Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-19
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. A SCENE OF HORROR. Seven Hundred Orphans
 In Peril. AN ASYLUM BURNED DOWN. The Superior Dies At Her Post. SEVERAL OTHER LIVES LOST. Heartrending Sights During
 The Fire.
ORPHANS SURPRISED BY FIRE.

ORPHANS SURPRISED BY FIRE.
 Their Home Burned To The Ground
 -NearIy Eight Hundred Driven Into
 The Bt0rm-A Heroic Mother Super
 for Dies At Her Post-Awful Scenes
 OfHorrOr As The Little ones Leap Fer Lffe-The Loss About Half A
 Million.
 BROOKLYN, Dec. 1S.-About o'clock this
 afternoon fire broke out in the drying room
 in the main building adjoining the right wing on the southern end of the Catholic
 male orphan asylum at St. Marks and AL bany avenues and was quickly communicated to the main building, structure 210x50 feet, which was almost entirely destroyed. The part in which the fire originated contained | the boilers, heating apparatus, etc., and on l the third floor was the dormitory in which l sixty of the orphan 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 cannot be known until the children who are scatter ed about the neighborhood are counted. The impression prevails that some have been burned to death. Sister Josephine, who was | in the dormitory when the fire broke out, made heroic efforts to get the children out of the building and by so doing has probably sacrificed her life. She remained in the room until the flames had nearly surrounded her, when she ran to window and climbed out upon 8 cornice. Meanwhile the iremen had entered part of the building and began pouring water upon the flames Foreman McGroarty of engine i ys,4a hafr. unable to reach her with his hands extended his coat to her from 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 condition to St. Catharine's hospital Joseph Ryan, a boy who was upon the same floor, attempted to descend by the leader. Within ten feet of the ground the leader broke and he was se- verely injured by falling. John McGrath, aged eight, jumped from third story win dow and was badly hurt.
 Sister De Chantel the mother superior, was in her office when the alarm was given. She despatched her assistants to the various parts of the building and notified the depart ment. There were 785 orphans in the insti- tuition and the greatest excitement prevailed among them. The sisters made every effort to get the children out of the building as quickly as possible, directing them to go to for. Hundreds of the little fellows ran into
 the storm screaming and crying, the most of
 them being without coats or hats.
 There were about thirty sisters in the asy-
 lum, nearly all of whom went out with the
 throng of boys, but it was impossible to keep
 took refuge in the Bergen street railway car stables and nearly every house, store and sa-
 loon in the vicinity was filled
 with them. Edward Haslett, the
 city supervisor of hydrants, who was passing at the time the fire broke
 out, together with several others including 8
 Bergen street car conductor, who left his car for the purpose, rendered valuable assistance
 in resculng the inmates from the burning
 building Mr. Haslett is of the opinion that
 the fire could have been checked had the
 department been more prompt in reaching
 the scene, it being fully twenty minutes after
 the alarm was given before the second engine came. George Irish,
 twenty-two years old, truckman 1iv-
 ing 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 it and handed down seven boys, when the by-standers seeing his danger shouted to him to come down. The flames were then bursting out of the windows
 
 Irish reached the ground, his clothing nearly burned from his body and his hands and face burned and blistered. From other windows in various parts of the
 building boys were being taken out by brave men, while many little fellows disregard1ng the command of the rescuers to remain where they were for moment longer threw them selves headlong to the ground, the most of them sustaining little or no injury. Several people who watched the progress of the
 flames say they are certain that all of the boys did not get out of the building and are sure that they saw & woman attempt to
 reach window and fall back
 into the-fames By the time the firemen reached the burning structure it was appar- ent 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
 one hundred boys were enabled to escape,
 was badly burned about the face and hands.
 One of the boys who escaped from the build
 ing said the fire was caused by one of the
 boys going into the drying room with
 lighted candle which accidentally touched
 some clothes hanging upon a line. In an in stant the fire blaZed up and the boys ran out
 as fast as possible. Two fremen were severe
 ly injured by falling from ladders, one being
 knocked down by piece of cornice which
 fell from the roof. At one time it was thought the front part of the building might
 be saved, but at o'clock tonight the flames reached the cupola and the tall gilt cross sur
 mounting it. As the support weakened they swayed to and fro a short time and then came down with crash. The scenes in the neigh borhood of the burning building were heart rending Men and women crying aloud were running in every direction anxious for the safety of relations. To-day was fvisitors day" and a number of ladies were in the
 building when the fire broke out. At roi6ninhE fho fra still hnrri
 A portion of it would have
 been saved but for the insufficient water supply, there not being enough force to throw the water to the top of the building.
 The fire was witnessed from the colored | asylum, and by those in the church
 charity foundation land by the chil-
 dren in the Protestant asylum near by. | Sister Josephine died in the hospital at o'clock and it is believed that three others l have lost their lives. It cannot yet be as 1 certained whether all the children were got all escaped. Father Mahoney, in charge the ground at midnight and is positive none of the boys were lost in the | fire, but admits that some of them were in. l jured by falling and in other ways. The | only loss of life is that of Sister Josephine and the woman who is described as falling l into the flames The enly person who could tell to 6 certainty whether all the | boys escaped was Sister Josephine who is dead. She was undoubtedly the last living person in the building l All of the boys who were ill the dormitory have been accounted for except six. At | midnight hundreds of persons were on the streets searching for the lads. Judge Walsh
 treasurer of the asylum, says the total loss or building, furniture and appurtenanees if
 $500, 900 and the insurance $200,000. The | structure was begun in 1868 and finished il 1 1870.
 The fire is still burning at 9 o'clock thii \ morning.
 The Procession On Inaugural Day. 1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 18.-Applications fol
 lodgings are still pouring in from organiza l tions intending to participate in the inaugura