Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-03-03
MADONNA STATUE
INTACT IN FIRE
RAGING ABOUT It
Marble Image Above Mt. St.
Mary's Portic0 Not Even
Sm0ke.Grimed.
PEDESTAL, SERVING AS
BUTTRESS, is DESTROYED
Inspecting Architects Marvel
and Are Unable to Ex-
plain Phenomenon.


Out Of the wreck and ruin of Mount
st. Mary's College, with great columns
broken and tottering about it and
with fiame-crumpled walls Of stone
fallen above and below. a statue of the
Madonna stands above the great main
entrance so completely unscathed by
smoke mars its white -marbled beauty.
That the statue should have escaped
entire destruction in the conflagration
that swept the famous girls college
near Plainfield yesterday is considered
little short of marvellous by number
of architects who today joined the
great throngs of people from every
part of the countryside that fiocked to
the scene. But they marveled more
when examination showed that not
even the slightest scar had touched
the figure OF the saint, though the
pedestal of stone at its feet was COM
pletely destroyed.
The statue, beautiful carving in
puresr marble stands over the main
shallow wirdowlike recess in which 1t
rests did not even wholly protect it
from exposure to the elements, and 80
much Of the weight Of the statue rested
upon cornice iutting out from the rest
OF the building. The stone pedestal had
been put In its place beneath TO but
tress the cornice and hold the statue in
its place.
Pedestal Crumbles Away.
When the fire, having ragged through
the interior OF the college, burst outside
and began to scorch the walls, the de-
voted band who had fought 30 bravely
against the flames felt sure that the
statue must be quickly destroyed. The
cornice above it cracked and the stones
of 1t fell on all sides but not so much
as q chip fell upon tue figure of the
Blessed Virgin.
The roof of the entrance was caved
in with g great swirling of smoke and
! flame tongues, and the pedestal cracked
and fell. but when that blast had swept
past, the statue still stood immovably
upon its narrow ledge of cornice, abso-
lutely unmarried.
| The statue will be removed and will
be replaced over the main entrance of
the new college building which, larger
and even more beautiful than the
burned one, is to be erected on the same
site without delay. The officers of the
college had found that even though
the late structure had been built but
three years ago, 1t was not large
enough to accommodate all the pupils
who sought entrance to the institution.
SO the new plans will be gauged on a
much greater SCALE 1t Is announced
today that the damage is 5000, 200. In
surance covered the building, but the
$50,000 in furnishings destroyed will be
| in great part an uninsured loss.
| Considerable criticism has been lev
eled at the f1remen on the grounds
that in the first place they did not
reach the scene as quickly as they
should and that having reached it,
they did not make the best use they
might have of a water supply that
is today declared to have been ade-
quate.
The firemen, however, point out that
they did save the kitchen and that
when that fight was over they found
the water supply "meagre."
VIII Resume Studies March IL.
Today Mother Cecilia and her as
sistant sisters of the college were al
ready actively engaged in making prep
arations for the resumption of studies
with the same calm courage that they
evinced in fighting the flames yesterday
morning. Arrangements have been
made to take the pupils to st. Gabriers
Academy at North Plainfield, where
the class work will go on from March
IL until the new structure Is completed.
The nuns are particularly saddened
over the loss of their library, which
was a particularly complete collection,
and contained many treasures which
can never be replaced.