The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-01
Wonderful Escape of the
Inmates.
HEROIC DEEDS OF RESCUE
Three and sixty Children In
the Buiidings-OnIy Four Lives Lost.
several Badly Ipjured-Sisrers Cut on
from EscaPe-Ehefr Rescue Lad's
Bold Rush Into the Burning Build
ing aud Heseue of Two Small
Boys.

Boys.
Sparkhill, y. Y. Aug. ss.-Fire which
broke out at l o'clock this morning
destroyed nine of the ten buildings of
st. Agnes convent and orphanage, n
failing a loss of $4,000 and causing
the death OF four persons.
The dea are: Helen Brown, aged 6;
Emma Mackin, aged Z; Jane" a PEN
sioner, aged 10, and Mary Kate Nc
Arthy, aged % years.
The missing are: Theresa Murphy,
aged 16; Mary Brown, aged 4 years.
The seriously injured are: Sister
Sienna, shock and collapse; Sister
Marie, burns and concussion; Sister
Bertrand, conclusion Of spine and
shock; Sister Katherine, arm broken;
Hanna Shea, leg broken.
Twenty-Five inmates were injured by
falls, jumps and burns, none seriously.
That more i've were not lost was
due to the heroism of the sisters anf
some of the older inmates. When thN
fire broke out the 400 inmates Of the
institution 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
jump from the upper stories or make
desperate dashes through stairways
| and corridors filled with flames and
smoke.
The fire was discovered in the lava
tory and soon spread to the adjoining
buildings, attacking first a dormitory
in which 200 of the older boys slept.
An excellent fire drill enabled them
easily to escape. By that time the sec
ond 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.
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 sills.
| others knelt at the easements in pray
| er. Engineer Otto placed a long ladder
] against the outer wall and rescued a
half dozen. Six were forced to jump
for their lives and fortunately all but
Sister Bertrand escaped without seri-
Gus injury.
The escape of Sister Agnes seemed
| almost a miracle. She was cut off on
the fourth floor and jumped from her
window rather than plunge into the
furnace that had once been a stairway
| She climbed out on the sill, and then
1 SSlLIIS llle SlAullSl, ." AlS SISdI VI III
building. Then she loOsed her hold
She struck the ground squarely upor
her feet and was uninjured.
The fire reached the girls dormitory
last, but nee it took hold of the build.
ing, it burned fiercely. Most of the
girls were on the upper floors, and il
was with the greatest difficulty thai
that they were gotten out.
Shortly after the last of the reScuers
left the second dormintory there wa:
a counting of heads and the discovery
was made that two baby boys were
missing. John Cody, a ~15-year-old boy
made straight for the door, paying NJ
heed to the warnings of danger. 4
minute later Cody came dashing out o
the building, under each arm carrying
one CT the missing boys.
The sisters and children were con
veyed by teams to the Blauvelt con
vent.
AS far az known not but one person
actually persisted in the fire itself. h
was Jane" an OLD pensioner aged z
years, who was sleeping in the ser
wants quarters. Helen Brown AM
Emma Mackin died from convulsion
that resulted from fright. Kate Nc
Carthy was a servant in the cOnven
and had organic heart trouble. Sh
was badly frightened and died later il
the day. 1T is believed Theresa Muir
ply and Mary Brown both ESCAPED
from the fire, but that the former be
came demented and is leading the 9th
er girl through the woods.
There were 1926 children in the or
phanage, sixty of whom were girls
and their ages ranged from 2 to l
years.