The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1883-02-21
GENERAL TELEGRAMS.
FIRE AND PANIC IN A NEW YORK
SCHOOL.
Fourteen Children Killed Graphic De
scrlption Of the Terrible Scene
Mothers Claiming Their
Crushed lanocents.
4 REVIEW OF THE NEWS OF THE DAY

NEW YoGK, February 20. II e
.tir- OF the school h"u.e A.
t,cied t. the German CT Ole Church ot
the Most Hey Rodc, mcr. on Fourth
street, beiwc' n Avenue 4 and Flist ave
nue. at Ilj O'Clock This evening Wa the
cause Of Is terrible calamity. Nohs, thtu
fourteen cuiIIfeu lost their live. q .r
seven hundred scholars. mostly cnlldr %
OF the poorer classes IA ging IRON tx o.
eleven Yeas 81 uRc, ate ded Ihr snhoD.
and werr m their elias, rooms when the
alarm OF fire wHs raised. y fearful panic
soon tol owed. The removal ui the chi %
dr.n from the fourth floor began quichl
enough aud WAS progressing rapidly.
When the sister of char
lty IN charge OF class It
girls tainted. Immediately the alarm 81
class became panic stricken and rusu
wa made from the hallway to the Stare
which were al eady crowded A deadly
crush took place, the railing Of the
stairs trUke, and tIe mass Of struggling
children were precipitated to the floor
below, falling in packed mass, one
II on another from four to five feet deeI
The police and fremen were already
summoned and had arrived, but their
work OF rescue was much humpcred by
the frightened children continuing to
fall or leap from the stairway, those H.
front being crowded over the broken
halustrade by children behind, strug
CLING to reHch the exits.
SIX children were taken ont deal from
the bUttOm;e pht more died Immediate.
after the rescue, making a total Of "a. a
large number of others who were carried
to ncighburng teuemeuts were reported
dying. The excitement when the new.
u the cata trophe spread was fearful,
and great thruugs ~ people bio kcu
the streets surrounding the school.
Many children were lost in the exc te-
mcut, and reported missl <. Sister
Apromia, who had charge Of the
fifth clHss Of girls, SAID 81 was
IN charge Of my class when the fire fir {
broke out IN the hallway adjoining my
room. heard cummuiion outside, and
grca confusion aud hubbub Of voice..
Al once turned toward the room door,
and then for the first time discovered
smoke coming IN through the whluscot-
ing. | immediately went to the door.
Az opened 1t to arm the cause Of al
T. excitement the flames rushed i'm on
me. ! Mt once closed the door aud was
about to warn the children to k cp
INTO tine room. In "a moment the ru li.c D.
ran OIt at the bidding OF the men, uud /
I, allowed, seeing Hl were escaping NlnE
at them. how, y r.. went Go the .fur.Hr the
west end II the huiiiHg and WEI, ,uiur d
hg tl ing over TIE stair. Wh r. ihc boys
had broken down tle han','cr- before
them There were about one hU.uTD n
girls inm my ,ltss." The sister in charge
Ut the inst div sion ~ Ihr gi.ls' depart
muut on the fourth floor sail.
Il WAS not aware what
WAS the meniug Of the exc lament until
looked and SAW tue boys on my floor
running yrr Co. the west side OF the
stairs going wildly down. | heard
the btiu-trHut, give way, AMI then was
about to tn ID luoN to my charges,
when they all rose aud It's II seized with
night, daa 'd past mo ard reckless.
ran down tue STAIRS d Railways saw
none OF my SJi, injured, and they ulSap-
pcnred SO quickly from my sight l hoped
they had csc ped III safety The lister
appeared calm and composed, and
seemed to have retained her self. ussts-
SION during trying momcuts Of her
narrowing experience, The origin OF
the fire, from which smoke spread
through the building wthtrrrIble results
to the Innocent pupils, was Of tue mos
trivial character. IL started among
mass Ufsweeplu in u closet tncath the
stairs leading from the second to the
third floor ON the east side
ut the 'uldiug. 1t had been shoulder
iug for some time, and had eaten Its
way through to the center Of the partl-
ton wall dividing the hall from the
class 70 m IN 'front.' an crept up toward
lt....,g...r.l.l Itt
visitor who called at the scho ! tu see
the pupils IN the fifth clgss, which ~ Oh
the second floor a door opened at the
opposite end and within five feet Of the
closet ia which the sweeping were.
The visitor knocked at thu dOut,
which Was opened by one OF the sisters
OF Nutrr Dame, by whom the school was
conducted scarcely hnd the door swung
back on it, hinges when the flames burst
out from under the stairway. The sitter
hastily shuI the door but nor until some
OF the Children In her care had caught
sight OF the ilrc. All Efforts to quiet them
", n in vain, and they rushed madly from
the class room. The smoke
now rolled ont OF the closet
in great volume and In few seconds
spread 10 all put OF the building, and %
scene OF the Widest confusion vnsucd.
The school building Is live stories high
and has nine class Topms, scycn tor girls
and two Tor boys. The ieT OF the school
Hbuts at the rear of the church OF the
Holy Red, cmer, which fonts on
Third street. There are two stair
ways, one on the east and the other ON
the west end of the build
Ing These stairWaSS were about three
and hslt feet wide, and opened almost
at The dDOy uf the class rooms but from