St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-02-06

boys and girls, inmates OF st. Al
phonsus Orphan Asylum (Catholic) !,
ranging in years from seven TO seven
teen, were buried beneath raised
two-story building, in which they
were at play, on the asylum grounds,
South Franklin and Fourth streets,
Sunday about noon, when the struc-
ture was torn from its foundations,
during the wind storm that swept
over the city.
All were injured. None was kill
ed. The injuries of two, a boy and
a girl-Oscar Henry, twelve years
old, and Georgia Buckley Columbus,
sixteen years old-are said to be dan
gerous. Oscar suffered a confusion
of the head and possible fracture of
the skull, and Georgia a dislocation
ami probable fracture OF the spine.
Besides Georgia and Oscar, the in
jured are: Josephine johnson, six
teen years old, fracture of left leg:
Ethel Lawlar, twelve years old, con-
fusion of back; Thelma Atchison,
compound fracture LETT leg, John
Gererd, nine years CID, !acerated
scalp wol1'':: Joseph Laf:an:s. thi.-
teen years old; confusion left nip;
Sanders Adams, seven years old, con-
fusion left arm; John Woods, nine
years old; Annie Moran, eight years
old; Albert Haggerty, six years old;
Harry Souby, four years old; Edward
O'Mara, eight years old; Edward
Montgomery, seven years old; Joe
Oldstein, seven years old; Edward
Bengart, nine years old; irwin Jar
rel, nine years old, and Mary Nc
Quinlan, minor injuries.
Contractor Out of City.
The building was divided, on its
two floors, into playrooms for girls
and boys, classrooms for young boys
ands boys dormitory. Recently,
additions were made to it, and it was
elevated to permit the construction
beneath it of an enclosed playground.
Although those changes in construc-
ton were not completed, the build
ing had been used by the children
since about q week ago. Richard
Mccarthy, contractor, from whom
was sought an explanation of the
condition Of the building, which rep
resented his work, was not in the
city Sunday.
When the first warning OF inn
pending danger was given to them
through loud creaking and tearing
of the timbers, there were about
fifty boys and girls in the new play
rooms. They were without care
takers. The nuns had left them for
few minutes of prayer in the asy-
lum chapel while the Angelus tolled
it's MONDAY message. Without pro-
tectors to advise them, the children
though only aof personal safety:
Thirty slid downstairs or jumped
through windows, reaching safety
uninjured.
Buried Beneath Debris.
To the accompaniment of the reals
of the bells which had deprived them
of their caretakers, twenty luckless
orphans, too late to reach window OF
door, chorused their screams Of ter
ror and appeal as the building crash
ed to earth, burying them beneath
pile of debris that overfiowed to
the middle of South Franklin street.
Forgetting momentarily the An
.gelus, the nuns, at the first note of
alarm from the doomed building.
rushed to that corner OF the asylum
grounds in which the structure had
stood few minutes before, and
dragged desperately at points in the
debres, beneath which childish voices
were raised painfully in appeals for
help.
From every house for blocks
around streamed men and women,
white and black, to help in the res
cue work. Roll was called by the
nuns, and the missing children mark
ed off. Then began the work OF
dragging away heavy pieces Of wood
and piles of slate that buried the
screaming boys and girls.
Some one sounded an alarm Of fife.
Under command of Assistant Chef
Lee, the uniformed respondents to
the false alarm" assisted In the
work of searching for entombed
children. When the police learned
of the accident, Superintendent Rey-
holds dispatched the six patrol wag-
enc of the city to the scene. In the
automobile patrol wagon of the Gen.
trail Station, Capt. Richard Meredith,
of the Parish Prison, sent gang OF
prisoners who worked, under Keep
ers Donnelly and Clement, among
the ruins. Capt Morris Picheloup,
with several keepers and gang OF
prisoners from the House of Deten-
ton, also assisted in releasing the
children from the debris.
Many Ambulances Busy.
Three ambulances from the Chars-
ty Hospital, three from p. ]. Nc
Mahon & Sons undertaking parlors
and the automobile Of Superintend-
emit Reynolds made continuous trips
from the scene, carrying the injured
to the Charity Hospital. Several OF
the children were kept at the asy-
Mm, when the physicians pronounc-
ed their hurts not serious enough to
necessitate confinement. In their
work of caring for the injured before
they were placed in the ambulances,
the nuns of the asylum were assiss
by Drs. Joseph O'Hara, o. F. Ernst.
T. w. Breaux and Maud Loeber, who
visited the scene Immediately upon
learning of the accident. rs
What was a large rectangular
building of brick and wood, repre-
senting an Investment Of $4,000 D
the Redemptorist Fathers, owners Of
the property, today is but jumbled
mass Of twisted timbers, broken slate
and crumbled brick. To make pos
sible the construction OF the fll-fated
building. patrons Of the asylum, In