New Britain herald., 1914-07-07
PRIESTS AND SISTERS
 CONQUER BIG BLAZE
Nuns ScoTehed as They Fight
 Flames and Save School.

New York, July 7.-while blazing embers rocketed from half a dozen flaming buildings across the street last night, Mother Superior Mary Per- petua, of the Convent of the Domini- can Order of St. Joseph, on Liberty avenue. East New York, and priests and brothers of St. Michael's church, on Jerome street, fought side by side with buckets and hose lines to save the convent and the parochial school.
 They were successful at the cost of scorched garments and blistered hands and faces
 Embroidery Plant Wrecked.
 The entire plant of the embroidery firm of I. & M. Druckerman. at Liver ty avenue and Warwick street. includ- ing a factory employing 150 hands, a raint shop and stable was wrecked. Two houses on Liberty avenue also were damaged.
 Four alarms were sent in. but at times it looked as though the blaze would baffle the firemen, directed by Deputy Chief William Gutterson.
 As the flames gained headway they lowered above the steeple of St. Mi chael's. Many practitioners who were on their way to the parochial school, where there was to have been an en- tertainment last night, and others who lived close by believed that the church was ablaze and joined the throng already on the way to the fire.
 A number of devout members of the congregation knelt in the street pray ing for the safety of the sacred edi- flee.
 Priests Seek to Cheek Fire.
 From the rectory came Father Full gtntius, Father Nicholas. Father Hy- acinth and Father Francis. with Brothers Claude, John, Lawrence, Mi- chael and Modestius. They were joined by George Schwenzer. the jam itor, and Edward K Ott, an under taker.
 The church was nearly block from the fire. Much nearer the blaze was the convent, a frame building. and nearer still. the parochial school four stories high and new.
 Stuck to Post.
 The first thought of the clerical brigade was for the nuns. They hastened to the convent to make provision for the inmates safety. Under the direction of the mother superior they found thirty nuns, including Sisters Mary Floreptine, Mary Roseta and Frazia gather ing buckets and connecting lines of hose. It was vain to argue with them. The school was in danger, perhaps the convent: they would do their part.
 Four lines of hose were connected to taps Three were carried to the roof I, 1,~ of the convent. Those not needed at the hose lines formed bucket lines.
 Flames Catch Robes.
 The heat from the blaze, a few score feet away. softened the putty in the window frames and blistered the paint. Faces were scorching and sparks and embers flew about. fre- quently burning the robes of the band of fire fighters.
 They stuck to their posts, however. Not an ember alighted on the roof of either building that was not ex- t:nguished immediately.
 It was more than two hours be- fore the blaze retreated enough so that the volunteers could work in re- lays, and long after that few were still on watch.
 Police Rescue Horses.
 Down in the street the reserves from half a dozen precincts held the crowd in check. The Bergen street trolley line which passes through Lib crty avenue was held up for hours.
 The buildings, swept by flames. were empty except for the watchman and thirty-six horses. The police did not find the watchman, but were told that he was safe.
 Detective Frank Doherty and Detec- tive Bernard Fully, with Patrolman James Mcdonald of the Liberty avenue police station, wrapped their coats about their heads and groped through the smoke into the stable which adjoined the blazing paint shop. They led out thirty of the thirty-six horses.
 Two firemen were cut by falling glass and had to quit the fight. Elec- tric wires were down and strewed the ground in all directions. The damage was estimated at about $100.00o.
 The cause of the fire was not ascertained. The fire was blazing strong when the first engine started their water and the four alarms fol- lowed each other in quick succession.
 Fire Marshal Thomas Brophy will frraX