Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-12-20
THE BURNED ASYLUM.
The Bodies of Twelve Children Found
in the Ruins-One Hundred and
Twenty UnaccOunted for.

New YORK, Dec. 10.
| The Brooklyn Eagle in an extra states that
the fire marshal reports that twelve bodies
were found up to s o'clock this morning,
among the ruins of the burned St. Johns
Home for children in that citv. Worsmen
are still searching in the ruins. The utmost
excitement prevails in the vicinity of the asy-
lum, and the bodies found are SO charred
and blsckened that identification is impossi-
| BILE.
| 1t is believed that most of the children who
| perished were in the Inflated Sister Josephine
ward. Search is progressing under careful
supervision. Those engaged in excavating
the ruins of the laundry have fonnd the re-
| mains of nine boys aud two grown persons.
| Who the adults are has not been ascertained
as vet.
| The Sisters are unwilling to be interviewed
but it is plain TO be seen that their list of in
mates who have been rescued does not come
up to the full number. This is explained by
the statement that the children may have been
cared for in private houses, and that the
chances are that they will turn up.
| The fact is that last night only one child
was admitted to be missing, and this morning
dozen bodies were found. These facts tell
their own ghastly story with a positiveness
that was appalling.
The blackened walls and smoking RUNS
were all that remained, this morning, of the
| st. Johns Home for male Catholic orphans.
which was burned Yesterday Crowds of
spectators gathered there today to witness the
firemen and police digging in the ruins. The
sisters in charge of the school were of the
opinion last night that all of the children had
been removed from the building, but the fact
that several bodies burned to a crisp have
already been found in the ruins, leads to the
belief that many of the little ones must have
perished As the children we're taken from
the buildings last evening they scattered all
over the city, and until collected it will not
be possible to identify the bodies of those
who perished. The police found many of
the orphans in the streets half frozen and
| took them to the station house. Citizens
! also took charge of some of them and it will
| PROBABLY be a day or Two before they can be
collected again
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The diggers are still at work and it is
thought tnat other budIes " i'll be discovered.
| The loss is estimated at S250,000.
! Nine horribly charred and twisted human
bodies were dug out of the ruins of st. Johns
| Home this forenoon. Not shred of cloth
ing remained and of some nothing except the
| bare skeleton was left. The firemen found
them buried under the debris of the infrm-
ary building where the fire originated. Trunks
with pieces of crispy flesh or tendons burned
| black or brown, were wrapped in blankets
and carried to the sewing room in another
and less damaged part of the building, where
they will remain until Coroner Hesse takes
an official action The bitter cold that pre-
vailed this morning. prevented the custom
ary large crowd that gathers on such occa-
sions, but men and women were clustered
here and there, some prompted only by Curl
osity, others to learn if their children, who
were inmates, had been saved. Last night
| it was confidently asserted that there were no
bodies in the ruins, but foreman McGroarty
resolutely held to the contrary. While the
fire was raging he saw a woman at one of the
upper windows of the inirmiary building and
sought her rescue; was about to accomplish
it by the means of a ladder; when he was
about to reach for her, she fell back into the
| blazing timbers. She was not again seen
and he knew that she must have perished
The men of engine IA and truck remained
at the fire all night, and although benumbed
with cold, set to work to look for
remains. In less than an hour they found
not alone the womans remains, but those of
8 children They lay together almost in
a heap as though while huddled together 10
the upper story the floor had given away
and they were dropped into the blazing en-
bers below. These seemed to be the remains
| of eight children and one adult by the sizes
of the trunks and various pieces, although it
| is possible that one or two more are repre-
sented by unacceptable fragments. The
| trunk OF the adult. doubtless that of a woman.
that Fireman McGroaraty attempted to save
was found, but the only way of recognition
will be by the fact that she is reported miss
/ t,,s, and Ax- e ~
mains. OF two children there was nothing
left but the skeletons, the flesh having been
burned off the bones from one extremity to
| the other. A further search was made for
other fragments, but at ten o'clock no more
| being found the firemen exhausted and nearly
| frozen retired
The burned buildings were like ruined
palace Of ice. Huge icicles hung from the
/ little that remained of the roof. The walls
| that stood were coated with sheets Of ice and
| the surrounding grounds were like an i'm
mense skating rink OF the infamiary build
/ ing. in which the fire broke out, the two walls
were left, with the towering chimney, all
| threatening to tall with each fresh gust of
wind. The least damaged part of the build
ing was at the southeast corner, and Oh the
/ ground floor of this lay bodies The water
| dripped through the broad ceiling and floor
was sheet of ice two inches thick.
There were $50 children in the asylum, 30
sisters and 80 sttendsats At present only
65S of them are accounted for. All but one
of the sisters and all Of the attendants are
safe. This leaves l20 still to be
accounted for. There is said to
have been list of all the children in the
asylum, but no one seems to know where it
is. The police say that they expect TO find
! perhaps fifteen bodies before they cease dig
ging, and possibly so citizens who have vol
unteered are busy hunting among the deo-
! ris. Those who were burned were in the
brick building which had no fire escapes
Two adults and one boy have died frcan in
juries received and one of the sisters is miss
ing. She is supposed to have perished in