The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-19
ORPHANS 0USTED
DY TIE DEsrnoYINa ELEMENr.
An Asylum In brooklyn, n. T., Totally
Swept Away by Flro-The ilsroism Of
Those In Charge-Soms Thrilling
Scenes Thriliingiy Depicted.

NEN Iohhb beCs lo.~1hc SutlloiiS
Orphan Asylum. ut St. Marks and Alban!
avenues, Brooklyn, burned this afternoon
and its feared some children perishel In
fumes. Tho sisters in charge think al
escaped, but cannot tell until the roster o.
tho boys Is called. Tho little fellows are
now scattered about in care OF residents Ia
tho neighborhood. y
The fire started in the drying room,
which Rdjoined the southern end Of the
main building. This drying room con.
tanned boilers and heating apparatus, with
the dormtory on the third floor, in which
there were sixty orphans suffering from
various complaints. -
| A BRAVE WOMAN.
Sister Mary Josephine, who was in the
dormitory at the time tho fire broke out,
made heroic effort to save tho little ones.
She remained in the room'until absolutely
driven out by the flames. Then she ran
to the window where she stood upon tho
cornice until Foreman McGroarty, OF
engine No. II, from the roof ol the build.
ing, swung his coat to her. The sister
caught the coat, but when McGroarty tried
to pull her from her perilous position she
lost her grip and fell TO the ground. She
was conveyed 10 St. GATHERINGS Hospital
in IN unconscious condition.
JvMrED rlloN THE THIRD STORY.
Joseph Ryan, a boy tried to descend by
n ladder from the same floor, third loor,
and got within eight feet Of the ground
when the ladder parted. lIe received SO.
we're injuries.
John McGrath, s years old, jumped
from the third story and was badly in
jured.
Mother DeChantel and Sister Anthony
were in the office when the fire was dis
covered. They at once gave the alarm
and proceeded to get the youngsters out
OF the building. There were 7s5 orphans
in the main building, which is also
known as the St. Johns home. They were
told to leave and seek shelter III any
ncighboring house until called for. There
WINS great excitement among the inmates.
Hundreds OF little fellows ran out into the
falling snow hatless and coatIess. The
flames spread with great rapidity and the
buildings were almost completely de.
stroyed.'
the asylum aud grounds occupied an
entire block. The asylum building was
2l0 by $50 feet, three stories with man
sard roof and constructed OF blue stone.
There were about thirty sisters in the
asylum. and n number were out with the
boys, but it was impossible to keep the
little fellows together. They sought
refuge in car stables, dwellings, saloons,
and stores near by.
A REVEREND FATHERS WORK.
Rev. Father Bronson took nearly one
hundred to his house, and the asylum
attached 10 the Church Of Charity founda.
ton close by received another considera-
BILE number. Father Bronson, who was
early at the scene, did excellent work in !
getting the inmates out md hopes on lives
have been lost.
Edward Haslett, city official, reached
the building soon after the fire occurred.
He says he never saw SO much excite.
ment. Children were running out at
every entrance both in St. Marks and AL.
bany avenues, many CT them not entirely
clad. But they were soon provided with
clothing of one kind or another by neigh.
bors. The second fire engine took fifteen
minutes to reach the scone. Had the fire
department come sooner he thinks the
building would not hayo been such loss.
John Westtield, grocer, and George
Irish, placed 4 ladder against the second
story window on Albany avenue and
Irish handed down seven boys, when the
crowd called him to come down on ac-
count Of tho proximity OF the flames,
which burst out of the windows beneath
him. Patrick Cahill is confident he saw
q woman fail back from window into tho
fire. lIc also believes al the boys did no.
get out, though all except those in the
boiler wing escaped without trouble.
TIE ESGlSEER's STORY.
Engineer James Watson says: ave had
two engines Of sixty horse power each. I
was attending the fires. when one OF the
boys came rushing down shouting that
the building was on fire. l found that he
was right, and banked my fires and filled
the boilers with cold water 80 they could
not explode. BY this time the fire had
reached tho boiler room and I had
barely time to escape. ! do not know
how the fire originated, only that it broke
out in the drying room. Ono Of the boys
said the fire was caused by another boy
who went into the drying room with
lighted candle and accidentally set some
clothes on fire. The tlnme, the boy said,
leaped up in a moment and all who were
in tho room ran out"
Father Mahony, who was in charge OF
the building, thinks oil the children es.
capped. He gives credit 10 the iiremen Tor
their work. They took great risks.
BRAVERY OF FIRgNEN.
1 George Matthews, OF truck No. 8, had
drawn a large hose with him up the lad
der on the Albany avenue side after the
interior had been burned out and the
walls seemed about to fall. lie thought
he had the hose, securely lashcd to the
ladder, but when the water came through
it WIS jerked from its fastening and
knocked him to the ground, thirty feet,
seriously injuring him. Another fireman
was badly burned and otherwise injured
by being knocked from the ladder bya
Dipre of fallinO rnypira a.