The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-08
BY TELEGRAPH
TO THE
WHEELING REGISTER.
Associated Press Report. by Western
Union Line, offlce Northwest cor.
of Main and 18th Sts.
A HOLOCAUST.
Brooklyn Home for. the
Aged Destroyed by Fire.
Many Inf1rm Unfortunates
Burnt to a Crisp-A
Sickening Story.

NEW YORK. March THE alone
for aged people," conducted by the
Catholic community known as the "Lit
tie Sisters OF the Poor" and located in
the eastern district of Brooklyn, wa,
completely burned this morning. The
house comprised four story building
with two wings. and contained 18o in
mates. When these were made aware
of the fire panic seized them, and the
Sisters losing control, they ran through
the building, some escaping to the street
but others sinking down exhausted, over
come by fright and smoke. The police
and 6remen rescued all these, but mum.
Der who could not get to the lower floors
by reason of smoke and flames ran for the
roof. All who reached it were rescued,
but some inmates too feeble to run or
Chamber were burned to death, while two
who threw themselves from upper win
aows were fatally injured. Five bodies
have been taken from the ruins. The
loss on the building and furniture is $25, :
600; insurance $4,000.
More Disastrous than at First Sup
IOsed.
New YORK, March Later reports
from the fire in the Home of the Indi.
gent makes it more disastrous in results
than at first noted. 1t seems the fire
was discovered IN the south wing, occu-
pied by the male portion of the inmates,
and contained Y persons whose ages
varied from 6S to 105 years. The FIRE
was discovered by person on the street
who gave the alarm by ringing the bell
of the institution, awakening the sisters
and aged inmates. When the fremen
arrived the flames were sweeping through
the south wing in every direction and 1t
was not until about nine o'clock when
the fire had been reduced to smouldering 2
embers in the basement that the tiremen
were enabled by ladders to examine the
upper stories of the burned wing, when
they found
Seventeen Men Burned In I IN cir Beds
In the upper stories the bedsteads-were
made of iron and rested on the charred
beams which had remained in their
places. TIE bodies were burned to a
crisp, rendering them totally unrecog-
| nizable. 1t is SAID 80 are missing and 1t
is feared the burned bodies may be
found among the debris of the fire
in the basement. The tiremen
succeeded in saving the main building
and the south wing, which is occupied
by about 60 old women.
In Que Of the rooms IN third story
second tier.
A Horrible Sight.
presented itself to the gaze of the fireman
who first was able to make his
way through smoke ard flame
10 it. There stretched on
their pallets, mattresses and quilts
even the pillows of which had been sing
ed by the fire, very probably covered
with the water that subdued the flames.
Around them were the corpses Of nine
were paralytics ana all of whom had
been unable TO leave their beds, A few
of than were burned and the hair upon
their heads singed, but all doubtless died
fromssuffocation caused By smoke. On the
second foor likewise, one old man was
found dead, seated in chair. He also
died OF asphyxIa, and had been SO intirm
that he was unable to leave his seat
After the flames were subdued Il trying
duty awaited them. In the ruins II was
certain there were the bodies OF many
who had perished in a most horrible
manner, but what number or who they
were was impossible to determine, for the
men, as fast as they could escape, were
either housed in the residences of the
nein nhborhood, or were wandering about
in a half orazed and, in some instances,
in half clad condition. The tremen,
however, continued their work, pouring
water on the embers, and when these
cooled. they began the search for those
who we're burned. Their labors brought
from beneath the debris, the charred and
mangled bodies of eight men, whose re-
mains fell with the floor on which they
had perished. This made in all eighteen
victims of the holocaust, includ-
ing those who died from sutfocation
Those burned were, of course, unrecog-
nizsble. and their blsckened remains
presented sickening sight as the firemen
dragged them out and give them IN
charge of the sisters, clergy and brethren
from St. Joseph's College. These in
turn, convened the remains 10 the base
ment of the institution, and there wrap
ped them up in sheets and blankets to
await the arrival OF the coroner Most
of the missing have been accounted for
and the above, it is believed, comprises
the total list OF those burned.