Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-04
FIFTY WHITE FIGURES
Huddled Shivering Together, Driven
From a Southern College.
A PANIC AT A MIDNIGHT FIRE
Costly Results of Test of the Furnaces
of a Big Building.
THE COLD ADDS TO THE GIRLS TORTURE
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.l
SPARTANBURG, S. c., Jan. 3.-Fifty fe-
male pupils, robed in white. made neces-
sary by their hasty exit from Converse Fe-
male College, had to crouch behind the
shade trees while the fierce flames of their
burning home illumined the weird scene.
The thermometer registered only 200 above
zero, point which caused untold suffering
to the people of this region.
Converse College is situated in large
grove, one mile from Spartanburg, and
over half mile from the nearest houses.
1t was built about two years ago at an ex-
pense of 100000, and received its name
from Colonel Converse, who was its most
jealous promoter. The building accom-
modated 1jO pupils, and was full at the
opening of its present fall term. Nearly
100 of these had gone home for the Christ
mas holidays, leaving so young ladies, be-
sides the college force, in the building
Costly Test of the Furnaces.
As Saturday night was intensely cold,
the furnaces were tested to their limit, and
the Young ladies retired for the night. 1t
was about 1890 o'clock A. NJ. that a stroll
ing colored man hurrying by noticed the
shooting of the flames from the furnace
ROOM Almost before he could give the
alarm the central wing OF the building
seemed to be completely at the mercy OF
the flames The main stairwavs reaching
to the dormitories were prey to the hre.
Two men who had bv this time reached
the building, broke open the doors of the
west annex, and ran from door to door,
awakening the sleeping occupants. AS the
girls crowded into the Railways and saw the
main exits closed against them, a scene OF
the widest confusion reigned. The matrons
found it almost impossible to reassure
them so as to give directions for their es-
cape.
One young lady, driven almost to insan-
ity, made rush to get through the fire, but
was pulled back, her hands and face being
terribly burned by her wild effort. At
length they were put on the way to escape
through the annex starways, and began
streaming out into the openair.
Not Very Pleasant Change.
TheNchange from the heat and smoke Of
the burning building into the freezing at
mosphere was almost as terrible as the fate
which they had escaped. The nearest
house was half mile away. and in the
confusion which resulted from their hur-
leadership to provide for them, the scene
was one hard to describe.
The first effort of almost all, when the
safety of the students had been assured, was
to master the flames. This was fruitless from
the first, however, for want of adequate
water supply. In about half an hour
people began arriving from the city,
and the effort to gather up the
girls and take them to homes began.
Shivering with cold, some of them were
grouped around the burning building,
hoping to get some warmth from it, while
others wandered off aimlessly. being at sea
as to what to do. President Wilson did all
he could for them under the circumstances,
and finally succeeded in having them all
cared for.
The loss to the building is about $50, ,0G0,
which will be partly met by an insurance of
Sj0,0