The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-11-27
From the n. Y. Herald of Friday 21st.
Terrible Catastrophe at Ward
school, No. TWenty-S1X.
Nearly Fifty Children Killed, and Forty or Fifty
Wounded-Melancboly Scenes in Greenwich
Avenue, &c, sc.

| One of the most lamentable occurrences that
| we have ever been called on to record, took
place at Ward School, No. -26, in Greenwich
Avenue, opposite Charles street, yesterday af-
ternoon, when nearly fifty children lost their
lives, and many more were so severely injured
that in ali probability they will not recover. We
will give the facts Of the case at once, and as
briefly as possible. The schoolhouse is mag
nifcent four story edifce, with winding starr
case from the first floor to the upper landing.
The stairway is not spiral but is formed Of
short flights of stairs winding round square
we'll. The first or ground floor is used as a
playground for the scholars, and is paved with
flag stones. The second story of the building
is occupied by the primary department of the
institution; in the third story is the female de-
partment of the upper school, and in the fourth
story the male department The entrance to
each of the school rooms is from the landings
of the stairs. The outer side of the stairs was
guarded by ordinary wooden bannister of no
great height, and not firmly secured at the bot
tom, oP where the balusters were connected
with the stairs.
This description of the stairway will enable
lHc rcdutT DelleT 10 uilueTSIduu WHAT IOliOWS
At about two o'clock yesterday afternoon, one
of the teachers in the female department, a
Miss Harrison, was taken with fainting fit
and in order to her recovery, she was carried
out into the passage way, where cry was
raised of water! Water" by one of her COM
panfons. This cry was not understood, or else
the scholars thought that the water was wanted
to eztinguish fire, and the next moment the cry
of ''fre!" was raised, and spread like wildire
throughthe building In moment subordina-
ton was at an end. The children from the pri-
mary department. rushed to the stairs, as did
also the scholars on the floor above them The
stairway was soon filed, and the press against
the balustersso great, that they gave way, pre-
eipitatipg the children over the stairs down to
the ground floor As the rush increased, so did
the numbers that were hurled over the stairs
into the space below
Two of the female teachers made an effort to
stop the children; but so great was the panic
that their efforts were vain, and they were them
selves hurried along with the current, and des-
pite their efforts were carried over the stairs
into the space below. In the upper room, the
boys department Mr.. McNally took his stand
with his back against the door, and forbade any
one to go out. Although the. panic pervaded
his room as well as the rest of the building yet
he stood firm, and thus succeeded in saving the
lives of many, perhaps of hundreds, for had the
larger boys rushed upon the stairs, as did the
younger children, heaven only knows how much
more sad would have been the disaster than it
now is We learn that some of the boys jumped
out of the windows, and that one of them had
his neck broken by the fall.
There were altogether in the building but a
few short of 1900 scholars 0,765 we under
stood to be-the number.) While Mr.. McNaHy