The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-01-10
Burning of the Catholic Institute a
BelleVille, Illinois.

Burning of the Catholic Institute at
BeileVille, Illinois.
ST. Louis, Jan. "Details OF the
burning of the institute of the Immacu-
late Conception of the sisters of No;re
Dame, at BellevIlle, Ill. are still mea-
ger. There were about sixty pupils In
the school, ranging from ten years to
full grown (all girls, and several teach
eFe. The fire Is said to have started in
the third story, which was used a. dor
mitOry, and an attempt WAS made by
the sisters 10 extinguish it, but this fail
ing efforts were made to remove the pu-
pils. The flames spread so rapidly.
however, that no order could be pre-
served. A panic seized both children
aud sisters, and there was a wild
confused rush 10 escape. Forty or more
pupils are known to have got out or
were taken from the building and given
shelter in the neIghboring houses, but
several in their fright jumped from. the
windows and were either killed or bad
~ injured Miss Mary Campbell,
teacher of East ST. Louis, leaped from
the third story and die14R few MN
utes,
The fire department was of little avail
against the mad rush of the surging
flames, and IN an hour the entire build
ing was in flames
Another report says the fire started
from a furnace in the basement, and
this seems the most probable explsna-
ton, as the flames spread upward, cut
ting off most of the exits and COMPEL
ing some of the pupils and sisters 10
leap from the windows.
TWENTY-FIVE BODIES FOUND.
A dispatch. just received from Belle
vile, says: The bodies of twenty
pupils and five teachers, including the
mother superior, have either been re-
covered or are known to be in the
ruins.
The following dispatch from Belle
vile to the associated press gives furth-
or particulars oil the frightful calamity
by fire ST the convent of Notre Dame
last night: 1t was the most destructive
| to life and property that Belleville has
ever experienced. A visit = the scene
| this morning found the fire department
| still on duly, endeavorlng to queDch the
| flames SO as tn preserve the recognizable
shape of the bodies of the victims.
| When the ruins were sufficiently cooled
| q volunteer corps of mea went TO work
| tn bring out the bodies. 1t was a terri
BILE sight at times the searchers
| would find two or three chaFretl
masses huddled together, seemingly
seeking protection in ose another from
| the advancing and terrible flames Two
bodies were found in the rear part OF
! the building burned into an unrecog-
nizAble mass, but the majority were
found beneath where the dormitoIy was
situated. They seemed to have sought
shelter in this room ard too late recog
nized that their escape was impossible
/ .fnr
ports, let down the floor into the seeth.
ing vortex of ire and smoke
The loss of loss of life is much greater
than WAS mentioned Ia last nights briel
dispatch. Instead of b, ing ~ waS al
/ first supposed the tota! known deaths
are TIVE atty seven, twenty-five of which
are pupils and five sisters Among the
latter is the sister super pr On the
fourth floor the pupil boarders with
three sisters slept; an the third floor The
remaining sisters sept: and on the
second, or Il Dor above the Basement
i what are termed orphans or hal
orphans slept OH this second floor
the inmates escaped and were saved.
The fire had origin in the furnace
in the basement, and when discovered
the floor Immediately above was ablaZt
and volumes oil smoke rapidly pourius
through the stairways. corridors ano
halls OF the building. By the time ths
sleepers were thoroughly aroused al
avenues of escape were filled with
binding smoke. Then a panic ensued
and 1t Is for. the Imagination to pain
he sorrowful and
! HEARTRExDIN6s PICTURE.
4 The extreme cold retarded the work o
. the firemep, and even If they could have
reached the scene without delay they
could have been but Of little service II
rescuing the victims. There are no lad
. ders in the Gre department and no pro
, vision for such , depiorsble emergency
had been made by the managers of thI
Institution The unfortunate inmate
were, therefore. poweFless to relieTI
| themselves, ana those who were VII
. 1esses 20 the horrible holocaust were un
able to assist them. The manner of e
cape 20 each of the survivors could no
be learned.
DAISY EbeFman was slightly Injured
Agnes Schneider jumped from 9 win
dow, but was not dangerously Injured
Lou Mott was quite badly hurt. Den
+ Horn and Fannie BEinkey were serious
: ! " but not fatally injured
At 4 O'Clock D m. there had beei
eleven bodies recovered from the RUNS
and sisters AID friends OF the unforiun
aaes had succeeded in identifying 81
bodies
The bodies could only be identifies
by the clothing, or rather. portions @
clothes. which, having been ssfuFates
with water. had escaped lhe flames
AL that now remains OF the famous con
vent of the Immaculate Conception
clArred and broken walls. and in The de
bfis their yet remains the bodies Of sew
4 eeaf unfortunate victims. The build
] | ing and its furnishings were valued a
from $4,000 10 $4,000; insured 70
&s5 con