Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-08-31
-ORPHANACE BURNED.
Nine Buildings of St. Agnes Con.
vent at Sparkhill Destroyed.
FOUR PERSONS LOSE THEIR LIVES.
Two Girls AlsO Found Missing Many In
mates Seriously lnjured-IIerolsm Of
the Sisters-Incidents OF the
Blaze Loss, S15O,OOO.

tne Slsters-lncidents or the
Blaze Loss, S15O,OOO.
Sparkill, N. Y, Aug. 29.-Fire that
broke out at one o'clock yesterday
destroyed nine of the ten buildings OF
the st. Agnes convent and orphanage,
entailing loss of $3.50, 900 and causing
the death of four persons The dead
are: Helen Brown, aged 8; Emma
Mackin, aged 7; Jane" pensioner,
aged TO- and Mary Kate Mccarthy,
aged 2S. The missing are: Therese
Murphy, aged IA, and Mary Brown,
aged 4. The seriously injured are:
Sister Sienna, shock and collapse; Sis
ter Marie, burns and conclusions; Sister
Bertrand, conclusion of spine and
shock; Sister Katherine, arm broken,
and Hannah Shea, leg broken. Twen-
ty-ive inmates were injured by falls,
jumps and burns, none seriously.
That more lives were not lost was
due to the heroism Of the sisters and
some Of the older inmates. When the
fire broke out the 400 inmates of the in
stituton were asleep. Most Of them
were gotten out in almost perfect or
der, but a score who risked their lives
to save others were finally forced to
either jump from the upper stories or
make desperate dashes through stair
ways and corridors filled with flames
and smoke. The fire was discovered in
the lavatory and soon spread to the adj
joining buildings, attacking first
dormitory in which 200 of the older
boys slept. Sister Reginald, who had
trained the lads in the fire drill, rushed
down the line of white beds and arous-
ing the sleepers, clapping her hands,
the simple fire signal followed in the
orphanage. The boys turned out with
a rush and gained the lawn in their
night clothes. By that time the second
dormitory, where the smaller boys
slept, was ablaze. The older lads made
a dash for the building and were soon
carrying the smaller ones out. The
buildings were all finished with
Georgia pine and the wood burned
furiously.
The convent and chapel made great
stack of flames, and between them and
the second dormitory, the girl dormi-
tory blazed and cracked as the fire
leaped up Its wooden walls
A dozen sisters were cut off in the
upper stories of the convent building.
They were forced to the windows, and
while some climbed out to the stills,
others knelt at the easements in prayer.
Engineer Otto placed long ladder
against the outer wall and rescued half
dozen. Six were forced to jump for
their lives and fortunately all but Sis
ter Bertrand escaped without serious
Injury. The escape of Sister Agnes
seems almost u miracle. She was cut
- v" on' iou'on nooi' anu eiectcu 10
Jump from her window rather than
plunge into the furnace that had once
been u stairway. She cimed out on
he Sill, and then Selling the shutter,
swung out clear of the building. Then {
me lost her hold She struck the
!round squarely on her feet and then ,,
ELL over on her side. Before anyone !
'onld reach her she got up and walked =
quickly away unhurt
The fire reached the girls dormitory
asst, but once 1t took hold Of the build
ng, 1t burned fiercely. Most of the Q
!irls were on the upper floors and it =
vas with the greatest difficulty that Il
hey were gotten out Shortly after I
he last of the rescuers left the second S
lormitory there was a counting If j
reads and the discovery was made tbo, d
wo baby boys were missing .John y
,ody, l5-year-old bow made stroirb, A
or the door, paving M head 10 tba f
of danger A moment later
,ody came dashing out of the building a
nder each arm CARVING one NJ tho '
Missing bows. 4
As far nc Lno, b.. n
me uT,oo ~ IA