The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-20
Search Among the Ruins of the Building Re-
suits in the Recovery of the Charred
Remains Of Thirteen Victims,
While One Hundred and Twenty-Three
Of the Children Are Still Missing.
How Sister Josephine Met Her Death-Sad
Fate of an Unnamed WOman-Scenes
and Incidents of the Fire.
THE BURNING OF THE ASYLUM.
Search Among the Ruins Results in the
Finding of Thirteen Bodies.

| Search Among the Ruins Results in the
Finding of Thirteen Bodies.
New YORK, Dec 19.-The backened walls
and smoking ruins were all that remained, this
morning of the st. John home or Male Cath
olic Orphan Asylum, which burned yesterday
Crowds of spectators gathered there to-day to
witness the fremen and police digging in the
ruins, The sisters in charge OF the asylum were
of the opinion last night, that all the children
had been got out the building but persons who
were on the outside, and assisted in helping the
little ones to escape, asserted that there were
many lives lost They said they saw little ones in
a room on the third floor, over the laundry, when
the flames made their way to it, and
they knew the avenues of escape had
been cut off Two or three grown persons,
it is believed, also perished. The assertions of
| these people were correct, for this morning the
diggers came on the charred remains of a group
of four, who appeared to have been huddled to-
gther just before their cries for help had been
stihed in death. In the dor1nitory directly over
the laundry were sixty sick boys, and it is not
known whether all were saved
At a later hour this morning three more
bodies were discovered near where the passage
to the main building was located. Some of the
bodies appeared to be those of adults Shortly
after o'clock two more bodies were found,
burned to a crisp and their identity destroyed.
The children are scattered all over the city,
and, until they are collected it will not be posi-
Bile to identify the bodies of those who perished.
The police found many orphans the streets,
half frozen, and took them to the station-house;
citizens also took charge of some of them, and
| it probably will be day or two before they will
be collected together again.
Of the bodies found this morning it is thought
two we're those of man and woman. The dig
gers are still working, and it is thought other
bodies may be recovered
The loss is estimated at $250000 The build
ing was valued at 5000, 900.
The destruction of this asylum is another evil
dencyof the sad truth that no amount of good
intention can atone for lack of proper precau-
ton and vigilance. Hundreds of children in the
asylum were tenderly protected against all harm
except that which could have been most easily
guarded aganst-fre There was very large
water hydrant in the yard with four butts, but
there was no hose in or about the building, nor
any other means of extinguishing fire, so what
began as trivial 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 fue.
All efforts of the iremen were futile in their at
tempts to combat the flames. The gates were
also locked, and the young men of the neighbor
! hood who saw the fire first had to burst open
the gates with ramming iron before they could
get in. Chief Engineer Nevins now urges that
all mansard roofs be condemned at once as death
traps.
The upper floor of the asylum was divided
into dormitories by stud and lath partition walls;
the flooring and wanscotting were of yellow
pine, and the space between the ceiling and the
slate roof was not filed in, so that the fire rap
idly 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 began the larger boys
in the institution were playing in.the court yard,
making slides on the newly fallen snow, or snow
balling. 1t was visiting day, and many parents
| of children had come to see them. About thir
ty five children were in the infrmary on the sec
ond floor, under the care of Sister Anthony.
Their little wan faces were peering at the win
dows watching larger boys play. On the floor
above were twenty-five more children suffering
from sore eyes, under charge of Sister Mary
Josephine, who was similarly afflicted In the
laundry below were Mrs. Feeney, the laundress,
the assistant auhdress and Sister Clement
Mrs. Feeney noticed the smell of burning rags
in the drying room, and on opening its doors
cloud of smoke poured out. The cry of fire
was raised the boys in the yard took it up, and
Sister Anthony, in charge of the sick ones
in the infrmary, heard the alarming
yell and soon saw black clouds of
smoke yelling from the windows beneath
She Immediately signaled for attention from
the little ones by clapping her hands In the
room of which she had charge, seven helpless
cripples were IN bed; these she caused the
strongest of the boys to take in their arms, and,
having made her charges form in line she
marched them safely out of the burning build
ing But on the floor above where half blind
children to the number of twenty-five were
under charge of Sister Josephine scene of
most terrible panic ensued. The fear-stricken
children ran about the room calling for help,
some rushed down the stairs in binding smoke;
others, in their frantic fear huddled in corners,
from which they were rescued, and others fled
to the roof
SISTER JosEPHINE's DEATH
Unfortunate Sister Josephine, having lost all
control over the children under her charge, and
her semi blindness being intensified by the
clouds of smoke that filed the stairways and
rooms, rushed to the roof, where she
appeared in the midst of flame and
smoke, calling loudly on the spectators
for help with the sad result already stated. A
fireman, lying prone the roof of the main
building, attempted to swing his overcoat to the
intperiled sister The first and second attempts
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