The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-04-12
4 SAD SIGHT.
Tho Burning Of Charitable Homo win
O. Number of Aged ind Indrm People.

Tho Burning OF q Charitable dom0 WILL
q Number of Aged and Inarm People.
The burning Of the Home for the
Aged in Brooklyn, N. Y, was terrible
calamity. On the night Of the fire thu
institution contained two hundred AND
four people, of whom seventy three were
aged and infrm, unable to help them
selves. The scene that confronted The
fremen when they reached tho burning
building was appalling, and when above
the roaring Of the flames piercing
shriek from some bed-ridden old man
reached them, they became almost un'
nerved. Pc. ,.,f., r.@;i ...r:
Many pathetic and impressive Incl
dents occurred while the building was
burning and its inmates were suffering
the terrors of q death from fire. Before
the firemen had reached the place, VII
liam Donohue, who lived near at hand,
placed q ladder against the burning
building. It reached only to the SEQ.
ond story; At q window on the floor
above stood Michael Cummins, one OF
the inmates, with bis white hair stream
ing in the wind. He was crying out :
"Save me for the love OF God, save
mel I'm burning up" and he beat the
air with his hands. "Get sheet and
tie it to your window and lover yourself
TO the ladder" ," shouted Donohue, /" but
for Heavens sake don't jump" The
old man turned and Bnstched q. sheet
from his bed and motted it to the bed
stead. Then be swung himself from
the window, holding the sheet with the
strength of despair. He lowered him
self to the end, and was then twelve
feet from the top of the ladder. "Fall
into my arms" shouted Douohue, and
he stood ready to receive the imperiled
man. The latter gave himself aswing and
released his hold OF the knotted and
twisted sheet, but as he fell his right
foot only grazed the side Of the ladder.
He turned complete somersault as he
descended to the ground, where he
struck upon the stone pavement, q mass
of bruised and battered flesh and broken
bones. His death, was almost instan-
taneous. Jeremiah Sullivan, whose bed
was in the second story Of the building,
and who was considered an incurable
paralytio, found his way to the window
of his room, and obtaining strength from
fear, mounted the sill and leaped to the
pavement below, breaking leg and sus-
tanning injuries which will probably
prove fatal. :...rr7-i ian, -I&-' 81 =.
In one of therooms on the third story,
second tier, which was saved, there was
q horrible spectacle. There lay the
corpses of nine unfortunate persons,
some Of whom were paralytics, and al
of whom had been unable to leave their
beds. A few OF them were burned, and
the hair upon their heads singed, but
all, doubtless, died from sufocation
caused from smoke. On the same floor,
one old man was found dead seated in
Q chair. He also died Of sufocation,
and was so infrm that he was unable to
leave his seat. i. ...:.,..-.,.,
Of the number of persons burned to
death, the youngest was seventy one and
the Oldest one hundred and five years.
Several were over eighty years OF age
and several over ninety. ~! ""..
The Home for the Aged is one OF
seventeen similar institutions in the
United States which have their founda-
ton in Brittany, France. The com
munity having charge of the home is
known as the Little Sisters Of the Poor,
and the sisters Of charity beg from door
to door for food, raiment, or money to
feed the destitute and decrepit creatures
to whose service they devote their lives.