Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-07
The Convent Calamity.

ST, LOUIS, January 6th.-The following
dispatch from BelevilIe, IL, to the Asso-
cisted Pres, gives further particulars OF the
frightful calamity The fire at the Convent
Notre Dame last night was the most de-
structive of life and property BeIsville hss
ever experienced. 4 visit to the scene this
morning found the fire department still or
duty, eDdeovorine 20 quench the fl ,mes, 81 as
to preserve in 8 recognizable shape the bodies
of the victims. When the ruins sufficiently
cooled, volunteers Of meu went to work 20
bring out the bodies. Il was . terrible 81 sh5
Al times the searchers would Erd two OF
three chaTred masses tuidled close together,
seemingly seeking projection in one 81 d
another from tbs advancing and terrible
flames. Two bodies were found in the
rear psrS OF the building, burned into an
uDreco rniz.ble mass. but a majority
we're found beneath where the
d5rmi;ore was situated. They seemed to
have sought shelter in this room too late, sud
recognized that their escape was Impossible.
The flames beuesth. eating away the sup.
ports, let down The floor into the see hing
vortex Of fire and smoke. The loss OF life is
much greater th3u mentioned in l.s. ui3at's
brief disp.iCH Instead OF being two, IS at
f:st suupossi, tire totEl of known deaths is
twenty-,eve1-. Wepty-tvc only of whom s-e
pupils aud five Sisters. Au,olg The latter Is
tas Sister Superior. On toe fourth floor the
pupil b3arders, with three Sistsra, 81 u.
Oa the third floor the remaining Sis-
tiers SLEPT, snd Gu the second fooe,
or The one sbovs the basement, what aIe
termed orphans, slept. Oa the second floz
the inmates escaped AID were saved. The
fire had its origin in the basement, and when
discovered the floor immediately above was
sblsze, ard volumes Of smoke Were rapidly
n h. 4
nails of the building. BY the time the
slsepers were thoroughly aroused all the ave-
cues Of escape were filed with bin iag
smoke Tnen a panic ensued, and it Is fox
the imaoi1stiOn to paint the sorro4fu, and
hes-trenfiug picture. TIE extreme cold re-
tsrdei the work of the hremen. Even il
they could have reached the scene without
delay, they could have been Of but little serv.
ice in securing the victims. There sre no
ladders in the fire department, and no pro.
vision for such 9 deplorable emergency had
been made by the managers of the insti-
tuition. TIE unfortunate inmates, therefore,
were powerless to relieve themselves.
and those who were witnesses of the horrible
holocaust were unable TO assist them. The
manner of escape of some of the survivors
could not be learned. Daisy Eleruan was
slightly injured Agnes Schneider jumped
from window, but was not dangerously in
iured Lou Mott is quite badly hurt Deua
Horn and Fannie Bripker are seriously but
nos fatally injured. At 4 P. N. there had
been eleven bodies recovered from the ruins.
and the Sisters and friends of the unfortunate,
had succeeded in identifying the following:
Miss Wermsn, Miss Strunk, Misz Manning.
Miss Heinzelman, Miss lIsch, Miss Pulsee.
The bodies could only be identified by the
clothing, or rather portions of clothes, which.
having been saturated with water, had escaped
the flames. All that now remains Of the IA
nous Convent of The Immaculate Conception
is chsrred and broken walls and debris. There
yet remains the bodies of several Of the un.
fortunate victims. The buildings and fur