The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-07
SEVEN LIVES LOST
In the Covent of the Ursuline
Nuns at Roberval.
ANOTHER BADLY BURNED
Fifty Inmates Narrowly Escape
the Flames.
THE CONVENT A MASS OF RUINS
1t is Supposed Lighted Candle Near
the Cradle of the infant Jesus
lgnited the Draperies and
OFpameuf@finUG
OrnaFnentation:

Ottaway, Ont, Jan. 6.-The convent
of the Ursuline nuns at R0berval, on
Lake st. John, about 120 miles north OF
Quebec, was destroyed by fire, which
broke out at 6 o'clock this morning, and
seven sisters are known to have perished
in the flames, while about 6rsy inmates
had a narrow escape from n similar fate.
Were il not that most Of the students
of the convent had gone home for the
holidays, the loss Of life might have been
greater The students were to have re-
turned tomorrow. The convent is situat-
ed on the shores Of the lake, about one
mile and half east of the summer and
fishing resort called the hotel RoberYal,
and Of the village proper.
Shortly before o'clock the villagers
were alarmed by seeing a reflection from
the neighbOrhood OF the convent. At
first it was supposed the fire was in the
church about half a mile from the CON
vent. Naturally the greatest excitement
prevailed, which WAS augmented when
the alarmed villagers hurried to the scene
and found the flames bursting from the
convent building.
Ordinarily there are about thirty nuns
in the institution and about fifty pupils
The village has no water works, and the
work OF saving the contents was, there
fore. made difficult, while the
flames had made such headway
that their extinguishment was an
impossibility. Many OF the nuns and
pupils slept in a domitory on the second
story and these managed to escape, but
others occupied dormitory on the fourth
floor at the north end. There is a fire
proof tower near. this, but the rapidity
with which the flames spread prevented
the nuns from reaching it, They were
smothered by the smoke. The religious
titles of names of the dead, respectively
are as follows: Mother st. Francois De
Paul, Eliza Gosselin, Of st. Jean Chry-
sostome; Mother Providence, Emma
Letourneau, Of Quebec: Mother Stursule
Corinthe, OF st. Foye: Mother st. Anne
| Laura Hudson, Of Herbetville; Mother
| st. Antoine De Padua, Catherine Boulte
| Of Deschambault; Mother Gassellin, OF
st. Jeane Chrysostone; Mother St Do.
minique, Marie Louise Girard, of Rober
| val; Mother st. Louise Rose.
Another nun was badly burned in try.
ing to extinguish the fire. The convent
and the school are nothing but mass of
ruins. Just how the fire started is not
known, certainly, but this being the feast
OF Epiphany, it is supposed that a lighted
candle near the cradle of the infant
Jesus ignited the draperies and fora
ornamentatiOns and in an instant the
whole place was mass Of flames. The
fact that parts of the convent were un-
! completed caused the fire to spread more
rapidly. The monastery was stone
building, five stories high and of 100 feet
frontage, and was built eight years ago
The Ursuline nuns of Queloe, by whom
it was controlled, are the Oldest cloister-
ed order in Canada, and it was in a
cavity made by the bursting of a shell
within their convent AZ Quepec that
General Afenraqm was buried after his
draIn upon the plains Of Abraham.