PANIC IN A CONVENT

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1025, 23 April 1883, Page 3

PANIC IN A CONVENT

SCHOOL. ; ;•—... ■»'— l - * ff ' DEATH OF 17 PUPILS, * ; An outbreak of fire under the stairs ;on- the second floor of the school-house attached to the German Roman Catholic Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, on South street, between Avenue A and First Avenue’ New York- on 20th February, .was the cause of a terrible calamity. No fewer than, 17 children lost their lives. Over 700 scholars, mostly children of the poorer classes, ranging from 6 to 11 years of age, who attended the school, were in theiivclassrooms when the alarm of fire was raised. A fearful panic followed. The removal of children from the fourth floor began quietly. This was progressing rapidly, when the Sister of Charity in charge of a class of girls fainted, and immediately alarmed the class, which became panicstricken. A rush was made for the hall-way. On the stairs, which were already crowded, a deadly rush took place. The railing of the stairs broke, and a mass of struggling children were precipitated to the floor below, falling in a packed mass, one upon another four to five : deep. The police and firemen .soon arrived, but their work of rescue was much hampered by the frightened childen continuing to fall or leap from the staircase, those in front being crowded over the broken balustrade by the children behind still struggling to reach exits, isix children ; were taken out, dead from the bottom, and eight more died immediately after the rescue, making a total of 14. A large number of others who were carried into neighboing tenements are reported to be dying. The excitement which the news,..of the castastrophe spread was fearful. throngs of people blocked the streets surrounding the school. Many children were lost in the excitement and reported to be missing. Subsequently the nuni-f her was set down at 17. The dead were removed to the police station at the corner of Fifth-street, and Fifth Avenne, where they, were laid on the floor in a back room. They were quickly identified by their sorrow-stricken mothers, little brothers, and sisters, and their removal to the afflicted homos was promptly permitted by the authorities. The scene in-the class rooms and in the halls was almost indescribable. Torn books, broken school apparatus, and fragments of torn clothes were scattered upon the floors, all being a terrible evidence- of the wild struggle of the children for escape from the building. ,