The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-02-20
TEN WOMEN
DIE IN BLAZE
AT HOSPITAL
Aged Victims, All Survivors
of Civil War Veterans,
Perish Silently.
FIREMEN ARE HELPLESS
Only Five of Fifteen Are
Brought to Safety
From Building.
BIZ Tnitcd PrcsR


BROOKVILLE. Pa, Feb 20.-Ten
aged women survivors of Civil war
veterans were burned todeath in
their hospital beds when defective
wiring started fire which destroyed
the frame structure within an hour.
The victims died silently, appar-
emily suffocated by smoke which
beloved through the hospital of
the Pennsylvania Memorial hall.
driving off Would-be reScuerS and
firemen.
All entrances to the little frame
building were blocked by the time
the whistles summoned the volun-
teer Brookville fire department at
1890 a. m. and rescuers were able
to save only five Of the fifteen in
mates.
Zero temperatures and the smoke
| hampered the volunteer firemen,
who found themselves useless ex-
cept to prevent the flames from
spreading
Residents Of the neighborhood
said they heard a scream shortly be-
fore the whistles. They paid no
attention, however, thinking it was
a neighbours child crying.
Right after I heard the whistles.
I ran to the home" one man, who
refused to give his name, said.
There were several young fellows
there, and they had brought two
old ladies out.
| we broke a window. but the
smoke was so dense you couldn't see
thing. We finally found one Wom-
an and brought her out. She wasn't
crying or anything. She just said
Where was l.
Heard No Noise
No one in the building was max
ing any noise. There wasn't any
screaming or anything. To tell the
truth, the smoke was SO dense, I
think they were all gone before the
fire got to them.
We tried to get in another way
but the smoke was too dense. All
the entrances were blocked. 1 guess
they were blocked before the fire.
men even got there. The firemen
didn't have a chance. The place
just burnd like finder, and an hour
later there wasn't thing but ruins"
The home was maintained for the
| dependent wives and daughters of
Civil war veterans. Besides the fif-
teen inmates in the small wooden
hospital there were twenty-five aged
women in the main brick building,
thirty feet away. 1t did not catch
| fire.
Report Hearing Explosion
Some witnesses reported hearing
an explosion as the fire ragged, but
its cause was not determined.
Brookvllle, a small borough which
is the county seat Of jefferson coun-
ty was Frustrated by the tragedy.
Residents gathered in Western ave-
nue., in the Longview district. to
stare at the ruins while rescue work.
erS pried through the blackened
rubbish to remove the bodies of the
dead.
The list of dead, all survivors Of
Civil war veterans:
Miss Christies Bobst, 81, Reading,
Pa, daughter.
Mrs, Mary Cannon, 80, Sunbury,
widow.
Miss Mary Marvin, 81, Verona,
sister.
Miss Margaret Perry, rs, Grove
City, daughter.
Miss Martha Moore, IA, Baxter.
daughter.
Mrs. Jennie Showers, "a, Reyn-
Oldsville, widow.
Miss Mida Crompton, 65, Scran-
ton, daughter.
Mrs. Clara Roberts, 81, Pleasant
vile, widow.
Mrs. Helene Setley, IS, Tioncsta,
widow.
Mrs. Elizabeth LoveIand, 76, Mos
COW, widow.
The five saved we're: Miss Mary
Gresh, Lipitz Lancaster county,:
Miss Rebecca Gauld, Cool Springs
Jefferson county; Miss Cora
Bruce, blind, Dubois; Mrs. Levina
McGroty, ReynoldSville, badly
burned and Mrs. Diantha McFar-
land, Clarion.