The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-10-21
BURNED TO DEATH.
Many Children's Lives Lost In the
Brooklyn Orphan Asylum.
Their Charred Remains Discovered
in the Ruins.

Dire OF st. Johns Catholic Orphan asylum in
Brooklyn. In the hurry, and fright
and excitement of getting the abIc.
bodied children out Of the burning asylum
the bedridden little ones in Sister Mary Jose
phine's quarantine ward, on the top floor of
the infirmary were forgotten. The woman
whose special duty it was to care for them had
been nearly killed by fall from the roof in
attempting to escape, and was on her way to
the hospital She died soon afterward with
out tletting any one know definitely whether
any children were in the ward when she
left it. In the ashes underneath their room,
bones representing nine little bodies were
found on the following day, with other re-
mains representing certainly one and posi-
bly, two women. OF the children in the
Home, estimated at 7s5. though those in
charge can give no certain number, all
but forty eight were accounted for on the
following night. Only preliminary super
fetal examination Of the ruins was made. and
1t was thought more than probable that other
bodies would be found in thorough search
The list Of victims numbered eleven, and 1t
was believed that it would reach twenty when
the investigation was ended.
Sister Anthony, who had another ward on
the floor below that in charge Of Sister Jo-
sophine, managed, with assistance, to get all
her children out in safety. They had been
trained in the school room to march out with
out confusion in case Of fire at o signal from
the teacher. When she learned Of the fire
she said:
"Now, children, remember what you have
bao,, fouoht I,o,, will orot o,,tc cafoly y
Those who were able to do SO tramped
down the stairs as deliberately as though they
were going out to recess. Others, who were
too i'll to rise. were soon carried out by strong
arms, and put in places Of safety before the
iremen arrived. When the high wind had
swept the flames across narrow passageway
to the roof Of the main building the efforts
Of the fremen were turned princi-
pally in that direction No one
dreamed Of anybody being left in the inflrm-
ary. The roof had fallen in and tile fire roar
About midnight, after everything was under
control and people began to talk matters
over, somebody inquired for the half blind
children on the upper floor, who were il no
condition to get out by themselves, and whom
everybody else seemed to have forgotten.
A few fremen poked around in the red
hot ruins, but they soon found it impossible
to doanything in that direction until daylight.
The most definite information attainable was
that eleven children suffering from ophthal-
mic Inflammation, common IN institutions OF
that kind, were confined in the isolated ward
and had not been accounted for. But nobody
knew for Ger. ainty. No one had been al
lowed to go near them but the sister whose
voice was stilled in death. -,
As soon as daylight made an examination
possible Foreman McGroarty, Of Engine
Company No. "A, jumped into the steaI.ling
mass Of ruins with q shovel and beganto look
around. Early as 1t was people stood around
and watched him anxiously. Amid mass
Of iron beams, bent and twisted by the heat,
he saw child's body, burned and charred
beyond all possibility Of recognition-the
limbs separated from the trunk and the
skull nothing but a blacke:ied bone
1t was lying about where the staircase ended
which ran from the engine room to the
attic. Evidently the little fellow had run
down stairs and had been unable to find his
way out of the pit of fire and smoke. The
iron beams had fallen in such eway as opre-
vent the roof from falling OH him. He had
doubtless been smothered to death. Calling
few men 70 help him. Mr.. McGroarty began
TO turn over the debris for bodies which be
felt only too sure of finding buried in it.
The fremea did not have to look long, or to
Of four more little ones were found III a
heap close to the blackened wall, as though
thew had huddled together in corner,
and staid there until the floor gave way
and dropped them into the pit OF fire
beneath. In less than an hour the fragments
of certainly nine bodies-eight children and
one adult-had been picked out from the
smoldering leap. They were tied up in soaked
blankets and carried in the sewing room,
4l>o fha ocv1iIn, fir for
Soon after o'clock the frelnen went home
for needed rest, leaving three men to drown
the ruins and squad OF policemen to keep
the crowd within reasonable bounds.
During the early morning hours there were
many affecting scenes in and about the Epis-
copal hospital, whence large number Of the
children had been removed during the night
Mothers fathers and relatives OF the little IL
mates Of the burned institution, who had
spent the whole of the night going from house
to house in the immediate vicinity
for their children, gave full express
sion to their agony Us they passed from place
to place without finding them. These express
sions Of grief, however, every now aud then
gave place to shouts and tears Of joy, as one
after another the little ones were recognized.
Some Of the incidents and expressions were
touching in the extreme, as some Of the poor
women who had well-nigh succumbed to the
mental strain and anguish attending their
search, would clasp their children to their
breasts amid sobs and wild and endearing e1-
pressions.
"Oh, me darling boy" exclaimed an old
Irish woman, whose uncovered hair was dis
hevelled and her eyes red with weeping. II
thought you was burned to death an I'd
never sec yer dear little face any more,
Jimmy" and she huggh aud kSsed her little
1axen-haile ed child, whose eyS were filed
with tears.
1--we seen many affecting scenes in my
life," said the superintendent, but never
anything compared to this-never so much
real joy"-and as he spoke shrek startled
all in the adjoining ward There poor woman
named Hartigan, of East New York, had
fallen in swoon. She had arrived at the in
stitution but half an hour before in search Of
her child. She seemed beside hc rsef with eN
citement, and as she scanned the little faces 1t
seemed as il the poor woman's heart would
break. Her eyes were dry, but they betrayed
suppressed emotion. As she entered a ward
on the west side her eyes rested for moment
on seven-year-old little curly-h headed and
dimpled- checked fellow who was the center
of group of dozen boys at play.
"Oh. Willie. My God, he's safe!' she
shrieked, and rushed to his side with the
lleetness of deer. The next moment the
poor mother had fallen insensible at her darl-
ing's feet, her left hand touching his little
sEoe.
The child was momentarily frightened by
the sudden appearance and fall of his mother,
and the other little fellows ran out OF the
room, crying Lady deal. lady dead"
When couple of the nurses arrived hur-
riedly on the scene little Willie was on his
knees beside his mother, caressing her and
Smooi hing back her hair. "W'ats matter
mamma! Mamma sick! Det up mamma
an tiss me-" llsped the little fellow, great
tears falling from his eyes The woman was
soon resuscitated with the aid of restorativci
and the endearing expressions as she caught
her boy up in her arms, kissing him again and
again, was something to he remembered.