Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-02-28


Cling Mass Of Humanity to the
Floor BelOW---Slxteen Little Ones
Crushed to Death aud Many 9th
ers Fatally Injursd---Heartrend
ing Scenes---A Poorly Arranged
Building.
New YORK, February 20.-The out
break Of a fire under the stairway on the
second floor of the schoolhouse attached
to the German Catholic Church of the
Most Holy Redeemer, on Fou1th Street,
between Avenue A and First Avenue, at
3:15 o'clock this afternoon, was the cause
of a terrible Gala nifty. Over seven hun
dred scholars, mostly children of the
poorer classes, ranging from 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 q
rush was made for the hallway.
On tue stairs, already crowded, a deadly
crush took place. The railing Of the
stairs broke and the mass OF struggling
children were precipitated to the floor
below, falling in a packed mass, one
upon another, from four to five feet
deep. The police and fremen, already
summoned, had arrived, but their work
of rescue was much hampered by 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 out dead and
ten diet Immediately after the rescue,
making total of sixteen victims. Sev-
eral OF the injured are not expected to
live.
The fire from which the smoke spread
through the building, bringing such ter
rible results to the innocent pupils, was
Of most trivial character. It started
among mass of sweepings in a closet
beneath the stairs leading from the Sec
ond to the third floor, on the east side
of the building. 1t had been shoulder
ing for some time and eaten it's way
through to the center of tue 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,
and the door of which opens almost op-
poste 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 it's hinges when the
flames burst out from under the stair
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 chill
dren, and before half minute had
elapsed, half of them we're 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 unharmed, 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 rapidly 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 in front of the sanctuary and at
tempts to resuscitate them were made.
Mothers, forcing their way in despite of
| a large force of police, filled the sacred
building with pit1ful cries, and many,
finding their missing children living, fell
upon their knees in the mud and snow,
giving thanks, while frantic shrek
proclaimed the identification of each
little 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 wide
frontage on Fourth Street, embracing
several numbers. Its 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 Hespelein is
| school director. Five hundred girls, un-
der - years OF age, and 200 boys attend
the school, and they were all in their
classes when the panic occurred. A sur
vey shows that every rule and precau-
tion 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, but the balls 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 wide. The stairways are
likewise narrow and at the top OF the
highest fight there is 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 the 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 juno
tion of the passageway and the center
aisle. between the row of benches.
When Hawthorne Wrote "The Scarlet
Letter."
One winter day Hawthorne received
notice at his Office that his services would
be no longer required as collector OF GUS
toms at Salem. With heaviness of heart,
says Conway, he repairs to his humble
home. His young wife recognizes the
change, and stands waiting for the 81
lence to be broken At length be fall
ters: Il am removed from cfice;" then
she leaves the room; soon she returns
with fuel apd kindles bright fire with
her own hands; next brings pen, paper,
ink, and sets them beside him, then she
touches the sad man on the shoulders,
and as he turns to the beaming face
saws: "Now you can write your book. y