The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1884-12-25
HOMELESS ORPHANS.
Burning Of tho Catholic Male Or.
phan Asylum at Brooklyn.
Heroic Action Or the sister., ome of Wi,nu
Loses Her liz, IN Her Efforts Is
save the Children other
Casualties.
IlNooKTYN. n. "a. pecomnor q.

About three O'Clock yesterday after
noon a fire brokc out iii the drying
room ID the building adjoining Ire right
wing on the southern end Of the Catho-
Lie Male Orphan Asylum al the corner
Of st, Marks and Albany avenues, and
was quickly communicated to the main
building, d structure al0 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 door was the
domltory IN which were sixty Of tile or.
phan inmates oi the Asylum whose ages
ranged from siN % ten years They were
suffering from various complaints, and
whether OF not all were rescued can not
BE known until the children who afe
scattered about the noighborhood are
counted, The impression now prevails
that some Of them have been burned to
death
Sister Josephine, who was III the dor
mitoly when the iifc broke out made
heroic efforts 10 gct the children ont Of
The building and hy So doing las prob
ably sacrificed her life, She remained in
The room until thc fumes had nearly sur
rounded her, when She run 10 window
and climbed out upon cornicc.
Meanwhile The tlremen had entered an.
other part Of The building ana began
pouring water upon the flames Foreman
McGroarty of Engine Company 40. ia,
saw Sister Josephine, and being unable
to reach her with his hands, extended his
coat 10 her from window III the wing.
She caught il, ana loosenirg her hold on
the cornicc, swung toward McGroa>ty.
Tho coat slipped from her grasp ana she
fell 10 the ground, striking upon her
shoulder and head, and was conveyed III
I'm unconscious State to ST, Cutherine's
Hospital.
Joseph Ryan, a boy who was upon the
same floor, attempted TO descend by the
ladder. When within ten feet oi the
ground the ladder broke, and be was sc-
yereiy injured BY falling.
John McGrath, eighteen years old,
jumped from one Of the third-story win
dows and was also badly hurt.
Sister DC Chantcl, the Mother Superior,
Was in her Office when the alarm was gy-
en-. She quickly dispatched her assistants
70 various parts Of the building, and nOt-
fed the Fire Department.. There We're
7S5 orphans in the Institution, and the
greatest excitement prevailed among
them. The Sister made every effort to
SET The children cut of the building as
quickly rs possible, telling them TO 20 to
any house in the neighhoThood and re-
main until called for Hundreds Of The lit
lie fellows ran ont into the storm,
screaming and crying, the most Of them
being without coats or hats.
There were about thirty Sisters iii the
asylum, nearly all Of whom went out with
the throng Of boys, but it was impossible
70 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,
trucknan living near the asylum, ran to
the building whenth lire was discovered,
and procuring a ladder, placed it to one
OF the second-story windows. He
mounted the ladder and handed 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 blistcred.
From other windows in various parts
OF tha building little boys were being
taken lut by brave men, while many Of
the little fellows, disregarding the COM
mands OF their reScuers to remain whore
they were for a moment longer, threw
themselves headlong to the ground, the
most OF them sustaining little or no in
jury.
seyctal 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 a woman attempting to reach a
window and fall back into the flames.
BY the time the tllemen reached the burn
Ing structure, II was apparent that the
building could not be saved, and they
confined all their energies to Tescung the
inmates while the lire was having full
sway.
Sister Anthony, through whose efforts,
at least loo boys were enabled to escape,
was badly burned about the face and
hands.
One of the boys who escaped from the
building said the lire was caused by one
Of the orphans going into the drying
room with a lighted candle, which ac-
GlucHtdlly tONcutu some ciOJHcs nhnS- |
ing upon line. In an instant the fire
bazed 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 neghborhood of the !
burning building were heartrendng, men
and women CRYING aloud, were running In
every direction, anxious for the safety of
relatives. 1t was s'yisitors' 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 asceFtained whether all the chill
dren were got out of the building, but 1t
is thought that all escaped