The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-03-03

NEw York, February 20.-The out
break Of a fire under the stairway on the
eecond floor of the schoolhouse attached
to the German Catholic C..rch of the
Most Holy Redeemer, on Fourth Street,
between Avenue A and First Avenue, at
3 10 O'Clock this afternoon, was the cause
of terrible calamity. Over seven hun
dred scholars, mostly children of the
poorer classes, ranging from Z to II
years of age, attended the school, and
were IN their class rooms when the
alarm was raised. A fearful panic soon
followed. The removal of the children
from the fourth floor began quietly
enough and was progressing rapidly
when the Sister of Notre Dame, in
charge of class of girls, tainted.
Immediately the alarmed class
became panic-stricken, and
rush was made for the hallway.
On the stairs, already crowded, a deadly
crush took place. The railing of the
stairs broke and the mass of struggling
children were preci pitated 20 the floor
below, falling IN packed mass, one
| upon another, from four to five feet
deep. The police and tiremen, already
summoned, had arrived, but their work
Of rescue was much hampered 10y the
frightened children continuing to fall or
leap from the stairway, those in front
being crowded over the broken bal
ustrade by the children behind, still
struggling to reach the exits Six of
the little ones were taken ont dead and
ten die1 Immediately after the rescue,
making a total Of sixteen victims. Sew
eral Of the injured are not expected to
live r...
The fire from which the smoke spread
through the building, bringing such ter
rlble results to the innocent pupils, was
of most trivial character. 1t started
among mass OF sweepings in a closet
beneath the stairs leading from the sec
Ond TO the third Hcor, on the east side
Of the building. 1t had been shoulder
ing for some time and eaten its way
| through to the center of the partition
wall, dividing the hall from the class
room In front, and crept up toward the
| third floor ere it was discovered. At
| this moment a visitor called on the
school to see one Of the pupils in the
/ fifth class which is on the second floor,
aud the door of which opens almost op-
| pOsite and within five feet of the closet
| In which the sweepings were burning.
| The visitor knocked at the door, which
was opened by one of the Sisters of
| NOtre Dame, by whom the school is
conducted. Scarcely had the door
swung back on its hinges when the
! H- 1r,rcf frar,, nod, ii,
| way, The sister hastily shut the door.
| but not until some of the children in
her care had caught sight of the fire.
| Promptly upon the alarm of fire being
! given, the sisters marshaled the chii-
| dren, aud before half a minute had
| elapsed, half Of them were in the street
! by one stairway, the other being useless
/ by reason Of the fire and smoke. The
other half would have quickly marched
/ out unbarmcd, but that the sister in
care of No. 5 class was overcome by the
| peril of her charge and swooned away.
! This class Immediately became stricken,
broke away from all restraint, threw
other rapidlv-marching classes into con
fusion, aud all rushed for the stairway,
with the sad results already told.
The dead and dyingas they were taken
out were carried into the Church Of the
Most Holy Redeemer, where they were
| laid Ill front of the sanctuary and at
tempts to resuscitate them we're made.
Mothers, forcing their way IL despite of
a large force OF police, filed the sacred
building with pitIful cries, and many,
fuding their missing children living, fell
upon their knees IN the mud and snow,
giving thanks, while a frantic shrek
proclaimed the Identification of each
Iitele dead one. The ages OF the chill
dren dead and injured range between
7 and II years.
The school building is five stories
high, shallow in depth, and with a wide
frontage on Fourth Street, embracing
several numbers. It's adjunct, the
Church Of the Most Holy Redeemer on
the east side Is convent of the sisters
OF Notre Dame, who have general charge
Of the school. Father HespeIein is
school director Five hundred girls, un-
der II years OF age, and 200 boys attend
the school, aud they were all IL their
classes when the panic occurred. A sur
vey shows that every rule and precau-
ton in the school had been disregarded.
On the four floors there are nine class
rooms opening into two Railways, with
stairs running east and west, reaching
ing either end OF the building.
Through the class rooms, access can be
had to either stairway, bat the halls and
stairs are separated. In nearly every
room the doors open inward and there is
only one door IN the room for the egress
of from thirty TO eighty children, mostly
young girls, and the doors are only two
and half feet vide. Ine stairways are
likewise narrow and at the top OF the
highest flight there is a stout wooden
gate not easily moved. Actual measure
ment showed that the inward opening of
the door came within eleven inches of
| the end nearest tae benches, hardly
room enough to squeeze through. The
backs of the benches were within twenty
four inches of the rear walls and the
stove blocked all progress at the June
ton of the p2ssageway and the center
! aisle. between the row OF benches.
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/ Thackpr9y and - IN HpupIjS II man