The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-10-02

PANIC IN A PUBLIC SCHoo L.-Quite an
alarming affair occurred at Public School
No. y, on Pennsylvania avenue near Cooke
street, yesterday morning about twenty
minutes past II O'Clock, resulting in the
serious injury Of several Of the pupils, rs
the panie.Stricken children attempted to es-
cape from the building. 1t appears that the
ianitress OF the building was in the act OF
kindlipg fire in the classroom of Miss Ida
Collins, on the second floor of the building,
holding in her hand small coal.oil lamp,
from which she ignited piece of paper and
applied it to the stove, in which paper and
kinding-wood had been placed. Some small
pieces Of glass had also been careiessly
thrown in the stove, and becoming heated
by the flames snapped into fragments,
causing report somewhat resembling pis-
tol-shot. The children IN the room imagined
that the lamp had exploded, the belief being
strengthened by the smoke that issued from
the kindling FIRE in the stove, and general
rush was made for the door leading to the
staircase, alarming the entire school, the
lower portion being occupied as the male
and the second floor as the female depart
ment. The narrow staircase at once became
blocked up with the excited and panic.
stricken girls. The efforts Of the teachers
were powerless to allay the excitement, and
for several minutes the utmost confusion and
alarm prevailed, and the. screaming Of the ter.
rified children made up most exciting spec
tacie.
AS the female scholars reached the lower
floor they rushed wildly through the male
department. creating a panic among the
BOYS, who, in their frantic efforts to escape,
added to the confusion. Benches were oyer
turned, and several of the glass partitions
between the various class-rooms were shat
tered. The principals of the. male and fe'
male departments, Mr.. Edwards and Miss
Prior, aided by the other teachers, contin'
| ued their efforts, and finally succeeded lp
uuletino the scholars. Before this could DE
accomplished, however, several Of the girls,
| who had been thrown down and trampled
| upon on the staircase, were found to be Sc
yerely Injured. among them Miss Edith Mo
| Dowell, aged sixteen years, one OF the pu-
pills who was knocked down and trampled
upon, and, when rescued was in an I'M
| conscious condition. Her face was very
| badly bruised, her eyes being black.
| ened and almost closed up; she also re-
| ceived painful bodily Injuries, but by the
| application Of proper remedies was partly
| restored and enabled to be removed to her
residence Four or five other girls were
almost as seriously injured as Miss Mcdowell
and were taken to their homes and attended
to by physicians. Lieutenant Earhart and
other officers of the Northwestern police sta.
| ton were at the scene few minutes after
| the distressing occurrence, and aided the
teachers in restoring order. The affair
created great excitement in the neighbor.
| hood upon the report becoming circulated
that the school building was on fire. 1t is
proper to say that the most heroic effort;
were made to quiet the alarm and prevent
any accident by the teachers, which doubt
less prevented far more serious consequences
than resulted. Baltimore Gazette.