The Morning herald., 1876-03-08
4 BrOOkiny Holocaust - Twenty.
Eight Burned to Death.
American Press Association.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, March 7.-The terri.
BILE holocaust which occurred this morning
! at the Home for the aged, kept by the
Little Sisters of the Poor on Bushwick ave-
nue., corner of Chestnut street, has caused
deep feeling ofgloom over the entire city.
The fire must have broken out at very
early hour, but was not discovered until
four O'Clock, A. M, and it was half-past
| four before the inmates were thoroughly
alarmed.
The building is large mansion of brick
| with front building Of wood. It is three
| stories high and was used as a Home for
| the aged OF all persuasions. The Sisters of
| the Poor who help the house are of French
extraction. The Sisters are fifteen in mum
Der, and are under the direction of Mother
Matilda Laisame. Last night there were
in the Home 1913 inmates including the Sis
tiers. The fire was discovered by Mother
Matilda in the basement last evening, and
spread rapidly; unfortunately no one was
sent to notify the Fire Department and the
fire WIS blazing fiercely for an hour efore
the engines arrived.
The screams of the frantic men and wo-
men who had rushed half naked from their
beds, many of them cripples and almost
bed-ridden, were terrible. They came to
the windows and screamed wildly "save
me, save me!' Some ofthem lost control
of themselves, and one old man, as the
flames rushed towards him, opened the
window of the third story and threw him
| self out. He was killed instantly.
Another man followed his example
and was carried from the spos with broken
bones and joints dislocated in terrible agony
| The sisters did their utmost to prevent a
panic.
Many of the female inmates tainted, and
the firemen and the police had much diff.
Guilty in saving them. The terrible work OF
destruction was in the east wing of the
building, which was rapidly demolished.
About O'Clock A. M the roof fell in, just
as the police had rescued a number of old
men who had gone up there in their terror.
The Firemen devoted their efforts to saving
1 the main building and with success.
When the smoke cleared away, a horrible
| sight was presented. In one room on the
third story of the second tier, the smoke
and flame had entered and scorched the
quilts and pillows Of the unfortunate in
mates. Nine Of the inmates were found
dead upon their beds, nearly all of them
were paralytics and had been unable to
make any effort to save I themselves.
IA few of them were burned and
the hair upon their heads singed, but all
doubtless had died Of suffocatioE. On the
third floor was found an old man seated
in chair, also quite dead from asphyxia.
After the flames were subdued the firemen
began work searching for the bodies OF
those who had persisted. In a short time
the charred and mangled remains of eight
men were found among the debris of the
east wing, who had doubtless died before
that part of the building fell. This made
eighteen victims in all, but more will
doubtless be discovered. The scenes were
sickening, most OF the bocies being
so burned as to be unrecognizable. The
names Of the dead SO far as known, are as
follows Micheal Reilly, aged 9S; Geo.
Donnelly, aged SO; Pat. Mullen, aged ";
Mike Cummings, aged 7s; Adam Brush, aged
f u; Peter Kelly, aged Is; Pat: Heise, aged
70: Conrad Landmann, aged 81; Jno. kav-
anagh, aged 70 VIM. Sullivan, aged %.
There were seventy-three persons in all
in the burned wing-not one OF the 1emale
inmates was injured. The survivors were
removed to the houses of persons living In
the vicinity, who Hospitality opened their
doors for the purpose. They will to-mor-
row be placed in the County Aims House,
until the House is repaired. The damage
to the cast wing is about $4,000, and ls
fully insured. :.
The total number of persons burned IL
believed to be twenty-eight; nineteen
corpses have been found; nine men are still