DASH FROM CONVENT FIRE

Evening Star, Issue 19023, 19 August 1925, Page 11

DASH FROM CONVENT FIRE

TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE NUNS’ SPLENDID WORK. The sisters and inmates of St. Edith’s Convent Home, near Chalkwell Park, Westcliff-on-Sea,_ England, had a terrifying experience just before dawn recently. Their woodhouse caught fire, probably by reason of a fused wire, and the material, being very dry, blazed furiously, putting all the surrounding property in daunger. Luckily, there was not much wind, and the Southend fire brigade, summoned by a policeman on his beat, quickly got the fire under control. For some minutes the constable was the only man on the scene, and the nuns worked under his directions. Their greatest difficulty was in discovering whether or not their little flock was safe, for they were almost strangers, St. Edith’s being a visiting home. Most of the terrified visitors who ran into the street in their night attire had been there only a week or two. One was a woman over seventy years of age, there were four other adults, and the rest were children, the youngest of them only seven years old. The alarm, given by a nine-year-old girl, was so sudden and the danger so great that they had to run straight from their beds. , Women and children alike cried in terror, and knelt and prayed in the chilly morning air. One little mite struggled with her suit case, and another made sure of her Sunday dress. Neighbors, roused by the tumult, gave tbe.nl all shelter and refreshment, and a count was taken. When it was known that all the thirty inmates were saved the terror died down, and prayers of thanksgiving were offered. The police and fire brigade worked hard, and in less than an hour the fire was extinguished and the nuns and their visitors returned to their beds. The only material loss was the woodhouse and fuel and several windows which were broken.