A BRAVE WOMAN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 129, 24 February 1908, Page 10

A BRAVE WOMAN.

COURAGE IN A BURNING BUILDINC. (BST TEI.EGI'.Anl —SPECIAL COIIItESFONDKNT.) Christchurcii, February' 22. Before laying the foundation stono of the now portion of Christ's College this afternoon, tho Governor attended 'at the City Council Chambers and presented tho Gold Modal of the Royal Humane Society of Now Zealand 'o Miss 1 Donaldson, Matron of tho AVoolston Orphanage. Colonel Siator, speaking on behalf of tho Court of Directors of the Society, said that on October .6, 1906,. Miss. Donrjldson was 'awakened from sleep at about twenty minutes past twelve by tho breaking of glass and the crackling of wood. She fouiid the building full of smoke, and flames 'darting about around tho back staircase, which leads into tho kitchen. She aroused tho

assistant matron, and immediately set about gottiug : children down safely. Thero wore thirteen sleeping children in the Orphanage at', tho time, and tho work of arousing thorn and. marshalling them to .facilitate tho 'descent was rendered moro difficult by. reason 'of tho thick suffocating smoke that filled oacli room. Twelvo of the children wero taken down tho front staircase, which had not been touched by tho flames,',-nd reached tho-outside safely, but it was then discovered that the thirteenth was missing. ■ Miss' Donaldson, knowing whore tho child was to bo found, immediately returned to the burning building, and, at very coiisidovablo risk, rescued the remaining inmato. • His Excellency said it afforded liira the greatest possible pleasure to present Miss Donaldson with the Gold Medal. The greatest reward a man could get for bravery was the victoria Cross, and lie believed that the action of Miss Donaldson on the occasion reflected moro credit upon her than in many eases where the Victoria Cross had been won.