Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-01-28
The Brooklyn Calamity.

The Brooklyn Calamity.
The telegraph briefly announced sa
calamity in public school in the city
Brooklyn. The house was burned dowI
AID the lives of seven children were los
from crushing and sufocation IN the al
tempt to escape. The fire took in the al
ternoon from an oyer-heated flue, and whe
there we're about 500 children in the build
inc. 1t was first discovered bursting on
near one of the partitions in the Girls Pr
mary Department, and about the sam
time smoke was seen issuing from the reg
listers in other parts of the building. Th'
Iribane's account says:
'The teachers in the several depart
ments, seeing that the building was on fire
dismissed their scholars in as orderly +,
manner as possible, standing on the stair
ways to prevent them from overcrowdins
each other in their fright. As may be i'm
agined, great deal of excitement and con
fusion prevailed among the children, bu
most of them passed out uninjured.
When the fire was discovered, Mis-
Rutherford, one of the teachers in the Girl
Primary Department, FASTENED to commu
-nicate the fact to Miss Voorhies, the head
teacher of the Boys Primary School, SC
that she might be enabled to dismiss hel
scholars without causing needless ALARM
Unfortunately, however, little girl follow
ed her, CRYING 'sfire" at which the boys iu
Miss VOORHEES, Department became panic
stricken, and rushed pell nell to the stairs.
At this time there was very little smoke in
the corridors or school rooms; but in their
fright the children crowded after each 9TH
er in such haste and confusion that when
the foremost reached the first landing
!. above the ground floor, they fell down,
and others pressing behind stumbled over
them until the passage-way was complete
ly choked up. A scene of the most alarm
ing nature followed. Children trampled
each other under foot in their frantic haste
and the little sufferers filled the air with
their shrieks.
At this juncture Mr.. Walcott, the Prin-
cipal, ran down stairs and endeavored to
extricate them from the pressure. But for
a few moments he was himself in immi-
nept danger of being crushed to DEATH
Scores of little fellows, in their distress,
lifted their hands and in imploring tones
cried: .sOh, MIR. Walcott, save me! save
mel" Others groaned and screamed in
mortal agony, as they were trodden to death
under the feet of the crowd. By almost
superbuman exertion Mr.. Walcott succeed
ed in extricating few of the children near
him, and passed them over the banisters
to persons in the hall below. At this time
the little ones were packed SO firmly upon
the landing, that although several men be-
low endeavored to rescue them, they were
unable to pull them out.
Having succeeded in passing few of
the children over the banisters in safety,
Mr.. Walcott was enabled to pacify the 9TH
ers so that they became less unmanagea-
BILE.
The Boys Primary Department contain
ed nearly 800 children. About $50 of
them were passed over the bannisters, and
the people from the street, in the course of
a few minutes, succeeded in extricating
those who had fallen over each other on
the landing. Several of the latter were
taken out dead, while others were picked
up insensible, and died shortly afterward.
But when the passage had been cleared,
the boys behind, seeing the fate of their
companions, were afraid to venture down
the stairs, and had either to be lifted over
the bannisters or handed out of the win
dows. In the course of fifteen minutes af
ter the discovery of the fire the building
was cleared. The teachers were the last
to leave. Several of the ladies had to de-
scend to the street by ladders from the
second story windows.
The Principal, in company with several
persons, then went through the building,
and made as thorough an examination of
the rooms as was practicable, for the pur-
pose cf ascertaining if any of the children
remained. They did not discover any, and
it is therefore not probable that any of the
children were burnt up in the building
In less than fifteen minutes after the last
child had been taken out the flames burst |
through the roof.
As soon as the alarm was given, the pa
rents and friends rushed toward the school
house to ascertain the fate of their little
ones. In short time the Park in front
of the building, and several of the adjacent
streets, were crowded with people. The
most painful anxiety and uncertainty pre-
vailed among the parents and friends of
the pupils, and for hours all sorts of exag-
uerated rerorts were In circulation |