Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1899-12-24
Eleven Children Burned 10 Death
at Quincy.
SOME BADLY BURNED
During a Rehearsal for a Christmas
Entertainment a Girls Costume
Caught Fire and Communl.
Gated II 10 Others.

were TeneaIhluk lhtt ITluay afternoon D
for an entertainment TO bs given next
Tuesday evening. the dress Of one Of
them caught fire from a gas jet and 10
minutes later four Of them were burned
b death. two died an hour later and five
others died before midnight Half
dozen others were burned more or less
severely
The dead are lrenA Freibnrg, May
wayering. Mary Atlhoif. Bernadina
Found. Colletts M,ddsndorf. Mary
Hickey. wilhelmina GuttendoJf. Olivia
Timpe Addie Futterer. Josephine Bohme
and Margaret Warner.
All the above were between and II
years Of age Helen Soebbing and sew.
eral other teachers, Father Nicholas
aud Prof Musholt. were painfully
burned in trying TO save the children
The fire started in a little dressing.
room. Three or four little girls were
there blessing for the rehearsal and
laughing gaily among themselves A
dozen others were grouTed in the wings
Of the stage near the foot Of the stairs
descending from the dressingroom. The
girls In the dressingroom had nearly
completed their costumes when one OF
them brushed against the gas jet but
which one IL will never BE- known A
touch Of The flame was sufficient and in
an instMnt her dress Of cotton and light
cloth vas In blaze She screamed and
ran out Of the room, communicating the
blaze 10 others as she ran.
One Of the girls. with hsr dress in a
blaze, jumped out Of a small window
onto the stairs leading 10 the stage and
down the stairs A flaming torch she
was, as she almost fell down the stairs
and rushed into the group Of children
standing in the wing They were all
clad like her. in fancy costumes Of cot.
ton. lace and silk. and the fire spread
with incredible rapidly from one to the
other
There were IA children in the cast Of
the Christmas entertainment and only a
few escaped. II was all over in 10 min.
utes and in that time four persisted. sew
en- were fatally burned aud others more
or less severely injured.
The children were panicstrisken and
rushed this way and that screaming
with pain. But the agony was brief
Only few minutes and four Of them
sank 10 the floor dead Others fell too.
but they still lived. suffering excruciat.
ing agony.
The hall was tillel with children and
many more would have been killed in
the panic that followed had 10 not been
for the prompt action Of the teachers
who were In charge Of the entertain.
ment and were present The children
were in a panic for a few minutes and
rushed Tor the doors But prompt edor,s
| quoted them and no one was hurt IN
the rush
Frank Musholt, teacher Of the
school. was standing az the foot Of ths
stairs when he heard th' cry of fire.
and turning 20 whore % came from. saw
the flash Of flame In the ires ungroom
He was half way mp the stairs at on,
bound when he met a child rushing and
tumbling down, q mass 81 flames from
head to foot Tearing Oft his coat b,
threw it around the blazing child and
endeavored 10 extnguisn the flames. but
crazei by pain and fright, she Jumped
ont Of his arms and rushed down past
him, still wrapped in his coat. into ia,
group Of other children standing about
IN the wings of the stage.
The shrieks and screams Of the injured
were agonizilg The little onos lay
helpless and imp0tent on the floor anC
writhed about IN their agony Tn,
dead were charred In most cases beyond
recognition. The home Of peaceful
pleasure had in an instant become a
chlru-l hol.e Doctors hastsned about
on their missions of mercy, seeking {,
apply sol,niug lotions to those vino wer,
still alive AMI seeking also 10 cover th,
CHARGED bodies % the dead with blankets
or other covering TIE excitement ont
side Of the building was soon intesilist
by the situation without The crowds
cougrega,el in an instant and parent,
soon came searching anNiously for Their
little ones The landing at the third
floor was 4 combination Of hospital ant
morgue
All the telephone lines in the neigh
borhood were in service summoninp
surgeons and in a very few moments
nearly all the doctors In town were on
hand. Besides the many patients with
In the smoss stained walls there wer,
dozens Of fsinting aud heartbroker
women without They screamed a,
some Of The scenes came 10 them aud II
the child OF loved ons was among the
dead and wounded their grief gained
the mastery aud there was COLLAPSE
which required the attention Of doctors
Damage Suit rilsd.
Galveston, Dec %. Chalmers NJ.