The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-08
a TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE.
eHToHrEEy PERSONS BURNED ~ 4
~ BROOKLYN CHARITY HOME.

the sLittle sisters Of the Poor"-A sor-
r.wful search for the Bodies Of the Dead.
. At twenty minutes to four o'clock yes
terday morning an early riser In East Brooklyn
sAw smoke arising from the east wing OF the
Home for the Aged, conducted by the Little
Sisters OF the Poor, in Bushwick avenue, near
De Kalb place. Soon Knot OF men were bang
Ing at the gate OF the yard OF the building to
awake the sisters. The gate was chained and
bolted tight. One man scaled the fence and
pulled vigorously at the door bell until the Sis
ters, who were sleeping In the frame building
apart from the Home. were awakened. Sister
Mary Of the Apostles aroused the other sisters.
In the far wing OF the building were seventy
three men asleep. Between this wing. which ~
an extension seventy feet long, ana the part OF
tbs building used for old women. IL chapel,
constructed with the Home. and intended to
divide the two departments. The entire build
ing Is Of brick and Is about 10 feet long by 80
feet wide. and It Is three stories high. The nrst
noor OF the male wing, excluding the chapel.
was made up Of a dining room the whole width
OF the building. q smoking room, and a shoe
shop 10 front of the farthest room, aud a mems
sleeping room In tho rear OF these
two. On the second floor was sleep
ing room, with adjoining innrmsry.
and on the third door was a corresponding sleep
ing room. with smaller room corresponding TO
the inhrmary, which was used as the sleeping
room for the more decrepit. The chapel runs
60 the roof. aud beyond It are the sleeping apart
ments Of the female inmates. Behind the gal
iery OF the chapel wss a small sleeping room
occupied by two of the Sisters who ap-
pointed to watch the sick In the innrmary.
There were ls6 inmates In the home, all OF them
over sixty years Of age. OF these seventY-three
we're men.
The Gre was nrst sean shooting up by the
smoking room. both inside and out OF the
brick walls. There were eight men sleeping on
,he 6rst floor near the FIRE, fifteen were up
stairs, paralyzed, sick and diseased. In the In
hrmary. and there were nifty Others on the sec
ond and third hoOrs, and In the room on the
third hoOr corresponding to the innrlnsry. All
when the sisters rushed through the building.
Sisters Gregory and MsIlsnde were asleep In the
room close 10y the innfmary when Sister Ca
tienne knocked at their door and screamed nre.
It was twenty minutes past four before the
had been sent into Police Headquarters, and In
retelegraphng signal - was made AZ, and
this made delay. The hremen had gone right
TO work without learning that there were atty
odd old men inside Of the building.
EFToRIs TO RESCUE THE INMATES.
Sister Gatienne, who had distsnced those who
hurried with her. called to Sister DOugherty In
tine chapel bedroom. and dartlng through the
gallery OF the chapel quickly unlocked the door
smoke was nlhng the room, out she could see
the moping forms Of the old men trying to help
themselves. An old blind man was At the loot
OF the steps. She. with another sister. led him
out through the chapel gallery into the female
wards: TOE other sisters with almost unne ,S
helDless and paralyzed men carrying them into
the dormitorios. As soon as the last sick man
was safely out the Sisters ran up another Night
OF stairs to the corresponding sleeping room and
began to show the men out OF them. A few
stopped to dress and turned to go into the large
The men on the nrst floor were nrst to get out
side, but two who were feeoiest and who stopped
TO put on their clothes were overcome BY
smoke They buried their faces in the bed
clothing to avoid sufocation. and never raised
them again. On the second floor the
men were aroused they helped each other out Of
dressed. One OF the sisters had unlocked the
outside door. and there was none who reached
sss 3 the w1S third sI soor not the s0'' m.n w.ss
not awakened until the smoke had nlled the
rooms. Then they heard the cracking
nre and were afraid to venture out. Two climbed
up to the roof. and one was so terrified that be
seemed unable TO do anything but stand sti
until they reached the west end o. the building,
where the hremen came TO their rescue; Michael
and when he wa. ready the lower part
sss s rear % Window o and ps piaifuliy screamed ss
Save me, for the love Of God save me- or IN
burn Sp Mr. 2 Don9sIs % placed ss nix ladder ;G
within four feet of Cummings, when he lowered
himself by his arms The men below cried TO
ladder. but his strength was too f4r gone. His
hold relaxed, and he fell into the stone
below with a heavy thud. He was picked up
dead.
There were the mingled noise Of the rush and
splash Of the streams of water and the
deep groans OF the dying men. The danes
were were Climbing iS n9 the dr,y,n trent , snd dhS ths
smoke into the sleeping rooms. Those inside
Of the prison Of nre could only bury their faces
A. their hands and die. The most the hremen
could do for those who had not escaped was to
deluge tue top floor with water, TO keep some
from beng burned. Around the building the
watching the flames, and sob6inu as they beard
the noans OF their diving companions. No sight
could be more pitlfh than the picture they pre-
seutei. some rocked their bodies to and fro,
mutteriug prayers others wrapped what cloth
Ing they had about them and lay down as n 20
die mole hohbled tremblinRly around the
building, watching the windows with anxious
looks 10 see II their companions were In sight
As the police mac ched them on TO neighborng
families, they seemed 10th TO go.
HALF HOURS TERRIBLE WORK.
In half hour the groans cesssd. aud all was
quiet eI ,spt the cracking Ore and the splashing
water. The flames burned straight To the roof,
and "a he rafters and burned bodies tell, the
fail was sgnalied by shooting shower Of
sparks lnen the flames were driven down by
degrees, and at half past five O'Clock there was
nothing but smouldeting wood In the cellar, and
ak the engines went away.
The gato to the home had been thrown OPEN
and the women and men nocked into the streets
The police, under Sergeant Dunn. took the IN
nrm TO the houses near by. AT one residence,
the poor we're not allowed to cross the threshold
TO 81. Johns College, and twenty-eight women
were sent to the Orphan Asylum.
As soon men could venture within the walls
search for the dead was begun. On the first
floor lay tho charred remains Of two men who
had died face down on their beds. The clothing
was burned on each one, the features were OBJ
liberated, and pieces OF the husks from the
mattresses were baked with the flesh. In pull
tng over the eOrls Of the cellar two more dead
bodies were found, blackened beyond recognl-
ton. One body fell In pieces when 1t was taken
up. The remains were laid In a row In the yard J.,
aud as fast as they were dragged out the Sisters
brought armsful OF sheets to wrap them In. On
the second door were four bodies. one was sit
ting upright In chair. Another was on the
floor with the face down, the distorted limbs
revealing the agony OF death. Two others were
across the iron bedsteads, where they had evil
IDENTIFY thrown themselves. They were all
burned to a black coal.
On the top hoOr nine bodies were found, and
only one OF them was recognizable. One old
man, Conrad handman, aged seventy-eiRht,
Btald to put on bis boots and all OF his clothing.
He lived the longest, and being near the rear OF
the building had thrown himself on his face In
corner. His clothing was partly burned, but
his features were untouched. The bodies were
lowered by ropes from the third floor.
Tux DEAD.
There wers eighteen bodies In all. The nre.
men, tie policemen, the priests, and the civil.
Ians worked industrtously IN the ruins look inp
form more II was reported by the Sisters thai
thirty men could not be accounted for.
The Sister OF the Apostles, the head Of the
house has recognized;
Name Age. CoiinfrV Entered