The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-20
wall, but the ladder did not reach within
I've faet Of tho roof. 0ncofnan mounted
the ladder and tho little fellow leaped into
his arms and was saved.
A HORRIBLE DEATH,

Tho woman looked 10 tho bottom OF til
ladder. and to the flames gradually er
croaching. Dystanders yelled to her I
keep her courage up. She looked int
the burning building as II fascinated b.
tho fire, and commenced edging ava,
from tho ladder. Suddenly tho flame
shot up from beneath her feet
md with cry Of agony sh
fell backwards into the blazin,
mass. With crash the roof fell after
wards, and soon the entire building was
mass Of flames. Johnny Ryan, little fel
low. ! years old, attempted to escape b,
climbing down tho water pipe. Tho plp,
gavc way and hc was borne 10 the hospital
his skull fractured. 1t is yet absolutel,
impossible to tell where the inmates O
the institution can be found.
Late this afternoon a list OF the children
was made up and 1913 were unaccounted
Tor. While il may turn out that not one
oi these is among tho ruins the fact re.
mains that tons OF burnt timber, warped
iron and fallen bricks, that have not YET
been removed, may cntopb many more
cases than have been recovered. arlt'
Tho trustees OF the house have hired q
force OF men TO continue thesearch until il
is settled beyond question that there are
no more bodies in the wreck OF the build
Ing. In the room OF the saved portion OF
the Asylum proper are bodies Of those
who have been found. They are tied up
In sheets. Amy effort to identify them
would be perfectly useless, In that room
Is the only story Of the loss Of life so far MS
known. II is also now known that the
little patients were so situated as to be
almost completely cut of from escape and
the flames ate rapidly upwards, thus pre-
house.
BoY's STORY.
Eddie.McGfath, one OF the kitchen boys,
l2years of age, was going iii to wash cups
when tho fire broke out. Hc ran in and
saved his little I year old brother, who was
on the second floor. Speaking to report.
er, McGrath said there were several boys
in the intirmary on the third floor affected
with sore eyes, and about twenty-three
Sick with malaria fever. He said seven
"SiS. uhautS " lCuNC llltlT DeuS, U[lQ
suggested theprobability thatthey were the
first victims. The children were receivcdat
the Home on various conditions. Most
OF them were orphans and some half
orphans. In addition to these few Ind
been committed by police magistrates
when their parents were either incapable
or unwilling 10 properly care for them.
The boys forming the last named class
were in the greater part unwilling inmates,
and these, it is believed, compose mainly
the missing l25. Having been set free by
lire they prefer to remain at large.
The identity Of the remains OF the wo-
man found in the ruins may be helped by
the statement OF Sister Veronica. She
said: 81 let two visitors into the Intirm-
ary, who went UP stairs. They were Mrs.
AlcCarren and Mrs. Halloran. think
they got out but | am not sure.n She
continued that there were not more than
ten or twelve children on the upper floor
Of the 1ntirmary when the fire broke out.
This floor was used as dispensary when
the chiidren's ailments were treated and
was not Tor occupancy, except at such
periods.