Daily globe., 1883-02-21
RELIEF FOR DEsTITUTEFAMILIES
Systematic Help to be.Offered the Wives
and Orphans Of the Dead miners.
A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.

A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
New YORK, Feb. 2O.-An outbreak of
fire under the stairs of the second floor of
the school house attached to the German
Catholic Church Of the Most Holy Redeem
er, on Fourth street, between Avenue A and
First avenue, at 3:15 this afternoon, was
the cause of a terrible calamity. No less
than fourteen children lost their lives.
Over 700 scholars, mostly children of the
poorer classes, ranging from six to eleven
years of age, attended the school and were
in the cIass-rooms when the alarm of fire
was raised.
A FEARFUL PANIC
soon followed. The removal of the chill
dren from the fourth floor began quietly
enough, and was progressing rapidly when
the sister of charity IN charge of the class
of girls tainted. Immediately the alarmed
class became panic stricken, and a rush
was made for the hallway. On the stairs,
already crowded, deadly crush took
place. The railing of the stairs broke and
the mass of struggling children were
PREcIPITATED TO THE FLOOR BELOW,
falling in q packed mass, one upon another
from four to five deep. The police and
firemen, already summoned, arrived, but
their work of rescue was much hampered
Icy the frightened children continuing to
fall or leap from the stairway, those in
front being crowded over the broken balus
trade by the children behind still strug
Cling to reach the exits.
DEAD AND DYING.
Six children were taken out dead from
the bottom; eight more died Immediately
after their rescue, making a total of four
teen. A large number of others who were
carried to neighboring tenements, were re-
ported dying. The excitement when the
news spread, was fearful, and great throngs
of people blocked the streets surrounding
the school, Many children lost in the ex
citement, were reported missing. The fol-
lowing is
THE LIST OF DEAD,
SO far as the police returns now show:
MINNIE USTER, nine years.
MACY HARBERNECHT, seven years.
MARY ANN HAPP, eight years.
MINNIE TRUHE, ten years.
JOSEPHINE MAN, seven years.
MARY BRECHT, eight years.
LENA BECKER, nine years.
LIZZIE MAPETYCKI, six years.
THERESA KAZNER, eleven years.
BARBARA PREGENZER, nine years.
LOUISA FLORENCE, nine years. She
was taken out alive, and died in st. Fran
els hospital)
A GIRL, apparently about seven years,
unidentified.
GIRL, about nine years old, unidenti-
fed.
THE CAUSE OF THE PANIC.
Sister Apromia, who had charge of the
fifth class of girls said: was in charge Of
my class when the fire first broke out in
the hallway adjoining my room. I heard
q commotion outside, and great confusion
and hubbub of voices. At once 1 turned
towards the room door, and then for the
first time discovered the smoke coming
through the wainscoting. 1 Immediately
went to the door, and as I opened it to
learn the cause of all the excitement, the
door, and was about to warn the children
to keep cain when some men came
BURSTING INTO THE ROOM.
In q moment the children ran out at the
bidding of the men, and I followed, seeing
that all were escaping. Many of them,
however, went to the stairs at the west side
of the building, and were injured by fall
ing over the stairs where the boys had bro
ken down the balusters before them. There
were about 100 girls in my class.
ANOTHER VERSION.
The sister in charge of the first division
of the girls department of the fourth floor
said: 4 was not aware what was going on
until 1 looked out and saw boys on my
floor running over to the west side stairs
and going wildly down. 1 heard the bal
listers give way and then was about to turn
to look to my charges when they all arose
and, as if seized with one fright, dashed
past me and recklessly ran
down the stairs and Railways.
saw none of my girls injured and they dis
appeared so quickly from my sight that
hoped they had all escaped in safety" Tht
sister appeared calm and composed, and
seemed to have retained her selfposses
sion during the trying moments of hel
narrowing experience.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The fire from which the smoke spread
through the building, bringing such ter
rible results to innocent pnpils, was of tn,
most trivial character. 1t started among
mass of sweepings in closet beneatl
the stairs leading from the second to th
third floor on the east side o
the building. 1t had been smolder
ing some time, and had eater