The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-07
FURIOUS FLAMES,
FEARFUL CALAMITY & Loss OF LIFE.
Burning ofa Convent At ntllsvllle, Ili.-Tvsnij.
Seven Lives Loss--Oaly Fifteen Bodies Rero,.
cred 10 Far-A Cleveland Theatre Guraed.
= flresAt Chicago, ". Louis and Elsewhere,

sr. LOUIS, January G.-The details O
the burning Of the Institute oil tho Immac
ulate Conception, Sisters OF Notre Dame
at Belleville, Illu, last night, are still
meagre. There were about sixty pupils il
the school, ranging from 10 years OF age tc
full grown. All tho girls and several
teachers, and others, were inmates Of the
building. The Gre Is said to have started
in the rear Of the third story, which was
used as q dormitory, and an attempt was
made by tho aisters to extinguish It, but
this failing, efforts were made te remove m
the pupils: The flames spread 80
rapidly that no order could
be preserved. A (, panic seized
both children and sisters and there was
wild and confused rush 10 escape. Forty
or more pupils are known to haye got out,
or were taken from the building and eiyen
shelter In neighboring houses, but several
In their fright jumped from the windows,
and were either killed or badly injured,
Miss Mary Campbell, teacher, Of East ST,
Louis, jumped frem the third
story and died in a., few
minutes. Another, name not ascortained,
climbed to the roof mud fell of md was
fatally injured. Among others injured by
jumping are Daisy Ebermsn, Of Belleyille;
Agues Schneider and Lon Matt, East 81.
Louis; Fannie Renker, Washington, Mo:
Sister Reparata, Sister S:yleta, Sister
Manussa, and fifteen to twenty smaller
pupili; also sister Mary Jerome. Tho lady
superior is missing. r5. n, :.
DREADFUL SCENE AT TIE FIRE.
The scene at the fire was one Of tue wild.
est excitement. The streets we're .hronged
with people anxious to be Of service, but
owing to the rapid spread OF the flames
they were helpless to render aid, while pa.
rents rushed franticallyt around searching
for their missing children and ysilipp
over their supposed loss The FIRE depatt.
ment was Of little avail against the mad
rush CT the surging flames and in MI hour
the entire building was masa bruins.
Another report says the fire started from
lurhace In the basement, and this seems
the most probable explanation, as the
flames spread upward, cutting of most OF
the exits and compelling some Of the pu.
pills TO leap from tho windows. ~. NJ.
1.5 GREAT Loys OF LIFE. =.
The following dispatch from Bellevillo
gives further particulars Of tho irightiul
calamity: The FIRE was the most dsst1uc..
i've Of life and property Dslleville has ever
A visit 10 the scsne this
morning found the fire department still on
duty. endeavoring to q1ench the flames so
as 10 preserve in recosnZ,bi shape the
bodies Of the victims When the ruins
were sufficiently cooled, volunteers went 10
work to bring out the bodies. It was a ter.
rlble sight. AT times the searchers would
lind two or three charred masses huddIed
cloHe together. s. III ~, III
Two bodieS were found in the rear part ci
the building burned SO as 10 be unrecoy.
nizable. The majority were found beneath
where the dormitory was situated. They
seemed to seek shelter there, aad, too late,
recognized that their escape was .iupoesi:
BILE. The flames beneath eating ayay the
supports, let down the floor into The
vortex OF j IRE and smoke
The loss Of life is greater than mentioned
in last nights dispatch. Instead of being
Two the total known is twenty.eeyen.
twenty-five OF which are pupils and five
siaters. Among the latter is, the sister su
perior, who was on the fourth floor where
the pupil boardess with three sisters slept.
On the third aoor the remaining sister
slept, and on the second or the floor above
The basement, what are tcrmsd orphans
and hall orphans slept. On this second |
lloor the inmates escaped. +. $i5 Us -.
Z ta NAMES or TIE VICTIMS.