, 1881-02-28
SUFFOCATED.
Seventeen Children Meet a
Horrible Death at Scran-
y ton, Pa.
Fire at Half-Past 8 O'Clock Last
Evening in st. Pntrick's
Orphan Asylum.
The Little Ones Had All Been
Locked in Their Rooms for
the Night,
Every Effort to Release Them
BafHed by the Blind
ing Smoke.
The Firemen Unable to Res
cue the Children for
the Same Reason.
Search for the Unfortunates
After the Flames Had
Been Subdued.
They Were Found Under Their
Little Beds, All Sufocated
to Death.
170urtncn J1ny4 0nd Three {Ifr1H.
Fourteen Boys and Three Girls,
Aged from u to 12, the,
Haplcss Victims.
Another Fool Turns Up with a
Gun That Wasn't Loaded.
Horrible Mntt'ation BY Machinery Of
Workman III CoaI-Nlin
Death Of Man and Wifo Rosulting from q
Runaway Team.

Special Dtspdtch to The Chicago Tribune.
SCRANTON, Ta., Feb. .7,-Seyentcen In.
mntes nf S1 Patrick's Orphan Asylum, Of
lIy,tc Park, comprising fourteen boys aisd
three girls. ranging III nge from O tn II years,
were suFocatcd tonight By IN unexplained
ilre tllnt brokn uut at nbout . O'Clock. Tho
humber Of children under the care Of tho
Sisters was forty,-clyhtccn boys and
twenty-five girls, The institution Is
in charge of several Sisters Of Char
ity, and Is sEtuatc.t at tho corner
Of jackson street and Lincoln AVENUE. 1t Is
four stories In hight, on tho third floor are
two ,ior1nitortcs, separated by partition,
one for tic boys and tile other for tho girls.
Tho children wGre Taken to tho third floor
tonight by one Of the Sisters, who assigned
them to their respective rooms. Tile Sister
locked tho door and started for tho lower
floor. When ahout half way down her nttcn-
lion WIS attracted TO
aMoKE IsaC1Sts FROM ONE OF THE lk0oMs.
It was discovered Tint 4 brisk fire. was i'll
progress, and the Sister, alarmed for tho
safety of her charges, l,urrlc.t buck to the
girls ,lormitory. Tho inmates were fright
cned by the smoke tint WIS entering their
rom, from the lower floor, and rushed to tho
landing. Iii Il short tlnlo tho Sister led
tho why down stairs, and NIL the girls fol-
lowed her. They were sent to n place Of
satcty. Tho snluke was now pouring through
tho hallway in densU volume. The Sister
again started for tho third floor to rescue tho
bnys. but slle llad guns only Il short distance
when siu 'nrt*n strauge man. who told her
that Tho buys lad nil bcen removed from tho
tioslnlury. She persisted that they wcro
sTlt1. IN TIEEIN Noo,Is,
but tho stranger asserted that they wero not,
alld quletetl hcr fears. by this tinl, the fire.
nien I!,ul arrived. Thu fire burned strongly
on thu second and third ltoors, arl streams
were soon being thrown upon the lanes.
doubt being expressed nbuut tho boys
having escaped the ilrelMoE worked t0wnrtl
the dorn,ltory. III shurt tlnc they Bllc-
ccedcd III cleaning n passage. The door OF
tho boys rnon was broken open. The sur
Misses Ut tho doubling ones wero found to bo
cHrrcct. 1'lle children were found hutlttlcd
together beneat. their cots,
ALL. HAVING uEEN arFFocATED.
Two Of tteln were slightly Scared by tho
l,lent sucl, III llas never been experienced In
this city. At the date Of this dispatch Il n.
MI lhu streets are filled with peoplp who
visited tho sceHo of the horrible occurrence.
Tic terrible result has cast Rl,,Ut1 through.