New-York tribune., 1901-07-03
ST. AGNES, BROOKLYN, BURNS
THE CHURCH DESTROYED BY LIGHT
NING-THREE FIREMEN PROB
ABLY FATALLY HURT.

lightning struck the tower Of St Agnes's
Roman Catholic Church. Hoyt and Sackett SITS,
Brooklyn, shortly before o'clock yesterday ar
ternoon. and after the edince caught fire the
tower was again struck by lightning. The
church was destroyed. except It's walls
When the fire broke out, as II appeared to do
almost instantly after the tower was struck, the
church was deserted. The Rev. James s. Duffy
and his assistants dining in the rectory,
across the street John Maloney an ex- fireman
VINO lives in the neighborhood. the light
ming strike and turned In an alarm Then
Father Duffy with his assistants and John
Finn. the sexton. hurried to the church to save
the vestments, altar vessels and other valuables
number of parishioners Joined them The
church. however all aflame The lightning
had passed through the tower and fired the dry
woodwork of the edfce from one end to the
other. Father Duffy and his companions were
able 10 remain inside only a few moments. the
heat great.
Father Blaver and two parishioners John F.
ONeill and Thomas Donnelly, were cut off from
retreat in the rear of the church The fremen
of Engine Company No. 105 ran a ladder UP TO
window on the Hoyt-st. side, broke in the win
dow and rescued them. O'Neill was dragged
out by the heels by Thomas Spellman Many Of
the altar vessels saved and were removed
to a house in the neighborhood
The four alarms which were turned In sum-
moned most of the engines in the lower part
Of Brooklyn. Pieces of burning wood from the
tower were blown along Hoyt-st, and six houses
between Sackett and Douglass SITS caught fire
The iremen soon extinguished the names
The firemen. finding it was impossible to save
tne GhurGh, sought TO save chapel and the
parish schoolhOuSe in the rear of the church in
Degraw-st., which threatened
The chapel was seriously damaged but was
saved from total destruction. The flames were
also kept from spreading to the schoolhouse
which was finished recently at cost of
100000.
The pillars supporting the roof of the church
were burned away an hour after the fire broke
out. and the roof fell In Several hremen were
injured by falling bricks. The 1remen got the
flames under control in three hours
But the ruins of the church were still smoul-
dering till after midnight Just before O'Clock
this morning three fremen, James FlannelIy as
sistant foreman of Engine No. 1O4 ana oscar
Thompson and John NJ. Ferguson. of Hook and
Ladder Company No CO. tried to enter the
building by the main door in sackett-st. AS
they passed under the arch large piece of
masonry fell ana all three were crushed be-
meath 1t.
When they rescued by their comrades
DR. Smith. who lives in the neighborhood, ex-
amined them, and said that he thought all
would die. The storm earlier in the evening had
broken down the telephone wires so that ambu-
ances could not be called. Father Sloane as
sistant pastor Of St Agness was called and
administered the last sacrament to the injured
men.
The parish of St Agnes's Church. one OF the
la1 gest Catholic churches in Brooklyn was es-
tablished in 1878. 1t was placed in charge of
Father Duffy. He was almost prestrated with
grief last evening. The late Bishop Loughin
laid the cornerstone OF the church In the spring
of 1881. The church was dedicated on August
20. 1SS2. 1t was built Of brick brownstone and
TOlished marble in the Gothic style of archi-
lecture and had frontage of about seventy
five feet in Sack kett-st-, running along Hoyt-st
depth of 1SI feet The tower Is still stand
ing II is l3O feet high 1t is said the altar
and 1y,ap al nd HntyS
collection of religious paintings, They were all
destroyed.
The edifce cost originally $135,OOO A large
amount of money had been expended In it's
equipment. The organ cost $4,000 The total
loss estimated at about S25O.00O