The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-25
HOMELESS ORPHANS.
Burning Of the Catholic Male Or
phan Asylum at Brooklyn.
Heroic Action of the Sisters, One of Whom
Loses Her Lie in Her Efforts to
Save the Children-Othcr
Casualties.
BRooKLYN, y. Y, December 10.

BROOKLYN, y. Y, December 10.
About three O'Clock yesterday after.
noon fire broke out in the drying
room in the building adjoining the right
wing on the Southern end of the CathO-
lie Male Orphan Asylum at the corner
of st. Marks and Albany avenues, and
was quickly communicated to the main
building, q structure 210 by $50 feet,
which was almost entirely destroyed.
The part in which the fire originated
contained the boilers, heating apparatus,
etc., and on the third floor was the
dormitory in which were sixty of the Or
phan inmates of the Asylum whose ages
ranged from six to ten years. They were
suffering from various complaints, and
whether or not all were rescued can not
be known until the children who are
scattered about the neighborhood are
counted. The impression now prevails
that some of them have been burned to
death
Sister Josephine, who was in the DOR
mitory when the fire broke out, made
heroic efforts to get the children out Of
the building, and by so doing has prob
ably sacrificed her life. She remained in
the room until the flames had nearly sur
rounded her, when she ran to q window
and climbed out upon q cornice.
Meanwhile the flremen had entered an
other part of the building and began
pouring water upon the flames. Foreman
McGroarty of Engine Company No. II,
saw Sister Josephine, and being unable
to reach her with his hands, extended his
coat to her from q window in the wing.
She caught it, and loosening her hold ON
the cornice, swung toward McGroarty.
The coat slipped from her grasp and she
fell to the ground, striking upon her
shoulder and head, and was conveyed in
an unconscious state to st. GATHERINGS
Hospital.
Joseph Ryan, boy who was upon the
same floor, attempted to descend by the
ladder. When within ten feet of the
ground the ladder broke, and ne was Sc
verely injured by falling.
John McGrath, eighteen years old,
jumped from one of the third-story win
dows and was also badly hurt.
Sister De Chantel, the Mother Superior,
was in her Office when the alarm was Civ
en-. She quickly dispatched her assistants
TO various rts of the building, and noti-
fled the Fire Department. There were
7S5 orphans in the institution, and the
greatest excitement prevailed among
them. The Sister made every effort TO
get the children out of the building as
quickly as possible, telling them to go to
any house in the neighhorhoOd and re-
main until called for. Hundreds of the lit
tie fellows ran out into the storm,
screaming and crying, the most of them
being without coats or hats.
There were about thirty Sisters in the
asylum, nearly all of whom went out with
the throng of boys, but it was impossible
to keep the children together. About one
hundred TODD refuge in the Bergen Street
Railway car stables, and nearly every
house, store and saloon in the vicinity
was filled with them.
George Irish, twenty-five years old,
truckman living near the asylum, ran to
the building when the fire was discovered,
and procuring ladder, placed it to one
of the Second-Story windows. He
mounted the ladder and haxGed down
seven boys, when bystanders, seeing his
danger, shouted to him to come down.
The flames were then bursting out of the
window beneath him, and it was with
great difficulty that Irish reached the
ground, his clothing nearly burned from
his body and his hands and face were
burned and bliStered.
From other windows in various parts
of the building little boys were being
taken out by brave men, while many of
the little fellows, diSregarding the COM
mands of their reScuerS to remain where
they were for a moment longer, threw
themselves headlOng to the ground, the
most of them sustaining little or no in
jury.
Several people who watched the pro-
gress of the flames, say they are certain
that all of the boys did not get out of the
burning building, and are also sure that
they saw woman attempting to reach
window and fall back into the fla mes.
By the time the firemen reached the burn
ing structure, it was apparent that the
building could not be saved, and they
confined all their energies to rescuing the
inmates, while the fire was having full
sway.
Sister Anthony, through whose efforts,
at least 100 boys were enabled to escape,
was badly burned about the face and
hands.
One of the boys who escaped from the
building said the fire was caused by one
of the orphans going into the drying
room with lighted candle, which ac-
cidentally touched some clothes hang
ing upon line. In an instant the fire
blazed up and the boys ran out as fast
as possible.
Two firemen were severely injured by
falling from ladders, one being knocked
down by piece of a cornice which fell
from the roof.
The scenes in the neighborhood of the
burning building were heartrendinS men
and women crying aloud, were running in
every direction, anxious for the safety of
relatives. 1t was "visitors' day" at the
asylum, and number of ladies were in
the building when the fire broke out.
Sister Josephine died in the hospital at
six O'Clock, and it is believed that three
others have lost their lives. 1t can not
yet be ascertained whether all the chill
dren were got out of the building, but it
is thought that all escaped.