The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-08
BURNING OF THE HOME FOR
THE AGED.
Thirty Lives Lost.
NEW YORK, March

NhN ioth, Muich =.
About o'clock this morning fire broke
cut in the home of the aged in Brooklyn,
belonging to the Little Sisters of the Poor,
large four-stoly building with two wings
The fire originated in the south wing, and
before the aged inmates were aware of its
presence the flames had made considerable
progress. A perfect panic was caused
among the inmates, who rushed hither and
thther through the building, until they be-
came exhausted or suffocated from smoke,
and sank down. The police rendered val.
liable assistance, carrying out number of
old people Vho had become unconscious.
There was 1855 people in the building at the
| time, and in one part of II their egrese had
been cut off by the flames and smoke, so
they went up to the roof. Their shrleks
and cries might have been heard for blocks.
The smoke and flames completely hid
them from the view Of the people assem-
bled. The flremen and police, it is said,
succeeded in rescuing all who were on the
roof. but there were number sufro-
Gated and burned IN the ruins Michael
Cummings, one of the inmates seventy-hve
years of agc, threw himself from the third
story widow and was instantly killed
Jeremiah Sullivan, another inmate sixty
five years old, was fatally injured by jump
| ing from window at the same height.
The police and firemen at eight o'clock
this morning had taken five bodies from
the ruins. 1t Is impossible to tell how
many lives were lost, as those who were
rescued were carried away and cared for
by friends. The police think that not
many more lives were lost. The loss on
the building and furniture is about $685.
600 insured in Nassau and Lafayette of
Brooklyn and Lenox and Guardian of New
York TO the amount Of $4,000. The
house is maintained by the aid of the
Little Sisters Of the poor of Brooklyn, and
was established several years ago.
Later reports from the burning OF the
home Of the aged in Williamsburgh MAKE
the disaster much greater than was at first
supposed. When the fire had been got I'M
der sufficient control to permit the firemen
to examine the upper stories of the burned
wing, they found II men burned in their
beds on the upper story. The bedsteads
were made of iron, and rested on the
charred but unconsumed beams, which
had remained in their places. The firemen
with the aid of the police went to work TO
remove the bodies, which were burned to
crisp, thus rendering them totally unrecog-
nizab.e. This being the case it was i'm
possible to obtain the names of the unfor-
tunates, as they cannot be learned until
the roll OF the living is called. Owing TO
the scattering of old men among the differ
ent residences and institutions, this roll
cannot be called for some time yet, but the
police have been supplied with full list
and viii make every effort to find out who
are missing As yet it is said 30 are miss
ing, and it is feared that buried bodies Of
some may yet be found among the debris
of the fire, in the basement.
LATEST.
The fremen continued the work of
pouring water upon the rnber5 and where
these cooled They began the search for
those burned. Tnaic labors brought
from the beneath the debris charred and
mangled bodies of eight men whose re-
mains fell with the fl pors on which
they persisted, this made in all sigh-
teen dead victims of the holocaust
including those who died from suffocation.
| Those burned were If course uurecogniz-
able, and their remains presented scken-
ing sight, as the flremen dragged them ont
aud gave them in charge of the sister,,
brethren and CletgN from 81. Johns Cnild