The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-03-04
An Orphan Asylum Burned.
FOURTEEN BOYS AND THREE GIRLS sCFFo-
GATED IN THEIR ROOMS.


SCRANTON. PA, Feb. %, 1ss1.-The wild
est excitement prevails in TINS city over the
most heartrending disaster that ever occur
red here. At a few minutes before O'Clock
this evening, fire broke out in St. Patrick 5
Orphanage, at Jackson street and Lincoln
avenue, Hyde Park, andfOuTteen boys ana
three girls, ranging in age from 10 II years,
were suffocated. The Orphanage was III
charge of several Sisters of Charity, VINO
had care Of twenty-five girls and eighteen
bows The children slept on the third floor,
a partition separating the dormlto'les: AT
81 o'clock this evening one OF the SISTERS
aW the children put to bed and locked the
doors She had hardly descended the stairs
when she saw dense cloud OF smoke lssu-
ing from the rooms on one OF the upper
floors Hurrving back to the apartment oc-
cupied by the girls. she took one of the small
est in her arms. and the rest quietly followed
her to a place Of safety By this time the
fire was raging fiercely on the third floor,
and smoke poured into the hallway.
The inmates of the house were now thor
oughly alarmed, and the girls were hurried
from the building The Sister who discover
ed the flames again began to ascend the
stairs to assist the boys to escape. w hen sle
had gone about half way up she was met by
a man who informed her that the boys nau
ALI been safely removed. She persisted that
they had not been taken out, but he lnSisJed
that none were in the building, and refused
to allow her to pass. Thousands OF persons
were by this time attracted to the scene II
was ruTnored that many of the children were
in I'M, buildinE. bat those who presumed TO
know ouieted the fears of the crowd by saying
that ali the inmates had been safely removed.
Scores of persons entered the house to lnFes-
tirate but the flames ragged so hercely thaI
hut little progress could be m9de in tIe AZ
tempt to reach the sleeping apartments
FOur fire companies came on the scene III
quick succession, and the work OF coIIodI-
ting the flames was actively begun IN
L. e., eafrir, irof
extinguished and the hrsmen were enableu
To reach the dOrmitOTy occupied by the boys.
The door was battered in, and the discovery
was made that not a single occupant OF the
room had escaped. The little ones were
luddled together beneath their cots, many oil
. them being covered by the bed clothing. NOT
ore showed a sign of life, and they must nave
been suffocated soon after the fire broke out.
On account of the distance of the orphan
age from the city it cannot be dehnately as
i certained tonight how the girls were found
in the bows doTmtOry. The bodies or Uhe
children were removed to the residence OF
the priest, and hundreds OF persons surged
into the building to view the remains Many
of the orphans had beer placed in the instl-
! tuition by their mothers, and the distressed
women were almost heart-broken with grief
when they singled out child from the num-
/ her and claimed the little one The major
ity of the children were without father or
mother, and were shown every attention Oy
/ the Sisters, and were supported by the peo-
| pie Of the parish. The disaster has sent a
/ thrill OF sorrow throughout the city. There
is no fixed theory as to how the FIRE originated.
/ STILL LATER.
I SCRANTON, Pa, Feb 28.-The excitement
over the burning of st. Patrick's Orphan
r Asylum is intense.
Although the origin OF the fire Is assigned
to n defective 1ue on the second floor, the
matter has not been definitely settled. The
Z assertion by one Of the Sisters OF Charity
! that she was stopped on the stairs by a
! stranger when she was about to return to the
/ rescue of the boys, after having taken the
girls TO a place OF safety, causes much in
/ quiry as to who he was, but none of those
/ VINO were in the building have yet identified
him
/ The three girls among the dead are sup
posed to have broken from their apartment
and entered that OF the boys, where they
met their death with the rest.
/ At II o'clock this morning the coroner en-
panneled a jETy and viewed the bodies Of
the seventeen dead children. The children
were identified by two Sisters Of the burned
asylum. Many of them lay on the floor,
with blackened faces and burned wrists.
( The Jury visited the burned asylum and in
Spected the dOrmitOTies. The boys room
was greatly damaged by flames, large holes
having been burned in the floor. The girls
room was not damaged Sc much, but the cots
/ were disarranged showing that they mus
/ have experienced the most intense fright
. The jury adjourned until Friday next