The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-09
ROCHESTER'S ASYLUM FIRE
TWENTY-EIGHTD DEAD BODIES NOW
IN THE MORGUE.
Two AduIts-Twelye Others In the
Hospitals More or Less Seriously In
jured-Explosion of Natural Gas Be-
Ifeved to Have Caused the Fire.

Rochester, N. Y, Jan. S.-Twenty.
eight dead bodies lie at the morgut
and twelve others, more or less serious
ly injured, lie at the different hospitals
in the city tonight as a result of the
terrible holocaust which, early thi.
morning, occurred at the Rochester Or
phan asylum. OF the dead, twenty six
Were children of both sexes, ranging in
age from two to four years, while the
remaining two were adults. The fire
which was discovered at 1:10 a. M. and
was doubtless caused by an explosion
of natural gas in the boiler room, ad-
joining the west wing of the asylum,
spread so rapidly that many of the 109
inmates of the institution were over
come by the flames and smoke almost
without warning. A corrected and re-
vised list of the dead follows:
Arthur Kelly, Gladys Fill, Gertrude
Toner, Bertha Hall, Viola Stuck, Lii
liam Stone, Mildred Slocum, Mary AL
exander, Helen Hamilton, Hazel Muir
ray, Minnie Tiffany, Myrtle Patterson,
Isabel Marthage, Gertrude McCaw,
Loreo Owen, Charlie Benham, Rhea
Conwell, Bertha Potter, Mildred
Wright (colored), Minnie Skinner
Mary ane, Cora Potter, Charlotte Bry-
ant, Beachnell Carey, Evangeline
Carey, Mre. Maria Gordon, the cook of
the asylum; Mrs. Martha Gillis. a
nurse.
In the record of fatal fires in Roch-
ester none can be found which is equal
ed in the pathetic scenes surrounding
the loss of so many young lives, in the
gallant sacrifice of life in the effort to
save them or in the sad scenes at the
hospital and morgue.
That so many children were saved
from the west wing of the building
seems little short of miraculous and 1t
is remarkable that the death roll was
not even larger. The story of all the
heroic efforts to save the little ones
will never be told. The scene following
almost Immediately upon the discovery
of the fire and the accompanying ex-
plosion was one which turned the stout
est hearts sick and filled the spectators
with horror The windows of the west
wing were filled with the terrified faces
of the tiny waits. Working like men
the firemen struggled to re-
lease them from LnelT petllOuS pOSlllOll.
The rooms of the dormitory were filed
with smoke and the little ones were be-
Ing slowly suffocated in spite of every
effort to release them from their char
mel house Most of those rescued were
lowered by means of ladders to the
ground from the second and third
stories
The ambulances from every hospital |
in the city reached the scene almost as
soon as the fire department, but they
proved totally inadequate in providing |
'or those rescued. Many sufferers ana
he dead We're removed to the houses
in the immediate nighborhood.
There were awful scenes around the !
asylum at this time. Deeds of hero |
sm We're many. The intense heart |
sickness of the spectators and those |
working is beyond description. Most |
# those rescued from the building were |
unconscious from the effects of smoke
which settled like a pail about the
building. Tt soon became apparent that
he building was doomed. general
.larm was sent in and the entire fire
department. was soon on the scene. The
ire was stubbornly fought from every
.vailable point, but 1t was over an hour
.fter it's discovery before the fire was
Inder control.