Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-20
'AID ORPHANS LEFT
|. DESTITUTE BY FIRE
Churches Throughout City
I Raise Fund for Benefit Of
Lutheran Home
GIRLS IN HOSPITAL BETTER

Churches and relief societies through.
out the entire city, especially those in
,he Germantown section. have already
commence filling thc Golfers OF an emer-
rcncy fund to give clothing and Christ
mas presents TO the sixty eight orphan
Girls who we're rendered destitute yes
tcrday by a blaze which swept the
Lutheran Orphanagc at antown
avenue and Carpenter street.
The donations. mostly of clothing and
shoes, are arriving by wagon loads, and
eight women. volunteer workers, are
busily engaged in sorting out the arti-
cles.
The fire. which caused damage esti- =
mated at $50, 900, broke out just before
daybrpak. at about ; o'clock in the
morning, and II was mainly through the
heroic and clever work of two matrons
NJ the home that many Of the girls were
not caught in the flames or crushed to
death in their efforts to. save themselves
by jumping from windows.
Fourteen Of the small girls. the two
natrons. Miss Annette Campbell and
Sister Anna Crossman. and one fireman.
James J. Morris, we're overcome by
smoke and taken to the Germantown
Hospital. This morning all the girls
we're reported as doing nicely, while the
two matrons and the firemen had gone
home.
Children Showed Bravery
II heard scream shortly after five
o'clock" said Miss Campbell. "and
upon opening the door found the hall
filed with smoke. The first thing | did
was to get all of the little girls out of
their beds and dressed.
I'VE pulled all Of the beds near the
windows and I told the children to lie
on these beds until the fircmen came to
rescue them. The heroism Of these
children was wonderful and only one
or two of them screamed. After the
FIRE they were more concerned about
getting their dinner than anything else
with the exception of the loss of their
Christmas presents.
Practically every worldly possession
Of the little orphans was destroyed in
the fire that swept the home, and when
knowledge Of this circulated through the
city, many churches devoted the entire
offerings of their congregations to the
rehabilitation of the unfortunate girls
and to replacing the Christmas presents
which had been stored up for next Sat
urday and which were consumed in the
flames.
lHt htlHoulsI EplScODHI CnurCn or
MI Airy, at Bryan street and Mt.
orphanage. had raised 5000 almost be-
fore the last engine had left the black
"ned and desolate scene of the fire.
Members Of st. Michael's Lutheran
Church, Germantown avenue and Fast
Phil. Ellena street, few blocks distant,
brought food and clothing to the chill
dren on their way to attend services.
The Rev: f. G. Cooper. of the Ad-
'ocate Lutheran Church, East Chelten |
avenue and Anderson street.. promised |
that every penny given his church that |
day would be turned over to the or |
phanage. and a like decision was made !
BY the Rev. F. A. Bowers. of All |
sants' Lutheran Church. Germantown
avenue and Cayuga street.
Many Churches Contribute
Other churches which have so far
been reported as having sidetracked all
their Sunday collections for the use of
the destitute girls are the Holy Com
nunion Lutheran Church. Twenty first
and Chestnut streets the Transfigura-
lion Lutheran Church, Twelfth and
Lehigh avenue; Trinity Lutheran
Church, Germantown and Chelteu ave.
nues; the Tabernacle Lutheran Church,
Fifty. ninth and Spruce streets; the
Temple Lutheran Church, Fifty second
ind Race streets: Bethany Church,
twenty fifth street and Montgomery
venue, and score of others.
The First Presbyterian Church of
germantown. st. Pau's Episcopal
'hurch, Of Chestnut Hill; Second Pres
yterian Church, Germantown Mctho-
st Home at Mount Airy; Masonic
n inh % |