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Show PRIEST hM SERVANTS MEET FIERY FATE IN RECTORY, St. Patrick's Church and an Adjoining Residence at Long Island City Destroyed by a Fast Fire at an Early Hour In the Morning. OF THE FIVE INMATES OF THE RECTORY, ONLY TWO SUCCEEDED SUC-CEEDED IN ESCAPING, AND THEY WERE BADLY INJURED IN FIGHTING THEIR WAY OUT THROUGH SMOKE AND FLAME. 1 NEW YORK, March C One priest and two servants were killed and two other priests -were severely Injured In a lire that destroyed SL Patrick's Roman Ro-man Catholic church and the adjoining rectory in Long Island City at an early liour today. Thoso killed -were the Rev. Father Ernest aud Mary and Margaret Brady, domestics. Those Injured are the Rev. Joseph Kearney and the Rev. Father Hennl-can. Hennl-can. The money loss by the fire Is estimated esti-mated at $35,000. Father Ernest Is believed to have lost his lifo -while trying to save the two women. The rectory was a three-story brick building -with an attic Tho two women wo-men slept In the attic and tho priests had apartments on tho second and third lloors. The fire, which started In the passageway passage-way connecting tho church and the rectory, spread' to both structures with great rapidity and by tho time the firemen fire-men reached the sceno the whole rectory rec-tory was ablaze. Father Kearney made his way down stairs through the blinding smoke and escaped Into the street He was Injured about the face and hands, having been cut and bruised while groping his way through the smoke. Father Hennegan, who Is the rector oC the church, saved hlmsolC by sliding down a plank which was raised to the second story window by some workmen who run to tho scene to give assistance. assist-ance. Ills hands wero cut by tho rough edges of the plank and his legs wero bruised. He 13 suffering severely from shock and exposure. Margaret and Mary Brady, who aro sisters, appeared at a window of tho attic Just aa tho first flro company arrived. ar-rived. A ladder was hoisted, but was too short to reach them and before u longer one could be raised they fell back Into the flames. Nothing has been seen of Father Ernest Er-nest and It is believed he had tried to make his way to the attic to save tho women and way overcome by smoke before be-fore he could reach them. He was 27 years of age. St. Patrick's church was tho largest in Long Island City. |