The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-11-26

| '""" "VSNiiUVu' nc poor, untnlnklHg
infants all screaming with fright or with
pain, followed so swiftly one on the 9th
er, that many who were not injured in
the fall, were smothered by those who
Tell on them, and worse than ALL the
street doors opening inwards, were
closed by the mass Of children against
them, so that il was impossible To open
them from the outside-anh there being
no means of egress for those who arrived
without injury at the bottom, they were
crushed aud smothered by those who
fell upon them.
IS soon as the nature of the exciie>
mcnt was known 10 them, the teachers
displayed the most ptaisewolthy pres
ence of mind. Miss Louisa NcFarlane,
one OF the assistants in the primary de-
parment, placed herself in the door way,
and did all in her power to prevent The
aiirlghied children from rushing out.
and the other teachers did as mt CHI, 9TH
erwise the destruction Of life must have
been muuh greater So impetuons was
;he rush, however, that five Of the teach.
cr<, two, Miss NJ. l.. Smith, Miss Cor.
nella l.. Barnes, from the female de-
parlmcnt, aud three, Miss Ellen d.
Traphagen, Miss Louisa McFarane,
and Miss Julia Blake, from the primary
department, we're forced over the banis-
tiers, and fell with the children into the
well They were, however, happily not
seriously injured.
The time in which all this took place,
was much less than we have occupied
IN describing il; Meanwhile the exclie>
ment in the street was intense The
alarm of fire had collected dense
crowd, and though the police we're early
on the spot, in strong numbers, they had
great difficulty in obtaining a passage
through the excited asstmblage. Find-
ing all their efforts a, forcing the front
doors useless, the police entered the
building Wy the backway, and broke
open door leading into the we'll, from
the basement.
The children were then taken out ,
alive and dead. and conveyed to the sta
tion>house near by, followed by large
number of mothers aud sisters, each one
ANXIOUS TO ascertain II their own little
relatives were unlnlrrcd. In the sta
uou>huuse, the wounded were placed in
cots, and efficient medical aid immedi-
ately summoned. The dead were Land
ont to be recognized by their friends.
We are incompetent to describe the
heart-Tendng grief Of the scarcher>
while locking among the mulIlaied bod
, les for their llille ones
5 Accustomed as we are to friehliul
\ casualties in this city, We have never
j seen an occasion that called so lnuly
u, for the sympathes of the behulder,
n Many mothers were there, who but a
few minutes before had equipped their
e only children for school, and now were
i suddenly called from home to look a
munI the ieariuIly mullIaled bodies for
u all that remained of their offspring
IS Others there were. who, after searching
in vain + their lost ones, again and a
T. gam turning over the CHASTITY remains
Il were almost prosiraied with l,y at dis
h covering their children alive aud well
II We leave mothers aud fathers to imag-
L inc the scene as they only can describe
IT, we cannot.
b. After giving the Ii of the killed, 4;
= in numbcr-two Of which were the only
n children of their parents - and of ih'
) wounded, 30 in lumber, the C0Rric,
i continues
}, The majority Of the injured arc likely
!. to recover, but very few lmhs were bro
ken, and many ol those dead were sui
/ located, and no, killed in The Gall.
G 1t would not become US, until th
: catastrophe has been fully investigated
4 by the coroner's jury, to animadverl up
: on the causes Of so fearful a loss OF life
The bannsiers Of the stairway were o
i heavy mahogany, aud were fastened il
;. The usual manner two rails conhnnl
each clamp on the end Of the step. The
height from the floor of the well, Il
- where the bnnnislers first gave way, i
>, about twenty-five feet. and the child
e rcn's bodies were piled up ten feet a
It least.
d When the dead and wounled had al
e been recognized, they were taken hom
u by their friends, but a. the news of tn
occurrence spread an excited crowd sur
rounded the school house aud station
house, eagerly watching for every neN
item of information which might throw
light upon the casualty.
or course no blame can be attached T.
the teachers But the responsibility
must lie someu where, the inves
- Iigalicn will probably reveal. Mis-
&c HARRISON, we are happy to learn, ha
" last evening somewhat recovered Iron