spokane's premier hospital.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Lives of 105 patients, a score of nurses and hospital attendants were jeopardized at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, when a fire that caused a loss estimated by the trustees to be a total of $120,000, broke out on the roof of the west wing of St. Luke’s hospital. Every patient was removed with all possible care and haste to neighboring homes when it was seen that the west wing was doomed and the wind was carrying the flames to the roof of the main building. Despite the bitter cold, the patients were carried out on the lawn while flames shot hundreds of feet above the building. Firemen brought the blaze under control within 30 minutes. Miss Johanna Burns, the superintendent, not only gave orders which saved the life of every patient, but actually seized one patient and carried her to safety herself. Trustees and physicians have already pledged over $5,000 as a starter for a campaign to erect a new $200,000 building.
“Miss Johanna Burns, the superintendent of the hospital, not only gave orders which saved the life of every patient... but actually seized one patient and carried her a considerable distance.”
St. Luke’s was a cornerstone of Spokane's healthcare identity for decades. The rapid community mobilization to rebuild after the disaster reflects the era's civic spirit, a precursor to the modern medical complexes that define the city today.
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