Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-29
Four Lives Lost in an Orphan
Asylum Fire.
CHILDREN PANIC STRICKEN
Heroic Sisters REsked Their Lives to Save
Others. 400 Inmates OF the Inst Itu-
ton We're Asleep When the
Fire Broke Out.
(Ry Telegraph.)


sPAIaINILL. n. Y, Aug 2S-Firc
that broke out at 1 o'clock this morn
ing destroyed ten buildings OF ST
Agnes Convent and Orphan:ige entail
ing loss of S15000O and causing the
death of four persons. The dead are:
HELEN BROWN, aged G.
E'AlM.A N1.ACkUN, aged I.
JAIME Il pensioner, aged 20.
NJ, KATE MCCARTHY, aged IS.
The missing are:
Theresa Murphy, aged 16.
Mary Brown. aged 4.
The seriously injured:
Sister Sienna. shock and collapse
Sister Marie. burns and conclusion.
Sister Bertrand, concussion of spine
and shock.
Sister Katherine, arm broken.
Hannah Shea, leg broken.
| Twenty-Five inmates We're injured by
falls, jumps and burns, but none Sc
riously. =
HEROTsM OF THE SISTERS.
| 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
Iinstitutior were asleep. Most Of them
We're gotten out in almost perfect or
| der, but score who rsked their lives
70 save others were finally forced to
Jump from the upper stores 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 dornitory
| in which 200 OF the older boys slept.
An excellent fire drill enable them cas-
lily to escape. 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.
~ dozen sisters We're cut off in the
upper tories Of the convent building.
! iie's, were forced to- tine wind s. and
while some climbed out to the stills,
others knelt at the easements in
prayer
JUMPE DIOR THEIR LIVES
Engineer Otto placed a long ladder
against the outer wall and rescued
half a dozen.SiN We're forced to jump
for their lives, and fortunately Sister,
jury. The escape OF Sister Agnes
seemed almost a miracle. She was
cut off on the fourth floor and elected
| to jump from her window rather than
! plunge into the furnace that had once
been a stairway. She climbed out On
! swung out clear of the building. Then
| she loosened her hold. She struck the
ground squareiy on her feet and was
! ltI1injuved.
! The fire reached the girls dormitory
burning fiercely. Most Of the girl S
We're ON the upper floors and it was
with the greatest difficulty that they
l'wcre gotten out. Shortly after the last
| OF the rescuers left the second dorml-
tory, there was a counting of heads,
and the discovery was made that two
| baby boys were missing.
| A EltAVE LAD.
| John Greedy, a 15-year-o1d boy, made
| straight for the dormitory, paying 10
| need to warnings. A minute later he
came dashing out of the building car
frying under each arm one of the miss
! ing boys. Sisters and children Were
conveyed by teams to the Blauvelt
convent.
AS far as known but one person ac-
,tually persisted in the fire itself. That
Twas Jane an Old pensioner, aged 70,
who was asleep in the servants quar-
tiers. Helen Brown and Emma Mack
in died from commissions that resulted
from fright. Kate Mccarthy was a
servant at the convent and had organic
heart trouble. She was badly frightf n
| ed and died later in the day. 1t is be-
| .ieved Theresa Murphy and Mary
Brown both escaped from the fire. but
| that the former led the other into the
! adjacent woods. @5s
! There were 326 children in the or
| phanage, sixty of whom were girls, and
their ages ranged from to Is years.