Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-01-12
A Henrtren ding Calamity.


Conception at Belleyille, H., one of the
most famous educational institutions In
the West, caught fire at ii o'clock last
Saturday night, and in two hours was re-
duced to ruins, under which were buried
tho bodies of twenty-seven pupils and
nuns. The fire is said to have started in
the rear of the third story, which was
used as Il dormitory. An attempt was
made by the sisters to extinguish the
danes, but this failing, efforts were made
to save the pupils. The fire spread so rap
idly that order could not be preserved,
and panic seized both the children and
sisters, all making wild, confused rush
to escape.
The windows were too high to be reach
cd without ladders, and the doors too solid
aad pOnderoLs to give way beneath an Or
binary attack. BY the time a monstrous
bar of iron was secured from an adjacent
foundry, and the front door broken in the
flames and smoke had made such Roadway
that all hope of escape for the inmates by
the ordinary means of egrcss was lost.
few daring citizens braved the flames and
smoke and darted up the stairs only to
discover that nearly all the doors Of the
sleeping rooms were locked and that it
was out of their power to practically re-
spond 10 the heartrending screams for
help from those inside, the Railways III
the center of the building proved facile
channel for the smoke to the upper stories,
and those who had gained an entry into
the place were forced to seek safety in
flight. Seeing that if the inmates Of the
convent were to be saved il had to be done
by the windows, search was instituted
for ladders, but the fire department, which
WAS very slow in reaching the scene, did
not possess any that could reach even to
the second story.
In the meantime the occupants Of the
second and third stories were crowding
the windows and wildly screaming for
those below to do something in their be-
half. Windows were flung up and slight
young girls stood OUT in the cold wintry
winds, their feet treading the icy corniccs.
while they clung with their hands to the
window sashcs. One of them named
Mary Campbell, 4 novice of the order of
Notre Dame, lost her balance and fell to
the ground, where she was dashed to
death, not to reach alive the shelter TO
which she was carried. Another girl
named Daisy Eberie dared the leap of
about so feet, and WAS caught by stout
men, who managed to break her fall and
save her life. The sisters at this time were
making almost superhuman efforts to pc
vent the other girls from taking the per-
ilouS venture. The lady superior, Sister
Mary Jerome, was III the center of 4 group
of seven young girls at one of the will
dows of the third story, but while she was
exhorting them the smoke and flames
went into the room. In a few moments
all was darkness and when the light came
again they had disappeared forever.
Shortly after this occurrence two men ap-
peared upon the scene with spliced lad
der which reached TO the third story, and
with its aid number OF the girls were
rescued. Sister Moderate, while heroic
ally helping some Of the girls to escape
down the ladder, slipped and fell to the
ground, being instantly killed. The work
of rescue was not completed, however,
before the fire gained the complete mas
terry, and white robed figure after figure
disappeared from the windows and fell
back into the cauldron of flames. a hair
breadth escape WAS accomplished by two
young Ladies, Ora Montgomery AMI EN-
lily Fourui, who lcaped from the second
story in the rear Of the convent and land
ed upon the veranda. They wore seen to
leap by two citizens, who, after u lengthy
search, found ladder which reached to
the veranda from which tue girls, badly
injured by their fall and half frozen, were
rescued just in time, as in q few minutes
the wall fell and crushed to the ground
the versnda on which they were found.
The firemen soon saw that it was impossi-
BILE to save any part of the buildings but
the walls, and within an hour after the
fire broke out the worst had been reached.
When the ruins were sufficiently cooled
a volunteer corps went TO work to bring
out the bodies. 1t was terrible sight.
At times the searchers would find two or
three charred remains huddled close to-
gether as if the victims had sought pro-
lection from one another from the adj
vancing flames.
Love, Death and Insanity.