The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-12-24
Appalling Loss of Life In the
Burned ChiIdren's Home.
ThIrteen Bodies Have Been Recovered
and Large Number OF the
Boys Still Missing.
MANY Tons of Debris to Be Re.
moved Before All Can
Be Known.
THE BROOKLYN HORROR.

Thirteen Charred COrpses Found In the
Burned ChiIdren's Home-One Hundred
and Twenty-three Children Still Missing.
NEW YORK, Dec. 10 -Brooklyn's latest hor.
TOR is another evidence of the sad truth that
no amount of good intention can atone for
the lack Of proper precaution and vigilance.
Hundreds of children in an asylum were
tenderly protected against all harm except
that which could have been most easily
guarded agsinst-6re. There was very
large water dydrant in the yard with four
butts, but there was no hose in or about the
building, nor another means OF ex-
tinguishing the fire; so what began IS terri
bic accident ended in an awful tragedy, The
great trouble the fremen had to encounter
was the mansard roof on the entire main
structure, built of wood, and allowing free
access to the flames. 1t acted simply as q
hue. All the efforts of the gremen were fu-
tile in their attempts to combat the flames.
The gates were also locked, and the young
men of the nighborhood, who saw the flames
first, had to burst the gates in with Iam-
ming iron before they could get in.
Chief Engineer Neyins now urges tsat all
mansard roofs be condemned at once as
NcAL0 lTdpS. l1c upper uOOT Ol the asylum
was divided ito dOrmitOries by stud and lath
partition walls. The flooring and wainscot-
ting were of yellow pine, and the space
between the ceiling and the slateroof was not
filed IN so that the fire rapidly made its
way along the upper floor. There were no
dividing walls of brick at any point on this
floor. At the time the fire begnn the larger
boys in the institution were playing in the
court yard, making slides on the newly
failed snow, or snow balling. 1t was visiting
day, and many parents OF the children had
come to zee them. About thirty-five chill
dren were in the infrmary on the second
floor under the care OF Sister Anthony.
Their little wan faces were peering at the
windows, watching the larger boys at play.
On the floor above were twenty-five more
the charge of Sister Mary Josephine,
who was similarly afflicted. In the
laundry below were Mrs. FeeneY, the
lsundress, and assistant lsundress and Sister
Clement. Mrs Feeney noticed q smell of
rags in the drying room, and on opening its
doors cloud Of smoke poured out, The cry
o IRE was raised, the boys in the yard took
IL up, and Sister Anthony, in charge of the
sick ones IN the infrmary, heard the alarm
ing yell and soon saw black clouds of smoke
yelling from the windows beneath. She
Immediately signalled for attention from toe
little ones by clapping her hands. In the
the room OF which she had charge seven
helpless eripples were in bed; these she
caused the strongest Of the boys 20 take IN
their arms; and having made Der charges
form in line she marched them safely
out OF the burning building But one
floor above, where the half-blInd children
to the number of twenty-five, were under
charge OF Sister Josephine. A scene OF the
most terrible panic ensued; the leat-stricken
children ran about the room calling for help
and some rushed down stairs in the blind
ing smoke; others in their frantic fear hud-
died in corn ers, from which they were res
cued, and Others fed to the roof. Cne IN
fortunate Sister Josephine, having Lost sll
control over the children under her control
and her semi-blindness intensified by the
clouds OF smoke that filed the stairways
and rooms, rushed for safety to the roof,
where she appeared in the midst of the
flame and smke calling loudly on the spec
tators for help with the sad result already
stated. A fireman, lying prone on the
roof on the main building, attempt
ing 10 swing his overcost
to the imperiled sister. The first and second
attempts were unsuccessful, and on the third
its edge just touched the buildings roof and
the sister sprang and grssped il. For a mo.
ment it seemed as il her life was saved, and
the crowd cbeeTed Justify. For moment
she swung in the air between the two build.
ings, then her grasp relaxed and she fell 70
the ground, dying soon sfterward. A boy
and womaH were now eeen on the rosf of
the burning building. Three men placed
not reach within i've feet OF the room. One
of the men mounted the ladder and the lit
tie fellow lesped into his arms and was
saved. The woman looked TO the
bottom of the ladder and then at
the flames gradually encrosching. Toe
bJstanders yelled az her 10 keep her COURAGE
up, but she looked into the burning build
ing as if fascinated by the fire, and COM
meDced edging away from the ladder. Sud-
denly the flames shot up beneath her feet,
nd wff Of h. foll ~. =
into the blazing flames, and with q crash the
roof fell afteTward, and soon the entire
building a mass of flames. Johnny
Ryan, a little fellow seven years old, at
tempted to escape by climbing down the
vaierp pipe; the pipe gave way, and he was
borne to the hospital with his skull fract-
uTed.
Il is yet absolutely impossible to tell
where the inmates of the Institute can be
found. In tie Station-houses. car stables
and private houses the waits found shelter,
and late this afternoon list of the children
IVES made up and 123 were unaccounted for.
While il msy turn out that not one of
tf ese is among the ruins, the fact remains
that tons Of burnt timber. warped iron and
fallen bricks have not yet been removed,
and may entomb many more corpses than
have been recovered. The Trustees of the
Home have hired a force of men to continue
the search until IL is settled beyond question
that there are no more bodies in the wreck
of the building. In the room OF the saved
portion of the asylum proper are the bodies
OF tht So who have been found. They are
sied IN in sheets, ana any effort to ideatity
tht IA would be perfectly useless. In that
rot N is the story OF the loss OF life as far as
FtOwn. 10 is also not known how the little
patients were so situated as TO be almost
completely cut of from escape, and the
flames ran rapidly upward, and thus pre-
vented egress from the upper part of the
house. Eddy McGrath one of the kitchen
boys, twelve years OF age, was going into the
wash cups when the FIRE broke ont He ran
in and saved his little seven yesr-o'd
brother, who was on the second Aoor.