The Evening critic., 1883-02-21
SIXTEEN LITTLE LIVES
Lost by IL Panic in Now York
SchOOlhOuse.


Lost by u Panic in Now York
SchOolhOuse.
An outbreak of fire under the stairs on
the second floor of the schoohouse at
tacbed to the Roman Catholic Church Of the
| Most Holy Redeemer, on Fourth street. be-
tween Avenue A and First avenue, New
| York, at quarter past 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon, was the cause of q panic By rea-
| son of which sixteen children lost thoir
lives, Over 700 pupils, mostly children of
the poorer classes living in that crowded
vicinity, from 0 to II years Of age, attended
| the school and were in their classrooms
| when the alarm of fire was raised The re-
moval of the children on the fourth floor
began quietly and was progressing rapidly,
| when Sister of Charity, who was in
| charge of class of girls tainted
| from excitement. Immediately the class
| was thrown into confusion, and rush was
made for the hallway. The stairs became
crowded, and the frightened children fell
over one another in confusion. The railing
of the stairs broke and the struggling chill
dren were precpitated to the floor below.
There the policeman and fireman, who
with some passing citizens, rushed in,
found them lying four and five deep. Six
were taken out dead from the bottom of the
heap. Eight more died Immediately after.
large number of others, who were carried
to the tenements near by, were reported TO
be dying. The excitement when the news
Of the catastrophe spread through the
densely -peopled neighborhood was fearful.
and throngs of excited people blocked the
streets surrounding the school. Many chill
dren were lost in the excitement and are
reported missing.
The school building il five stories high,
short as to depth, and fronting on Fourth
street, embracing several numbers Its rear
wall abuts upon the Church of the Most
Holy Redeemer, in Third street, of which
it is an adjunct. On the east side is the
Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame, who
teach in and have general charge of the
school. Father Hespelen is school direc-
tor. Five hundred girls under twelve
years of age and two hundred boys attend
the school, and all were in their classes
when the panic occurred. The building is
peculiar by reason Of its shallow Depth and
survey of it shows that every rule aud
precaution for safety in o school has been
disregarded. On the four floors there
are nine classroomss opening into two hall
ways, with stairways running east and
west reaching each end of the building.
Through the classrooms access can be had
to either stairway, but the halls and stairs
are separated. The classrooms are in
every instance closely packed with benches
and seats, the narrow doors open inward,
and there is only one door in the room to
afford egress for from thirty to eighty
children, mostly young girls. The stair
ways are likewise narrow, and at the top
of the highest flight there is stout
wooden gate, not easily moved. Actual
measurement showed that the inward.
opening door came within II inches of the
end of the nearest benches, hardly affording
room to squeeze through
The fire started in closet containing
some sweepings and waste paper under the
stairs on the second floor. 1t amounted to
nothing, but when first seen filled the hall
and stairways with smoke. Sister Aproma,
who was about to send child home, opened
the door of her classroom and was met by
gust of smoke, through which the flames
could be seen. Hastily shutting the door,
she ran for pail of water, sternly COM
manding her pupils to remain quiet She
was too late with the water, and hur-
riedly marshaling her scholars marched
them out in safety. The alarm had
spread through the school and similar
precautions were taken in each class The
boys in some of the classes became unruly,
but were kept in check by great effort.
Exit being impossible by the east stairs as
they were filled with fire and smoke, the
march was taken through the classrooms
on each floor to the west side in compare
tive order. In half minute after the
alarm had been given, half the children
were in the street. Just at this time,
the sister in charge of girls class No. 5,
on the second floor, tainted. This was the
one mishap wanting to precipitate a panic
and with wild cry of fear the seventy or
eighty little girls, thus left without
leader, rushed through the door into the
already crowded hallway, throwing the
throng there into confusion. Shrieking.
the children crowded, rolled and fell down |
the stairs together. The foremost and the |
weak fell or were pushed down and tram
pied on.
Parents who could not Hud their little |
ones followed the wagons carrying the
dead In the rear room of the police station |
thirteen little bodies were laid in row, |
numbered as they were laid with paper |
tickets pinned to their clothes. Mothers |
searching for their children were admitted
one by one. A shrek and heartrending
moans proclaimed recognition of the bodies |
one after another, and the spectators
turned away heartsick As the name and
age of each child was taken the friends |
were allowed to carry the body out |
through the crowd