The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-01-10
TWENTY-EIGHT DEAD
Terrible Result of the Fire in the
Rochester Orphan Asylum.

Rochester, N. Y, Jan. 9.-This town
is silent with horror. In its morgue
and in the dead rooms of its hospitals
lie the bodies of 80 or more cremated
or suffocated little waits and their
attendants, who lost their lives in the
orphan asylum fire early Tuesday
morning. In the ruins of the build
ing firemen are digging away among
the hot piles of brick and iron with
the fear in their hearts that they will
find others. In the residences sur
rounding the structures site are
groups of fearless, half-frenzied
nurses and children dazed with fright
full remembrances of an awful nights
experience. The identified dead thus
far has reached 26 children, one nurse
and cook.
Work of AmbuInnces.
Ambulances from all of the hos
pitfalls were on the ground almost as
soon as the fire companies, and houses
in the neighborhood were thrown
open to receive the little waits who
were carried from the asylum. The
pitfalls with the more seriously burned
of the children. In several cases the
little victims were dead when taken
from the vehicle at the hospital doors.
Scenes Beyond Description.
The scenes at and near the asylum
were beyond description. A large
portion of the asylum building was
totally destroyed and the portion that
remains standing is probably in such
condition that its demolition will be
necessary.
House Filled with Dead.
One nearby house was like a
morgue. Half a dozen dead bodies
lay on the floor in heaps of consumed
rags. Crowds gathered around to
look, but turned away quickly, sick
ened at the dreadful sight.
Cries and Groans.
The explosion, though of great force,
was not loud enough to awaken the
sleeping nurses. When the smoke be-
gan to pour into the east wing it was a
matter of but a few seconds before the
whole sleeping population was brought
TO a realization of the situation with
a suddenness which at once seemed to
rob nearly everyone of their judgment
and mental faculties. A terrible Choir
us of cries and groans filled the air.
1t was impossible to see anything and
as the thick smoke poured in the scene
became one of indescribable confusion,
The chief nurse, Miss AshdOwn, did all
within her power to save the children
and nurses.
A Nurses Story.
Miss f. NJ. Hubbard, who had charge
of 90 children on the third floor in
the main building, said:
"I was awakened by the cries of the
children. l knew that the building was
on fire, as did all the children. AS quick
ly as possible we all made our way to
the roof of the building, escape in any
other direction being impossible.
Already the firemen had their ladders
to the roof of the building, and quickly
the children were carried down. After
most of them had been rescued the heat
became so intense that to save myself 1
slid down a post leading from the roof
to the ground"
Miss Hubbard was terribly burned
on her face was hanging in big
patches and blisters had formed on
the exposed portions of her body.
Managers Meet.
There was joint meeting of the
board of. managers and the trustees
of the asylum in City Assessor Ponds
office, and the room was filed to the
doors with members of the board and
those interested in the institution.
While all sorts of excuses were put
forward for the disaster, there was
unanimity in conceding that the man
ayers had been derelict in that there
had not been better and more corI-
plete system of fire escapes provided.
One, Thomas c. Montgomery, frankly
expressed the opinion that managers
had been negligent in that they did
not employ a night Waterman at the
asylum, and that they had not had
the building patroIled nightly.