Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-12-19
AN ORPHAN ASYLUM BURNED.
THRILLING SCENES or ExCITEMEyr
Ara BROOKLYN rIRE
A Brave sister of the tnstitution Loses
Her Lifc While saving These of Others
a Belief That Others Were burned
In the Blazing building.

Shortly after 5 o'clock Thursday afternoon
a fire broke out in the drying-room OF the
Catholic Male Orphan asylum, corner of
ST. Marks and Albany avenues, brooklyn
The building wherein the fire originated
contained the boilers and heating apparatus
with a dornitory on the third floor, in which
there were sixty orphans suffering from va
rious complaints Whether or not they all
escaped cannot be told until u roll call is had.
The opinion obtained Thursday night that
some were lost
Sister Mary Josephine, who was in the
dormitory at tho time the fire broke out,
made heroic efforts TO save the little ones.
She remained In the room until absolutely
driven out by the flames
Then she ran TO q window, where she stood
upon cornice, until Foreman McGro1rty,
of engine No II, from the roof of the building
swung his coat to her. The sister caught the
coat, but when McGroartv tried to pull her
from her perilous position she lost her grasp
and fell headlong to the ground. She struck
upon her shoulder and head, and was con-
veyed to St. GATHERINGS hospital in an uncon-
scious condition.
Joseph Ryan, boy, tried To descend by a
| ladder ftom the same floor (the third), got
| within eight feet of the ground when the
ladder parted, and he received severe in
I juries.
John McGrath, years old, jumped from
| the third story aud was badly injured
REscUINo THE CHILDREN.
/ Mother De Chantel and Sister Anthony
( were in the Office when the fire was discov.
| cred. They at once gave the alarm and pro-
| ceeded 10 get children out Of the building,
/ There were IS9 orphans in the building
/ which is also known rs 81. Johns Home
| They were told to leave the home and seek
shelter in any neishboring house until they
were called for. There was great excitement
among the inmates, but it is believed all es
| capped except possibly some of those who
were in the dormitory wing. Hundreds o
| the little fellows ran ont into the falling snow
hatless and coatless. The flames spread with
| great rapidity, and the buildings were al
most completely destroyed.
POSSIBLE LOSS or LIFE.
There were about thirty sisters in tho
asylum aud number of them went ont will
the boys, but IL was impossible To keep tn,
| little fellows together They sought refuge
in car stables, dwellings, saloons and stores
| near by.
John Watfeld, a grocer, and George Irish
placed a ladder against a second story win
dow on Albany avenue. and Irish handed
down seven boys, when the crowd called Z,
him to come down on account of the proxim
ty of the flames, which were bursting out o
the windows just beneath him Patrick Ca
hill says he is confident he saw a woman fal
back from a window into the smoke. III
also believes all the boys did not get out
though all except those in the boiler vim
escaped without trouble
One boys in The asylum said that the fir
was caused by another boy who went int
drying room With a lighted candle. Their
were some clothes drying on a rack, and h
accidentally touched them with the candl
fame. The flame, he said, leaped up in
moment, and all who were in the room Ia
| out.
| ONE DEATH.
At a late hour Thursday night Sister Mar
Josephine died of her injuries. The conf
\ sion among the children at midnight wa
so great that the authorities cannot sa
whether any lives were lost. Fireman Gee
Matthews, of Truck No. 5, was seriously in
iured, and another fireman badly burue
after being knocked from ladder.