The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-09
aANY CHILDREN DEAD.
Twenty-six Lives Lost In Burned
Asylum,
MARROW ESCAPES NUMEROUS
Fire Totally Destroys Philanthrop-
ical Institution mt the Corner of
HubbeII Park and Exchange
street In Rochester.

Rochester, Jan. S.--Not since the great
lantern works fire of 1883, in which
many persons met their deaths and many
more We're injured, has such an awful
catastrophe effected such disaster as a
fire in the Rochester Orphan asylum, a
three story structure on the corner of
Hubbeil Park and Exchange street. OF
the 165 to 195 inmates it is known 26
lives have been lost and many more of
the children and women taken from the
building will die from the terrible burns
and injuries received.
The dead are as follows: Gertrude
Poner, Bertha Hall, Viola Stuck, Lillian
Stone, Mildred Slocum, Mary Alexander,
Ellen Hamilton, Hazel Murray. Minnie
Tiffany, Myrtle Patterson, Isabel Mar
thage, Gertrude McCaw, Mary McCaw,
Loreno Owen, Charlie Benham, aged A;
- Conwel, Bertha Potter, Mildred
Wright (colored), aged q; Minnie Skin
ner, Mary Kane, Cora Potter, Charles
Bryant, Beachnel Carey, Evangeline
Carey, Mrs. Martha Gillis, Il nurse. Mrs.
Maria Gordon, the cook of the asylum,
jumped from third story; instantly killed.
Discovery Of the Fire.
The fire was discovered when a nurse
in the hospital, Miss Cline, smelled
smoke. She Immediately notified an
other nurse, Miss Nalient, and the latter
reported the matter to the matron. Miss
r.. Reinhart. The smoke was, speedily
located in the boiler room and word was
sent to police headquarters. MI the fire
apparatus was rushed to the burning
building, but before the first engine ar
rived the neighbors for blocks around
had arrived and were doing their best to
rescue the inmates.
shortly after the fire was located in the
ht iier room. Il different explosion took
Place near the west end Of the connecting
wing, completely blowing ont the lower
part, thereby cutting Of he escape of the
. children i'll flat end Of the building II
VIZ learned that those children who were
nearest to the connecting wing were
stunned by the force of the explosion and
with them il was Il matter OF great diili-
tultN TO take in their surroundings when
finally aroused.
1t WAS later :lSerltainel that the cause
OF the explosion was that the boiler had
i'loMll Hp. from what cause is likely ~
t2mnn Il mystery.
When tie tirenicil arrived Oh the Sceitt
their attention was first turned to the in
wing. which is tho older section of the
institution. On the floor next to the top
was Miss Brad. With the flames leaping
all around her. it seemed impossible To
escape. She did. however, but was so Sc
rionsly injured by falling that she will
not live. Ii was stated by the matron
Miss Reinhart. that there were IS girls
in the west wing. Besides these. there
We're two children and two nurses in the
hospital department, which was also in
that wing,
A Hero's Fall.
| In the midst of the confusion and in the
dim light it was impossible to see many
Of the horrible incidents that We're later
reported. A most dramatic incident was
the fall of a fireman, Morris Heating
| who went up to the roof on n ladder 70
rescue women and children. just as he
reached the top stream of water was
turned on him to keep away the flames,
but it had the effect to confuse the man.
lie reached for woman, and the latter
jumped for his arms. Suddenly the man
lost his hold on the ladder. The crowd
sroaned as the fireman fell with the
woman to the ground. The woman was
| killed outright, and the fireman was 50
seriously injured that he may die.
The roof was covered with children
who had escaped through the scuttle
from the upper rooms, and the tremen
! were kept busy carrying them down.
Many escaped unframed in this way. A
| little colored boy was carried through
the throng. His face was calm as one
who slept. He had been taken from one
Of the lower rooms and was unconscious.
But not so placid We're the faces of the
| majority of those who were now snatched
| from death. There was a nameless ter
ror in the rigid poses into which torment
| had transtiXed them.
| The room of one nearby house was like
a m0rtuary. Half a dozen dead bodies
lay prone on the ground in heaps of half
consumed rags. People crowded in to
look on the fearful scene, but turned
away quickly, sickened at the dreadful
sight Miss r. NJ. IIibbard. who had
charge Of % children on the third floor in
the main building, said:
Il was awakened by the cries of the
children. | 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 iiremen 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
slid down post leading from the roof to
the ground"
Miss Hubbard was terribly burned
about the faGa and body. The flesh on
her face was hanging in big patches, and
blisters had formed on the exposed por.
lions OF her body.