Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-02-21
Panic Stricken.

rounding the school. Many children were
lost in the excitement and are reported
missing. The following is a list Of the
dead as far rs the police returns now show:
The Dead:
Minnie lister, 9 years
Mary Haberneht, years.
Mary Ann HOpp, years.
Minnie Truhe 10 years.
Josephine Msrr, years
Mary BreCht, years.
Lena Becker, years.
! Lizzie MapetyCki. 6 years.
TherSa CatSener, IL years.
Barbara Pregenger 9 years.
Louisa Florence, years. She was taken
| out alive and died in st. Francis Hospital.
\ girl apparently 7 years of age; un-
identified.
A girl aDout years; unidentified
Sister Apromia, who had charge of the
fifth class of girls said: II was in charge of
my class when the fire first broke out in
the hallway adjoining my room. / heard
n CommOtiOn outside and great confusion
and hubbub of voices. At once, / turned
toward the room door, and for the first
time / discovered smoke coming in through
the wainscotiDg. l Immediately went to
the door and as opened it, to learn the
cause of all the excitement, the flames
rushed al me. | at once closed the door
and was about to warn the children TO keep
calm, when some men came and
Burst Into the Room.
In a moment the children ran out at the
| bidding of the men, and | followed, seeing
that all were escaping. Many Of them,
however went TO the stairs at the west side
Ot the building and were injured by falling
over the stairs where the boys had broken
down the balusters before them. There
were about one hundred girls IN my class.
ha ~, cba ~ ha first
| of the girls department on the fourth
floor. said: | was not aware what was GO
| ing on until | saw the boys on my floor
! running over 10 the west side stairs and
POing wildly down. heard the balusterS
give way, and then was about to turn TO
my charges when they all arose, ana as il
seized with one fright, dashed past me and
recklesSly ran down the stairs and hall
ways. | saw none of my girls injured,
end they disappeared so quickly from my
sight | hoped they had all escaped in
safety. The sister appeared
Calm and Composed
and seemed to have retained her selt.pos.
session during the trying moment OF her
experience.
Another account of the origin OF the Gre
from which smoke spread through the
building bringing such terrible results TO
the innocent pupils, says 1t was OF the
most trivial character. IL started among
mass OF sweepings in the closet beneath
the stairs leading from the second To the
third floor on the east side OF the building.
IL had been smouldering for some time
and had eaten its way through to the CEN
ire of the partition wall dividing the hall
from the class room in front aud crept up
toward the third hOOr ere 1t was discovered.
At this moment visitor called al the
school TO see one OF the pupils in the 6tth
. -. 0Dh
next 10 the door which opens almost OPP
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
was conducted. Scarcely had the door
swung back on its hinges when flames
burst out from under ihe stairway. The
Sister hastily shut the door, but not until
some of the children in her care had
caught sight of the fire. All efforts 10 quiet
them were in vain and they
Pushed Madly
from the class room. Smoke now rolled
out Of the closet in great volumes and IN q
few seconds spread TO all parts of the build
ing, and scene of the widest confusion
followed
The school building is five stories high,
and has nine class rooms, seven Tor girls
and two for boys. The rear
OF the school ahuts at the rear OF
the Church OF the Holy Redeemer which
fronts on Third street. There are two stair
ways, one on the east aud the other on the
west end of the building. These stslrwayS
were about three and half feet wide aud
opened almost at the doors OF the class
rooms. but the play room in the center OF
the building was reached by q narrow, dark
psssageway. When the girls on the second
hoor rushed from their rooms they had
hardly reached the head OF the stairs " hen
the boys and girls from the upper floors
were upon them. All
FranticalIy Fought
to get down the narrow stairway and the
first were thrown headlOng TO the bottom.
Then as the crash came from the hundreds
Of children trying to get down from
| the upper floors on the east side
/ gave way. the balusters going with 1t, and
/ fully fifty children were thrown to the
/ door beneath. On these others fell until
they were piled five feet high on top Of
each other Officer Lambert OF the SOcie-
y Tor the Prevention OF Cruelty to Chill
dren, happened to be on East Fourteenth
Street, nearly opposite the school. when
the alarm was given. He says: rushed
lnto The building and terrible sight met
| aNAeu InJO narrow halfway
on me trst toor were from fifty 70 seventy.
I'VE httIe girls. The poor things were
screaming and struggling with all their
nlent. BY this time other police and cti-
1ShS had arrived, and We began pulling the
snIINFen out OF the hallway. The cries of
some OF the children at the bottom OF the
Pne grew fainter and fainter and then
ceased entirely.
DeiectlSe Robinson said:
The Fire broke Ont
enSer the stair case on the second floor
ana ana was easily eItinguished. | examined
lne place and it seems 10 me sone matches
must must haVe been swept up with papers undsr
.ne stairway and have been iraitei by fric-
ton with the floor. " A'A~
.Foiceman Reid said: On the a,or ba..
nihu the stair case lay a mass of struvslinS
soia oreaiilhg children. They were piled on
Iop OF each other. As quickly ss possible
We pulled them out, ana passed them ons
oy one through q window. Those en- ton
we're still alive. When we reacbsS
tne bottom We came upon ten dead, II
vas an awfGl sight to sse them living there
WIN their olanchsd faces, mouth and ewes
VIDE open, and their dresses slI In disor3sr
'V6s little girl Minnie Traks, was ssii