The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-20


it seemed as if her life saved, and the crowd
cheered Justify. For moment she swung in
the air between the two buildings, then her
grasp relaxed and she fell to the ground, dying
soon afterward.
A boy and woman were now seen on the
| burning building. Three men placed a ladder
against the WALL but the ladder did not reach
within five feet of the roof. One of the men
mounted the ladder, and the little fellow leaped
into his arms and was saved. The woman
looked at the ladder and then at the fames
which were gradually encroaching. The bystand-
ers yelled at her to keep her courage up
She looked into the burning building as if fascin-
ated by the fire, and commenced edging away
from the ladder. Suddenly the flames shot up
beneath her feet, and with cry of agony she
fell backward into the burning building With
crash the roof fell afterwards, and soon the en-
tire building was a mass of flames
Johnny Ryan, little fellow seven years old,
attempted to escape by climbing down a water
pipe The pipe gave way, and he was borne TO
the hospital with his skull fractured.
1t is, as yet absolutely impossible to tell
where the inmates of the institution can be
found. In the station-houses car-stabes and
private houses the waits found shelter. Late
this afternoon list of the children
was made up and l23 were unaccounted
tor While it may turn out that
not one of these is among the ruins, the fact re-
mains that tons of burnt timber, warped iron,
and fallen bricks have not yet been removed,
and may entomb many more corpses than have
yet been recovered. The trustees of the home
have hired force of men to continue the search
until it is settled beyond question that there are
no more bodies in the wreck of the building
In room of the saved portion of he asylum
proper are the bodies of those who have been
found. They are tied up in sheets. Any effort
TO identify them would be perfectly useless. In
that room is the story of the loss of life so far
as known The little patients were so situated
as to be almost completely cut off from escape,
and the flames ran rapidly upward, thus pre-
venting egress from the upper part of the house.
Eddy McGraJh, one of the kitchen boys, twelve
years of age, was going in to wash cups
when the fire broke out. He ran in and
saved his little seven year-old brother, who was
on the second floor Speaking to a reporter,
McGrath said there were seven boys in the in
Urinary on the third floor, who were afflicted
with sore eyes, and about twenty three sick
with maarial fever. He said seven were unable
to leave their BEDS and suggested that probably
they were the first victims.
Children We're received at the home various
conditions, Most of them were orphans, and
some half orphans In addition to these few
had been committed by police magistrates, in
cases where their parents were either incapable
or unwilling to properly care for them. The
boys forming the last-named class were, in great
part, unwilling inmates, and these it is believed,
compose mainly the missing 1913 Having been
set free by the fire, they prefer to remain at
large.
SISTER vERoNICA's STATEMENT.
Identity of the remains of the woman found
in the ruins may be helped by the statement of
Sister Veronica who said: II let two visitors
into the infr1nary who went up stairs. They
were Mrs. McCarran and Mrs. Halloran. think
they got out, but am not sure. There were
not more than ten or twelve children on the
upper floor of the infrmary when the fire broke
out. This floor was used as dispenary, where
childrens ailments were treated, and was not for
occupancy except at such periods. Sister Veroni-
ca was in the infrmary building when the fire
was discovered, and said it seemed TO originate
in some dish towels that hung on the rack.
Sister Ciementina was there, too. and ran up
stairs to get water to throw on the flames. Be
fore she got back the fire had gained such head
way that it was useless to try to check it, and
their efforts directed to saving the children.
Mrs. Feeney who is laundress of the institu-
ton, was found in the farm house of the
asylum at the east end of the grounds and about
500 feet distant Here she passed the night
with sixty five of the smallest children, who
ranged from two years TO eight in age Several
OF the sisters were also present. From Mrs.
Feeneys statement there seems no doubt that
the fire originated in the engine room, which
was in the basement of the annex, on the first
floor; the laundry was on the next floor, and the
drying room on the third floor as was also the
intirmary II was in the laundry" said Mrs.
Feeney with Sister Clementna and the as
was during recreation hour and was making
some remarks to Sister Clementina about the
boys in the yard. Suddenly l saw flames
i'll the drying press. | turned and saw that
some of the towels were in q blaze Before
we could hardly move, the place was in a blaze
There must have been at least thirty five boys
in the iniirmary, up stairs, under care of Sister
Mary Anthony. l can't imagine how many got
out"
Mrs. Feeney was prevented from making fur
ther statements by a sister, who drew her aside
and warned her not to talk. Had the fire broken
out at night and in the crowded main building,
instead Of in the inirmary, ono shudders to
think what the list of casualties would have
been.
Bishop Laughlin is the nominal president of
the society which has the care of the orphans
The actual officers and managers are
aymen. These laymen exercised entire
control and direction of matters. There are
now many expressions of indignation against
management which made it possible for holo-
causting to heaven so many little ones commit
ted to their guardianship. The dead recovered
until late hour this afternoon numbered
thirteen,
1t is said $3 900 worth of statues have been
saved, with picture Of Mother Baptista, who
died two years ago.
Sister Mary St Josephine, who was killed,
was thirty-fve years old, and had belonged to
the order for fifteen years. She has a married
sister at Troy, n. Y, and few days ago visited
there with her father, eighty-four years old, who
recently came from ireland to see his children.
The wall of one wing of the asylum having
been saved, the pecuniary loss will not be as
heavy as first reported. The total insurance is
$97, 500 The coroner to day impaneled jury
and then adjourned the inquest
"a The remains of the woman found in the ruins
were those of Mary McCowen, a widow, residing
at SO Pearl street Brooklyn. She was visiting
her son; both perished.
The county charity commissioners have Of
fered the trustees several vacant buildings for
use of the children Reconstruction of the
orphan asylum will be begun at once