St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-19
ORPHAN ASYLUM BURNED.
The Catholic Orphan Asylum at Brook
lyn Burned 10 the Ground.
All the Inmates Supposed to Have Escaped,
but Not Known for Certain.

NEw YORK, Dec ls.-The Catholic male
orphan asylum at ST. Marks aud Albany
avenues, Brooklyn was burned this afternoon,
and IL is feared some Of the children per-
ished 10 the flames. The sisters in charge
think all escaped, but cannot tell until the
roster Of the boys is called The little fellows
are now scattered about in the care
OF the residents OF the neighbor-
hood. The fire started In the drying
room, which adjoined the southern
end Of the main building. This drying room
also contained the boilers and heating appa-
ratus, with 4 dormitory on the third foo- in
which there were sixty orphans suffering
from various complaints. Sister Mary Jo-
sephine, who was in the dormitory at the
time the fire broke out, made heroic efforts
TO save the little ones She remained in the
room until absolutely driven out by the
flames Then she ran to the window, where
she stood upJn the cOrniee until Foreman
MeGroarty, Of engine IA, from the roof OF the
building swung his coat TO her. The sister
caught the coat, but when McGroarty tried 10
pull her from her perilous position, she lost
her grasp and fell To the ground. She struck
upon her shoulders and head. She was con-
veyed 10 ST. Catherine's hospital in an un-
conscious condition.
Joseph Ryan, boy, tried TO descend by a
ladder from the same floor (the third, aud
got within eight feet OF the ground wher the
ladder parted. He received severe injuries
John MeGrath, eight years old, jumped
from the third story, aud was badly injured.
Mother DeChantel and Sister Anthony
were In the Office when the Ere was diseov-
cred They at once gave the alarm, and then
proceeded IN get the youngsters out Of the
building. There were 7s5 orphans in the
main building, which Is also known as
ST. Johns home. They were told to leave
the home aud seek a shelter in any neighbor-
ing house until called for. There was great
excitement among the inmates. Hundreds
OF little fellows ran out into the falling snow,
ha,less aud coatless.
The flames spread with great rapidity and
the buildings were almost completely de-
stroyed. The asylum and grounds occupied
an entire block. The asylum building was
2lOxl50 feet three stories, with mGnsard
roof, and constructed OF blue stone.
There were about thirty sisters in the
asylum, and e number of them went out
with the boys, but il was impossible to keep
the little fellows together. They sought re-
fuge in the car stables, dwellings, saloons
and stores near by. Rev. Father Bronson
took nearly 100 Of them to his home, and the
asylum attached to the church Of charity,
close by, received another con usiderable num-
Der. Father Bronson, who was early at the
scene, and did excellent work 10 getting the
inmates out, hopes no lives have been lost.
Edward Hssslet, city official. who reached
the building soon after the fire occurred,
says he never saw so much excitement The
children were running out Of every entrance,
on both St. Marks and Albany avenues.
Many Of them were thinly clad, but were
soon provided with clothing, of one kind or
another, by the neighbors. Had the fire de-
partment come sooner, he thinks the build
ing would not have been such loss.
John Watheld, grocer, and George irish
placed a ladder against the second story
window on Albany avenue and Irish handed
down seven boys, when the
crowd called to him 10 come down
on account Of the proximity Of the flames,
which we're bursting out Of the windows just
beneath him.
Patrick Cahill Is confident he saw a woman
fall back from the window into the fre. He
also believes all the boys did not get out,
though all except those in the boiler wing
escaped without trouble.
Engineer James A. Wilson said: "We
had two engines of sixty horse power each.
/ was attending to the fires when one Of the
boys came rushing down saying the
building was on fire. found
he was right, and 1 banked my
fires aud filed the boilers with cold water so
they could not explode. By this time the FIRE
had reached the boiler room, and had
barely time 10 to escape. do not know
how the fire origin ated, only that It broke
out in the drying room"
One Of the boys In the asylum said the fire
was caused by another boy who went into
the drying room with alighted candle and &C
cidentally set some clothes on fire. The fame
the boy said leaped up in a moment, and all
who were in the room ran out
Father Eugene P. Mahony, who was in
charge Of the building, thinks all the children
escaped. He gives credit TO the 6remen for
.heir work. Some Of the fremen took great
risks on the high ladders they had 10 climb
The flames swept about them, and the tim.
bers and building seemed constantly about
to give away.
George Matthews, Of truck 3, had drawn a
large hose with him up the ladder on the
Albany avenue side, after the interior had
been burned out and the walls seemed about
TO fall. He thought he had the hose securely
lashed TO the ladder, but when the water
came through II was jerked from its fasten-
ing and knocked Matthews to the ground, =
distance Of thirty feet. He was seriously in
iured- Another fireman was badly burned
and otherwise injured by being knocked
from ladder by a piece Of falling cornice.
The building stood upon an elevation, and
the hremen had hard work TO get at It. Long
lines Of hose had 10 be extended, and the
streams lost much Of their force, though they
Just reached the top of the buildings Efforts
were made to save at least the front Of the
building, but at s O'Clock the flames about
the cross and cupola were burning fercely,
and soon after their support gave wfy and
they came down with a crash. At only
the charred walls remained. It could not be
learned definitely tonight whether any lives
were lost, but the best is hoped for. On the
night Of Nov. 9, 1852, the former Catholic
orphan asylum building was burned during q
driving snow storm, and three Of 24S chill
dreu burned TO death. The asylum building
destroyed to-day was valued at $500, ,0OO
Insured. 1t Is announced late tonight that
Sister Mary Josephine, who fell from the
third story window, Is dead
wwaI