Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-12-20
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
TEN BODIES TAKEN Prom THE
RUlNsO TIL Il RU 8NEO Or.
PHAN ASYLUM.

NEW YORK, Dec. 9-Blackened
walls and smoking ruins were all that
remained this morning of the st. Johns
Home, or Male Catholic Orphan Asy-
lum, In Brooklyn. which was burned
yesterday. Crowds of spectators
gathered there to day 10 witness tho
6remen aud police digging in the ruins.
The Sisters in charge of the Asylum
we're Of the opinion last night that all
the children had been got out of tho
building, but persons who were on tho
outside and assisted In helping the
little ones to escape, asserted that there
v ere many lives lost.
They said they sa " the little ouss i'm
the room in the third floor orer tho
laundry, when the flames had made
their way to 1t, and they knew that the
avenues OF escape had been cut off. Two
or three grown people are also believed
to have perished. The assertions of
these people are correct, for this morn
ing the dlggers came on the cbarred
remains OF a little group of four who
appeared 10 have huddioi toge her just
before Lhsir cries for help had been
stified in death. In the dorm itory di-
rectly over the laundry were 60 boys
who were sick. lJ is not kno 4n W neither
all Of these were saved.
Alta later hOnr of the morning three
more bodies were discovered near whero
the passage to the main building was
located. Some OF the bodies appeared
TO be those of adults.
Shortly after nine o'clock two more
bodies were found They were burned
TO crisp, and their possible identity
was destroyed. The children are scat
tered all over the city, and until collect.
ed it will not be possible to identity tho.
bodies Of thosa W no perished
The police fOu nd many OF the or
phans on the streets half frozen, and
took them to the station house. Citi.
zens took charge of some of them, and
it will probably be day or two before
they can be collect. together again.
All the available police officers were
despatched to the scene i'm mediately ON
the receipt, at police headq larters, Of
the news of the fire. and they rendered
valuable aid in saving life aud proper
ty
The Fire Department. was hindered
by the snow and the small flow Of
water. OF the bodies found this morn
ing it is thought that seven were boys,
one that OF man and one woman.
The diggers are still at work, and it il
| Jhought that other bod les will be recoy-
cred.
The loss is esti mated at $3.50, 900. The
buildings were valued at S2O,OO0, and
it is said there was over $50, 900 worth
of furniture in the pls &C. They had .
nice chapel and q small organ, and it
appears very little was saved
1t has been ascer5aine1 that the body
of the woman found in the ruhis is that
of a widow named Ms. May Me'},c.
rem, who had been to visit her fatheriess
boy, after leaving younger child at
the Maternity, op Concord street, say
ing she would ca III for tho latter in tho
evening. Both she and her boy per-
ished in the flames. Joseph Sullivan,
who had been given up, was found to-
night.
The Board of Managers met this even
ing to take steps for providing for tho
homeless. Several charitable institu-
tions made offers OF assistance, and ths
County Charity Com missi sent word
that they had several buildings vacant,
which the asylum peop.e were welcome
to.
The committee appointed to collect
the orphans could not find all the young
sters, as they have gone to every part
of the city.
The Building Committee was direct
ed to proceed at once with the rebuild
ing of the west wing, which it is
thought may be completed in a month.
The Board passed resolutions of thanks
to the institutions who had taken in
and cared for tho unfortunates, and the
police and fire departments for their
efficient services at the fra.
The exact number of children burned
to death can only bs correctly deter.
mined when all the boys who fed from
the build ng, and ale scattered prett!
we'll about the city, are brought togeth-
er. The Sisters and priests of the
city are trying to find them all. The
Insurance on tho building, machinery,
etc, is S97 800