The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-31
BOY SETS BLAZE
IN ORPHANS HOME
Only . Years Old. First
Posed as Hero of. Brook
lyn Institution.
MANY PLACED IN DANGER
Hospital and Home for Aged
Of Church Charity Foun-
datiOn Mcnaccd.
MANY PLACED IN DANGER

\ n,ne-yoar-old boy who had been pos
Ing as the hero of fire that swept three
floors of the orphan House of the Church
Charity Foundation. at Albany avenue
and Herkimer street. Brooklyn. late yes-
terday afternoon. confessed last nisht to
Fire Marshal Brophy that he started ihe
fire himself by throwing a lishted match
into the linen room.
Thanks to "A fire drill and to the fact
that all except one of the nirety eight
boys and girls IN the orphanace were at
supper on the ground floor. there vas
no suspicion OF panic and nobody was
harmed. Two women teachers had 20 be
helped down fire escapes from the fourth
floor. ninety-fye patients IN st. Johns
Hospital. near the orphanace. were In
danger. and the old folks IN the Home
for the Aged. which Is part of the same
fidsety.
The boy. who. according 10 the Fire
Marshal. owned up after three hours OF
polite resistance. Is George Zutell one of
Protestant Episcopal Church in the or
phan House 1t was he who had raced
into the dining room where his COM
rades were at supper and announced
that the building was on fie.
Marched Out at Order.
Al word from Sister Julia. a dea-
coness in charge OF the dining room. the
children arose from their bread and milk
and marched quietly into the safety OF
the open square which is surrounded
by buildings OF the institution. Although
all the bread and milk was ruined by
the Hood that the firemen turned into
the Orphan House the children were glad
enough to get out with their lives. and
they agreed that George Zutell was a
pretty FINE sort OF "A pal to discover the
nre and give the alarm 40 promptly.
When Marshal Brophy began his in.
vestigation In the sitting room Of the
Home for the Aged. Georgie told his
story with a proper show OF pride. lie
said that Sister Julia. before supper sent
him upstairs with Frank Stumacher
also ? years old. Frank was being dis
ciplincd for violation OF rule by being
sent To bed early. II WAS Georgie's jot
to see that Frank actually did undress
and get into bed. and then to place
: Franks clothes in the linen room.
This mission performed and Frank
/ Stumacher tucked away in the sma'
/ dormitory on the second floor. George
! Zutell was to go downstairs. get Frank''
supper and take 1t up to him. FOR an eve
( ming without bread and milk was no par
OF the culprit's punishment. Georgi'
! made good ON this second errand toe
and IL was when he returned to The din
ing room that he told Sister Julia tha
! the second floor was aiire.
Suspected Punished Hoy.
For a long time Marshal Brophy sus
pected that possibly the Stumacher bo,
had fired the building to avenge himself
for his punishment. but after an hour
+ Of questioning he made up his mind tha
hc had the wrong boy. Turning agar
to the hero. George Zutell, he quest one,
him patiently for three hours in tn'
presence Of Sister Of st. John th'
Evangelist. Finally. according to :h,
Fire Marshal, Gcorgie admitted that hs
hadn't been telling the whole truth an'
told Of setting the fire.
The sisters and the superntendea
Canon Paul +. SWEET said that Georgi
grudge against any one so far as the,
knew. The Fire Marshal made form =
complaint against the boy and left hin
| in the custody of the sisters.
While the supperess children wer,
marching out George COX, engineer o
all the buildings saw from ST. John
Hospital. eighty feet away. smoke puff
ing from several windows on the sec
ond floor OF the Orphan Home.
Roy Rc~ucd ny Engineer.
COX raced across the road and up on
of the orphanage fire escapes. ON tn
second floor he heard boy crying AM
gaspinS. There was plenty Of dayligh,
for I, was ) 10 o'clock. but the intero
of the orphanage was darkened b,
smoke. COX jumped through the ope.
/ window and reached the dormitory
where he found Frank Stumacher war
dering in his pajamas and trying 4
feel his way out.
About that time Jani,or Frank Bis
sert coming up through the building
also reached the boy. Together Fo
and Bissert carried him to the windo,
and down the fire escape. where h
presently joined his comrades none tn
worse for his scare.
Two teachers. Mrs. Mae Irving AN
Miss Eileen Burnes. were trapped i
their rooms Oh the fourth floor. The
did not suffer from smoke. however, an
walked down the fire escape.
The second. third and fourth floors q
the boys end Of the orphanage, the sout
wing, were burned out. The girls quar-
ters in the south wing were unharmed.
The nurses home and the sister
home, which are In the same block, wer
not In danger. The damage to the OF
phan house was estimated at $4,000.
! Some features in the administrator
OF the orphan house were harshly crit
cised in the report made by william .
Doherty in the investigation OF the stat
Board of Charities. Yesterday afternoo
before the fire officers of the Churc
Charity Foundation met to consider fun
ther fire protection. There was no trol
BILE with the fire escapes yesterday an
the children proved that they knew a
about the fire drill. The president OF tn
foundation is Bishop Frederick Burgess
AChNYTH NApTNET IYpuETn