Evening star., 1909-08-31
SEVEN CHILDREN BURN
Bodies of Other Little Or
phans Probably in Ruins.
ALL WERE THOUGHT SAFE
600 Inmates of St. Malachi's Asy-
lum Escape Flames.
FIRE DRILL IS EFFECTIVE
Corpses Discovered This Morning
After Firemen Had Reen ASSured
ALL WERE THOUGHT SAFE
FIRE DRILL IS EFFECTIVE
Corpses Discovered This Morning
After Firemen Had Been Assured
That All Were Rescued
Special Dispatch to The star.

seven little children were found this morn
ing in the ruins of st. Malachis Roman
Catholic Orphan Asylum at Rockaway
Park, which was destroyed by fire last
night
It had been supposed. until these vic
tins had been found, that all the inmates
more than fMt-had been saved by the
school fire drill. All seven had been
burned to death in their cribs.
There were 800 children who slept in
cribs on the third and fourth floors in one
wing of the dormitory. Some 30 other
children of larger growth were still awake
Wher the fire started.
The f. emen believe that there are other
bodies in the ruins. and that when the
smoke and heat will permit a search they
viii be found.
Firemen Search Ruins.
The firemen had refused to believe there
were no dead in the buildings. which had
been burned to shells All through the
night the men who had answered the four
alarms sounded at o'clock last evening
had been feeling their way through the
charred walls Five dead children were
found al $50 o clock this morning. When
these We're discovered all the firemen who
had been allowed to rest and seek fresh
air. while their companions relieved them,
rushed back into the building.
Half hour later two more bodies were
discovered. The firmen were unable to
get to the third floor because Of the heat
and smoke. But all are positive there are
more dead in the ruins.
1t is impossible to get a list OF the
missing or the names of the dead chill
dren. for the reason that all records of
the children are lost There is not a
child among the 600 whose history of
birth and name is not destroyed.
The children whose bodies We're found
were boys and girls, all ranging in age
from two to five years. These slept in
cribs arranged in long lines with mar
row ases between, that the sisters
in charge could pass through during
the night watches.
Nurses Garry Out Little Ones.
When the fire started and the older
children who were at evening prayer in
the chapel marched TO the open. observ-
ing the perfect fire drill the nurses and
sisters ran to the rescue of the helpless
little ones on the third and fourth floors
in another wing.
1t was a most difficult task to save
these children. Some of them refused to
be awakened; others We're too stupid
from sleep TO walk when lifted from
their cribs.
Down the long flight of stairs with
smoke pouring in upon them rushed the
nurses and sisters. each carrying a child
under either arm. AS each got her
armful of children 10 the open she would
dash back into the smoke.
In the excitement many little cribs are
believed to have been overlooked. OF
the $50 children who had TO be carried
out, hardly 30 per cent of them could
walk down stairs. Half the number who
could walk were too frightened or sleepy
to use their snort legs
The firemen came while the nurses
We're carrying out the children. Ladders
were swung up TO the windows on the
third and fourth floors. Fire fighters
Skinned up the rounds and dived into the
smoke-filled dormitories.
The f1remen worked as firemen always
do, but found only one boy, whom they
carried to safety. They were told that
ali the little ones had been carried out
They We're glad to believe it, for the
flames were bistering. 1t was next to
suicidal to enter parts of the wards.
Origin Is Mystery.
| Just how the fire started is a ques-
| tion. About s o'clock the engine room
| in the home was discovered blazing. The
flames were already shooting up an air
shaft and bursting forth in mushroom
| form on the floors above
| When the alarm was given, Father
4
chapel. The older boys and girls were
sisters and helpers in the building were
| all at their various duties.
| The assistant priest on the altar in
| the chapel did not utter word that
would cause alarm. Smoke was already
| beginning to get thick in the big room
| and he said quickly:
Stay where you are, children
Even then he could see the flames and
hear the crackle through the windows.
| Then the fire gong sounded and the
| boys and girls, like so many soldiers.
marshaled themselves into line.
| The march to the street began. Those
| in front walked fast, but there was no
| running, no panic. And all the while the
sisters spoke quietly to the children.
| Out to the beach the long line of chill
dren marched. Father Kilvey has al
| ways been insistent on the fire drill prac-
tice So we'll trained were the children
| that there was little to do to get them
out of the building except to exercise
| quiet supervision.
Youngsters Hard to Awaken.
Then up through the building ran the
sisters and the attendants. II had not
| been difficult to get the older children to
safety but it was no easy matter arous-
ing the youngsters in their cribs.
Father Kilvey. with several aids. saved
the sacred contents of the house
Assistance was not long in coming for
the refugees from the burned ST Malachi
Home. Scores of residents brought clothes
| for the homeless ones.
Alderman Samuel Marx sent fifty chill
dren to hotel at his own expense. Ed
ward Clancy, Boston shoe merchant
who is spending few days at the resort.
did the same. The Hebrew home took
$50, St Georges, 100 and cottages cared
for many.
Public school number ~. on Washing
ton avenue was opened 1t was not long
before the rest of the little ones were
snug in cots.
Raymond Hitchcock's Home Burns
NEW YORK, August 31.-The summer
home of Raymond Hitchcock, the actor,
at Great Neck, l.. l., was totally de-
stroyed by fire today. The loss is esti-
mated at 100000.
yf~,-