The New York herald., 1851-11-22
FULL REPORT OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED
VISIT TO THE DEAD.
HEART-RENDINa SCENES.
Noble Conduct on the Part OF the FIremen,
&C., &C., 80.

The OF the disaster visited yesterday
morning. and, in fact, throughout the day, by multi
tudes Of people anxious to look at the building and tn
precise spot where many innocents lost their lives
Besides those who attracted by idle curiosity
there others who in the sadness Of their bereave
ment could not orego inclination to inspect person
ally, the stairway and the well hoe of which so much
had been said and written. These sad company
and might discern at glance whether the inspec
tors Of the building Of this character or
spectators induced by curiosity to visit the place
There the greatest unanmity in reference to one
thing, viz that the stairs badly arranged The
banisters not sufficiently strong high enough to
answer for protection where protection needed
They might answer for q private house, where there
vas liability Of there ever being occasion to
.hem: but they quite insufficient when the fact
considered that the lives and safety Of limbs of
eighteen hundred children might depend upon their
strength Another i'll devised thing the hanging of
the outer doors, which opened inside This Is always
looked upon bad arrangement for public buildings
and the fate the victims who pershed in the flames
which burned the Richmond theatre and other catas-
trophies Of like nature have long since taught careful
architects and propretors that the outer doors of public
edit should always swing outside. Had this precau.
tion been observed in the school house No 26 many
of the children who killed would have escaped, IT,
indeed the catastrophe had not been altogether avoid
ed The fact in this lamentsble instance, that
the children Of the primary department hastened
into the entry below, and completely 6lled the space
between the front doors and the doors leading the play
ground Then came the children from the female de-
psrtment, and rushing down the stairs choked them
up The front door locked; there was egress
below; giving way of tie crowd; but complete and
positive resistance; and when this resistance became
sufficiently great to separate the bausters from the
hi
and the terrible consequences already mentioned fol-
lowed Now-say many-if the front doors had been
open the crowd would have found gradual egrsss the
resistance on the stairs would have been less, the
sight OF the open doors would have inspired hope
Of deliverarce in the minds OF the children,
and, although, doubtless, the consequences weuld
have been serious, yet in the nature OF things the
deaths from suocaton would have been far less in
ber than they As to the tanisters themselves
they have as are told been looked upon with Ill favor
since the construction Of the building In the
turns Of the Captain OF the Ninth ward police to the
Chief the foe wing rk occurs" II may be proper
here observe that several carpenters and Others who
cd the tansters and stairs pronounced them dan
gsrous and badly constructed" Let the blame rest on
thoe Who deserve It, Several contradictory reports
In circulation where the banisters frst gave way
One report ssys they gave way st ct the bottom Thi
cannot be the case, for part Of the lswer
ton in its place after the fatal accident
had occurred The most probable Ia that tn
railing parted at the third turn, where was joint Blu
It useless conjecture the whole construction OF tn
stairway have been badly adapted to the pur-
pose for which II intended and sadly fatal has the
proven itself to have been II desirable to
have light in the staircase and hence the construct
Of the bsiustrsde instead Of frm enclosure But
the columns bslusters should have been ct least
we'll secured which not to have been the
We have piece Of the woodwork the base Of two of
these bausters; 1t is the strip Of ood that held two
lumns OF the balustade in their place. and taking this
as sample of the whole II certainly insecure
fabric. This strip H. we believe, called bracket, and
thorueh II driven two nails which went through
aud penetrated the stair about inch and half These
two nails then inch and half Of them had only
to b. drawn to set that part Of tbs bausrsde At large
II could be other wise than that hard pressure from
within should this TO give way Such was tse fact
fa.t all the bannistsrs. and almost all the brackets
swept sway and this would sesm TO prove that had
70, wovd no, b.y. BEEN 20 xrss. a. is nov is
At sn early hour yes erday morning the police gather
ed up the satehels, caps, bonnets shavi shoes and
other articles Of apparel, beosgng TO the children
CsOt sebrrg has In his posse sson at the station
house quite number II articles OF value such silver
combs psrcil. and trnkets, all o which viii be deliver
ed to the rshiful whenever called for and pro
perry Identified The police ofce thronged yester
day with children. most OF them girls who called TO
pick articles which belonged TO them But there is
yet heap Of unclaimed garments and school boy and
schoolgirl sppurtepances which tell sad tale. Their
former will claim them. IL is melancholy
TO behold these little relics Yesterday hand of school
girls into the station house, and one bright little
Mics acting as spokesman for her companions, said TO
the captain. "W you tell u.s. sir where the poor chill
orn laid yesterday when they brought from
the schoo houen The cspsn directed her to the back
ard u seemed to be mournfu satisfsction for
this baud sf children TO see the place where their
psnions laid in their sgony or where their limbs
sduted in death The officers Of the police sta
tior-Csptains Lovett, TAFT and sesbring-vere sssdu-
cue In their enjesvors to aid all who sought
their assis And. by the way. We hsve on
sord to say about the conduct Of the police on
Thurday the time they we're rst notified CT the dis
asttr The first ntmation they had Of the calamity
thrc ugh person who into the station house In
haste. and sad the schOohouse ves on FIRE Captains
Taft aud seabrng being In the station house at the time
Immediately started for the CT the supposed FIRE
inc udsg the bell ringer when they arrived at the
srLochcse they found the main entrance TO the build
ing closed by the msss Of children which lay in heap
fun ain feet In height. while others continually
Jumping down from above, The policemen vent 10 work
at once, taking out the children as fast A. possible
some minutes after the police arrived the bell struck
the alarm for re and the arrived and lent their
aid In removing the bodies Of the dead and wounded
The conduct o the remen b spoken Of In terms o. the
highest praise by the officers OF the police The bslu,
trade brrksn down before the remen arrived end
ws impossible for them 70 get inside for sb,ut fifteen
minutes after they Hr't arrived on the ground.
Tie frenen q VT gine Company No ~ we're quickly
hsn0, aud assured that they acted most dis
crsety and worked nobly emng only 70 think OF nov
they ight best accomplish the most vork The whole
roice force and especsliy Captains Lovett TAFT and
Sesbnz speak OF the great service rendered by the nr
mtr ard express regret that wrong statements should
have forth in reference TO their conduct They cay
hat H net tfue las been pu lished bya city paper
that Several remen and others rushed inland by their
shouts sud directions 20 tse teschers and scholars 70 run
fer tn n vessdjed greatly TO the panic and confusion
that Of them caught hold Of the bsunister and
climbed UP outside; and that their weight being brought
directly upon the bsnnsters from the outside, broke
them down and thus caused greater loss Of lfe
tIsn vovd otherwise have ensued IL is say the
pclicemeu. worse than cruel TO cay, ~ has been
said contrary 10 the facts Of the that /" the
nifty IL due In very great degree 10 the thoughtless
men and other. outside vho raised the alarm Of fire.
ard surrounded the building with shouts and cries well
cacusted % create panic among large number OF
ctuiren ard that Of them. without waiting
81 ascertain facts at all rushed into the school rooms and
told he teachers and children 10 rush out they would
ell be cru he'd By the falling walls All these assertions,
The policemen greatly unjust toward the drsmen
sad untrue in fact frsmes too we schOoled Ia the
uEsn srt OF life saving 20 deport themfetvss az rsshv
ss has ,, en- charged upon them In this instarce
81 -. N..l- a..t -. of ~Nn