New-York tribune., 1879-12-08
BURNING OF THE PAVILION.

On the southern side of the main building of
Bellevue Hospital just inside the high wall which
bounds the grounds at the junction OF Firsiave. and
Twentysxth-s, stand the outer walls OF tho pavilion
which burned Saturday night, when
three little children lost their lives. All tho
interior and whatever the building contained
that WAS consumable are mass OF cinders
aud ashes The pavilion Lshaped, about
twenty feet wde and extended forty feet frsave.
and 100 feet on Twenty-sixth-st. 1t story In
height. and divided into three compartments; a
square in the corner was the nurses apartment;
the long Twenty-sixth-st was known Ward
81, and was used for sick women; the shorter
Frstave. known Ward 81. and
occupied by SICK children. door opened from the
nurses into each OF the wards. and each ward had
door the end the side opening into the yard.
On Saturday night the women's ward had sixteen IN
mates and the chdrens ward thirteen. Mss Lossoner.
nurse was H. charge. In a of the nurses room,
adjoining the partition separating 10 from tho
children's ward, was a small closet In which
a small quantity Of bed-clothes, towels. etc, and
the floor OF which was some Oakum. The rooms
heated by seli-ieedng stoves, and light
ed jets the centre OF the and several
feet from the ceiling Tho patients all la their
and Miss LossOner minstering 10 their wants.
There helper in one OF the wards. bur no very
clear account ctn be obtained OF her.
At few minutes past 1 D. Miss Lossonier was at
the further end Of the women's ward, talking with
patient. As she returned toward her room she saw
flames bursting from the closet and reaching above tho
partition. which did not extend quite TO the ceiling. In
moment the heat broke the glass In
window by. and the wind rushing In car
red the flames with rapidy through bo'h wards
OF the pavilion rapidly through the children's
ward. The nurse cried out TO arouse tho sieepng pa
tients and To summon assistance. nght-watchman
Immediately into the building, other attendants and
physicians followed, and The sick women and chill
dreu in few moments carried
i ais sfpl al
doors were all open, and there was
no difficulty efecting the Of all the inmates
except that which caused by the rapid spread Of
the flames a I'D smoke through the childrsn's ward
An alarm OF fire sounded IL Is said, by police
man who saw the flames from the street.
and engines soon on tho spot. In
the fear OF danger 10 the main building
second alarm sounded, but in short time tho
flames were extnguished. The rescued patients had
been distributed through the hospital; but one Mary
Dunn, taken In dying condition, and brcsthed
her last minutes after she had been taken into the
gate-house As the fire nguished search
made by the hremen through the ruins. and tho
burned bodies OF three little children found In the
chldrens ward buried the ashes Of the beds which
they had LAIN They had evidently been sufocated by
the smoke and died without much suffering. The re-
mains taken TO the Morgue.
LIST OF THE lost.
The following Is list OF those who lost their lives
BENTLEY CHARLES, age year IN this counryf
taken TO the hospital on October from Seventy
third-st. aud Avenue-A.
Dunn. MARY. age thlrty-two. taken 10 the hospital
December 4. She was very low at the time OF the
fire, suffering from heartdlsease ana consumption.
building. IL is supposed her death was hastencd by
fright and the eject OF removal. Her home was in
RICHTER, MARrIsA. age six weeks born in this coun;
in wart lwenty-one; taken TO the hospital Decem-
Der 3.
sHErHEY THOMAS age ten years born In this country,
home; taken to the hospital December from
the Central Ohce.
STATEMENT OF WARDEN o'RouRKE.
Warden O'ROurke gave the following particulars OF
the fire a TRIBUNE reporter yesterday: IL can't
imagine IL possible that the fire originated by sponane
combustion" he said "yet don't see any other
theory to advance in regard 10 H. IL looks now as
though should never be able 10 know positively how
IL took place. The room In which IL origi-
mated was in a Of the building. It
about eight feet square, aEd was used soreroom
for laundry WORK. warddresses ana light materials
used In the wards. II filed with shelves. which
az the time of the fire small quantity OF oakum,
lying loose, three four parcels OF cotton dozen
more rolls Of muslin for ban dages, and number OF
sheets and ward-dresses all folded. gas jet was
near any pOriion Of the woodwork There
taius on the windows and the gas-buruer fully
room. Those which are used TO light np with were
kept near the refrigerator IN an adjoining room. !
found half box OF them there to-day which was put
there before the hre They had not been touched by the
1.-THE gas in this room was lighted as usual at ?. M
At $3.50 p. N. the watchmsn John Mccarthy. eniered
the and turned The down 10 very small flame.
10 one entered the after this that know Of At
about $3.50 Mccarthy made his last Inspection OF
the two wards but noticed nothing wrong Mccarthy Is
about thirty OF and has bee here over three
years. consider him q thoroughly trustworthy man.
to the that the heat broke the glass IN the Window
This caused draught over tue top OF The piriion.
| owing the strong wind blowing az the time. Miss
LosonIer soon she saw te flames coming OVERTIME
PARTITION hastened to the chidrens ward ana beg 10
them in leaving the building. She showed
age throughout tue hre, and DID spieniid work The
vhy ysicans atendanIswere not excited Is reported.
They worked rapidly and well, and before the hremen
| arrived every inmate out Of the building who
could be- taken out never thought fire could make
such swift progress The flames seemed be carried
raining hard at the time. and 1t was dangerous
| posure 10 many OF the patients TO he taken cut
our scsest patients were conhned but they we've taken
quickly that suffered seriously aud to-day
not single one complains oi any bad effects from fright
1t is little singular that FOE two OF the children
rescued this was the second recent escape from death
| by fire. One was Joseph Wolf. ten years OF axe.
| who narrowly escaped burning TO death or Friday In
the fire No 2i7 East seventh ST. IN which his little
sister persisted. He had been brought here, having
been slightly burned and nearly suhocated by smoke
| The other was Mary Bushbisher, OF about the
November 15 Her mother has been In the hospital for
some time. We thought at nrst that Mary had been
caught by the flames. for she could not be found. But
after careful search found the little thins in bed
| with her mother IN another ward She had fed from
the building when the flames broke out and had run un
perceived to her mothers room, greatly frightened
| 1--WE shall be at some Inconvenience for time be-
cause OF the oss Of the Use OF the ward But We have
arranged ward In the main building for the patients
formerly accommodated IN the burned pavilion. As
have plenty OF room they will not be uncomfortable In
ing was an old one, and would have had 20 be torn
down In little while at any rate hardly think is
| will stand repairing"
Deputy Coroners Miller and Macwhnnie visited the
OF ruin yesterday aud viewed the bodies OF the
caused by heart disease the other deaths
was only too apparent.