The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-20
AID TO THE sUFFERERs,

Surgeon Ball Of the Police Department Dr. B. J. stowe
and several her physicians present after
catastrophe and rendered every assistance their wer
The neghbors residing in the vicinity Of the school
rendered valuable aid Tho wife of James Mackay,
siding Navy street, adjoining the school house mme-
diAtely discovery Of he hre not only assisted with
her own hands in saving the children, but opened her
house and made II hospital for the wounded. The
services of others equally meritorous. Mr..
james HcFall, smith c. Roofe, John j. Bray
and william Hackay and others, scholars in the
male department, who rendered him valuable aid
in rescupg small boys from the staircase, and in
urging upon others the proprety Of order and regularity
eavipg the building The teachers Of both departments
ing the egress of the children and passing them out OF the
building Misses French, ADabel VOORHEES, and Matlock
stationed themselves at the windows on Navy street and
passed number of the children out handing them to the
persons below Messrs. Ralph and John Krkman and
William Spence were passing by the building In wagon
the time the fire first broke out and Immediately lent
their aid in rescuing the children BY their assistance
nearly q hundred children were saved The Police De
parmept under Deputy Superintendent Folk assisted by
Captains Smith King arc Powers and Sergeants Hobrook,
Crafts, Stewart and Mathews, were promptly on the
ground and rendered valuable aid The Fire Department
deserving OF much credit for the gallant manner In
which they aided not ony in the rescue OF the children,
but in endcavorng 10 ex'ingush the flames
Mr.. woLcoTT's STATEMENT.
CIV wolcott, the Principal of the school, m makes the
following statemen. OF the sad catastrophe
Tho first knew OF tre ten minutes past two
O'Clock when the primary department found TO be In
on uproar The fire originating the entrance the
female department at tho extremity OF the building
Concord street side they rushed towards the central
part Of the building where the passage is
broader, and got out easily. The snail boys in the
of the building fronting Navy street nearest
the door, and they rushed out followed by the larger
In their haste TO get down the stairs some OF them
fell and became tightly wedged between the baus
ters and the wall that they could no. get away All that
killed killed here by suifoca,ion. This
the lower landing about ten feet from the lower floor
got down the stairs, and bending the bsnsters
reached the boys the below, pulling them up
out of the crowd and passing them over There
FIRE in that part of the building at the time and child
dren burned. Misses Maock, Anable and VOORHEES,
exerted themselves TO the utmost as did all the others
and all the children taken out in about twenty
minutes after the alarm. Some two hundred children
were back Of me- pushing and crying, "oh, Mr. Wocott
won't you save mc' and were so much frightened that
after the space cleared and free egress made they
insisted on being handed over the balusters The fire
must have caught from the fue. The furnace not
heated, coal having been put on since morning
The alarm first given in Miss Rutherfords primary
class, who informed the principal, Miss VOORHEES,, and
they just about dismiss the school TO avoid
excitement, when little girl cried cut "Frol' and the
whole Of the scholars Immediately rushed to the door
All the girls got out safe The smoke sufficiently
dense TO sufocate any so far as could observe
CORoNERs' INVESTIGATION.
The Coroners were on the ground soon after the acc
dent and proceeded TO make arrangements for the hold
ing OF the inquest the bodies and making nvesga
on into the N the death Of the victims The in
vestigaton adjourned over until this afternoon.
LOSS ON THE BUILDING.
The building erected in 1858, and known az
Public School No. IA was also occupied a normal
school Saturdays, and well attended. 1t cost
SIT 600 and insured II considered a model
school building, and well arranged and fully
tended.
The sad scenes OF yesterday afternoon cast gloom
the neighborhood and will he forgotten
No blame he attached 10 any one, either
Of the construction Of the building those having II
charge. The building carefully designed to guard
against accident and therefore this sad catastrophe
be considered as unavoidable.