Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-30
FLAMES IN A HOSPITAL.
THE LIVES OF MANY CRIPPLED GILL;
 DREN APPEALED.

A Remarkable Exhibition of Presence of
 Mind on the Part of a Youthful Grip
 pie Prevents Disaster and Death-One
 Life Sacrificed.
 NEW YORK, Jan. 30.-In the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled, at Lexington avenue and Forty-second street, there are 163 crippled children under treatment. About 6:45 last evening the younger of these child ren were in bed, others were preparing to re- tire, and few of the elder children were eat ing their supper in the basement Two of the latter, Louisa Fehleg, aged 12, and Mary Greedy, aged 10, started up stairs to go to bed. On reaching the second floor they were suddenly enveloped in clouds of smoke. Both children are suffering from spinal disease and can walk only with difficulty Without screaming or manifesting fright ill any way they hurried as rapidly as possible to the third floor, found a nurse (Ellen DoughertV and told her tbe building was on fire The nurse told them not to tell any of the children, and sent them to their rooms. She then sent word by an assistant to Matron Webber, who in turn notified pr. Gibney, through whom an alarm was sent out.
 As rapidly as possible the doctors, nurses, police and tiremen as well as number of citizens, carried the chi dren from the build ing. The guests in the Vanderbilt hotel op- posite gave up their rooms, and 143 of the little sufferers were put to bed there. The others found shelter in private houses in the vicinity. There was much excitement among the spectators in the street, among whom it was rlunored that several of the children were burned to death. Fortunately all the children were removed in safety. Meanwhile ithe fire men fought the flames, and after stubborn battle subdued them. The fire had originated ;,, Jo{1, +lo f,,cf unknown cause The damage done is esti- mated at &, 300. When the fire had been ex- tinguished the lifcess body of Mary Donnelly, a cook in the hospital. 45 years old, was found in her room on the fifth floor, where she had died from suffocGtion. It was her day off, and it was supposed she had gone out to visit friends, but it appears that she had taken nap instead, and was suffocated in her sleep.
 During the fire Michael Mccarthy, the ele- vator boy, was overcome by smoke and fell into the elevator pit He was discovered there by Miss Jessie Stranger, young waitress in the hospital, who dragged him out into the air, where he revived. Miss Stranger also saved the life of James O'Brien. one of the engineers of the hospital. It was his day off, and he was asleep in his room and was already un- conscious from smoke when she ran to his room and by persistent knocking on the door reused him iii time for him to escape the fate of the unfortunate cook.
 Little Louisa Fehig was asked after the fire why she did not run away when she saw the danger. II couldn't run very fast,' she said. ''I have spinal disease, you know; and be- sides, if had not told Miss Dougherty she and every one else might have been burned"
 ''What did you do after you told her9'
 ''I went into my dormitory and told my chum, Minnie Johnson. She is a cripple and can never get out of bed without being car ried. She asked me not to leave her, and I took hold of hands with her and said l wouldn't. But when I saw the smoke begin ming to come up to our floor, and heard every one screaming and shouting, felt afraid that tried to get Minnie out of bed so that we could get away. But couldn't lift her She told me to run and not to mind her or l would get burned up. I kissed her goodbye and ran out, but found man who went in and got Minnie, and WIG both got out.' Ten-year-eld Max Schwartz, who is suffer- ing from hip disease, tried to carry out Johnny Burke, a little deaf and dumb cripple, but the burden was beyond his strength Then he dragged Johnny out to the hallway, where policeman found them, and carried both down stairs. There were many other instances of heroic and unselfsb behavior on the part of the little cr;pples