Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-29
Mother Superior's Story

told the following story Of the fire to
police official:
81 came to the building at S.45 o'clock
this morning. School had just begun.
AS my custom l went through all the
rooms The children were all in their
places.
from the top floor l went to the
first Aoor A whisp of smoke was COM
ing down the hallway. l cannot remem-
Der whether there was an explosion or
not. My impression now is that there
was a muff1ed report.
Il rang the school gong by pressing
: a button which is on the side of the
wall near the front door. Then l ran
to the second floor and did my best IT,
get the children out in order. The
crush at the front door WAS awful.
Many of the little ones from the first
floor became panic stricken and it
was an impossible task to get them all
, out. When the task became hopeless
ran to the back door and finally sue
ceeded in opening it. 1t was too late.
however. to get the children out that
entrance because an awful fire. had
shot from the basement, separating me
from the struggling mass of children
at the front door"
GenevieNe Phillips, who escaped,
said:
There was no confusion and every
thing went smoothly until we came to
point about half way down the stairs
between the first and second floors.
Looking down over the heads of
the children ahead we saw terrible
scene of confusion. The youngest chill
dren from the first floor were piled up
in front of the doorway. The Sisters
We're doing their best to get the chill
dren out through the doors bu: they
We're having a hard struggle.
MANY OF the little ones were terror
stricken and crying at the top Of their
lungs. Some had tainted and were be-
ing dragged along by the crush. A few
mad fallen to the floor. Some of the
children. most of them under seven
years. were struggling to keep their
schoolmates on their feet. The Sisters
were working frantically to rescue those
who had fallen but the task was almost
hopeless one. A cloud Of smoke drift
ed through the doorway over the heads
of the struggling. hysterical little child
rem and it seemed to me that it was
coming from the basement doorway.
Many OF us were able to make our
way around at the side of the throng
at the doorway and into the school
room at the side of the first floor hall
way. From the window of this school
room we jumped to the ground"
Building Cost 100000
The school building was erected few
wears ago at a cost of about 500 900 II
was square shaped with wood fittings
lining the interior of the brick frame.
There were is class rooms on the three
floors. At each end of the building wood
en- stairways led down from the two
upper floors.
The head of the school il Mother Su.
perior Sister Aldegon, who ia assisted
nv Is Sisters. The mother superior de-
tected the odor Of smoke a few minutes
after the school session opened She
Immediately sounded the schools fire
alarm which started the children to the
street.
According to the version of the Sis
tiers. the pupils were marching out In
an orderly manner until the leaders who
had reached the ground floor. made the
mistake of rushing into the vestibule AT
the front exit instead Of going out a: