Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-29
FOUR LIVES LOST.
FIRE IN A CONVENT AND
ORPHANAGE.
FIVE PERSONS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
Two Missing, But Neither of These
Is Believed TO Have Pefishcd--
meroI.m OF the sisters snd some OF
the older Children.
ORPHAxAGE.

sPARKILL. n. r., August pa fire
that broke out at o'clock this morning
DESTROYED nine OF the ten buildings OF ST
Agnes Convent and Orphanage, entailtng
loss Of $4,000 and causing the death
Of four persons
The dead are: Helen Brown, aged s;
Emma Mackin. aged 7; Jane" pen
sioner. aged 20; Mary Kate Mccarthy,
aged q.
The missing are Theresa Murphy. aged
10. and Mary Brown.
The seriously injured arc Sister Sienna.
shock and collapse; Sister Marie. burns
and conclusion; Sister Bertrand, concus-
sion OF spine. and shock; Sister Kathe-
rine. arm broken Hanna Shea, leg
broken.
Twenty-Five inmates were injured by
falls, jumps. and burns, though not Sc
riously. The fact that more lives we're
not lost Is due 70 the heroism OF the
Sisters and some Of the older inmates.
When the fire broke out. the too in-
mates of the institution were asleep.
Most OF them were gotten out, bat
and were finally forced TO jump from tho
upper stories or make desperate dashos
through the atairways or corridors filled
with flames and smoke. The fire was DIS
covered In the lavatory, and soon spread
to the adjoining buildings, attacking nrst
dormt0ry In which 20 OF the older
boys slegI.
VALUE OF FINE DRILL.
An excellent nre-drin enabled them 10
escape. by that time the second dormi-
tory. where the smaller boys slept, was
| ablazo. The older lads made dash Tor
| the building, and were soon carrying tho
| smaller ones out.
A dozen Sisters were cut of In the up
per stories Of the convent building. They
| were forced to the windows. and wniie
| some climbed out 10 the siiis others kneit
| at the easements IN prayer. Engineer
! otto placed q long ladder against the
outer wall and rescued half dozen. Six
were forced to Jump for their lives, and
| fortunately all but Sister Bertrand -
| capped without serious injury. The escape
| OF Sister Agnes seemed almost N miracle.
| She was cut off on the fourth floor, and
chose rather 10 Jump from her WINDOW
than plunge into the furnace that mad
| once been n stairway. She climbed out
| on the sill, and then, SELLING the shutter.
swung out clear OF the building. Then
She loosed her hold. She struck the
ground squarely upon her feet and was
uninjured
The fire reached the girls dormitory
last. hut once 1t took hold OF the build
ing IL burned fiercely. Most Of the girls
| were on the upper floors. and IT was With
the greatest difficulty that they were got
ten out
A BOYS BRAVE DEED.
Shortly after the last OF the rescuers
| left the second dormitory there was q
| counting of heads, and the discovery was
made that two baby boys were missinS-
John Cody, q l6-year-old boy. made
straight for the door, paying 70 heed 10
warnings OF danger. A minute later Cody
came dashing out OF the building carry
ing under each arm one Of the missing
| boys.
The Sisters ana children were conveyed
by means III teams to the Blauvelt Con-
vent.
As far as known. but one person aotu-
ally persisted In the fire itself. That was
Jane" an old pensioner, aged 20, who
was asleep In the servants quarters.
| Helen Brown and Emma Machin cied
from commissions that resulted from
| fright. Kate Mccarthy was servant
| In the convent and had organic heart
trouble. She was badly frightened aud
died later in the day.
1t Is believed Theresa Murphy and Mary
Brown both escaped from the hre. but
the former became demented and II Lead
ing the other girl through the woods
There were 38 children IN the orphan
age. sixty Of whom were girls. and their
ages ranged from to 16 years.