Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-28
A FATAL PANIC.
An Incipient Blaze Causes a Stampede
In School House in New
York City.
SIXTEEN CHILDREN CRUSHED TO DEATH.

break OF fire under the stairway on the
second floor of the school-house at
tached to the German Catholic Church
of the Most Holy Redeemer, on Fourth
Street, between Avenue A and First
Avenue, at 3:15 o'clock this afternoon,
was the cause of a terrible calamity,
Over seven hundred scholars, mostly
children of the poorer classes, ranging
from to IL years of age, attended the
school, and were in their class rooms
when the alarm was raised. A fearful
panic soon followed. The removal of
the children from the fourth floor be-
gan quietly enough and was progressing
RAPIDLY when the Sister of Notre Dame,
III charge of class of girls, tainted.
Immediately the alarmed class
became panic stricken, and
rush was made for the hallway.
On the stairs, already crowded, deadly
crush took place. The railing of the
stairs broke and the mass of struggling
children were precipitated to the floor
below, falling in a packed mass, one up
on another, from four to five deep. The
police and fremen, already summoned,
had arrived, but their work of rescue
was much hampered by the frightened
children continuing to fall or leap from
the stairway, those in front being
crowded over the broken balustrade by
the children behind, still struggling
to reach the exits. Six of the little ones
were taken out dead and ten died i'm
mediately after the rescue, making a
total of sixteen victims. Several of the
injured are not expected to live.
The fire from which the smoke spread
through the building, brining such ter
rible results to the innocent pupils, was
of most trivial character. 1t started
among a mass of sweepings in closet
beneath the stairs leading from the sec
ond to the third floor, on the east side
of the building. It mad been shoulder
ing for some time and had eaten it's way
through the center of the partition wall,
dividing the hall from the class room
In front, and crept up toward the third
| floor ere it was discovered. At this mo-
ment visitor called on the school to
see one of the pupils in the fifth class
which is on the second floor, and the
door of which opens almost opposite
and within five feet Of the closet
| III WIACh tI1O COPAASO nNAO
| The visitor knocked at the door, which
was opened by one of the Sisters of
Notre Dame, by whom the school is con-
| Quoted. Scarcely had the door swung
back on it's hinges when the flames
burst out from under the stairway. The
sister hastily shut the door, but not un-
til some of the children in her care had
caught sight of the fire. Promptly
upon the alarm of fire being given, the
sisters marshaled the children, and be-
fore half q minute had elapsed, half
of them were III the street by one stair
way, the other being useless by reason of
the fire and smoke. The other half
would have quickly marched out I'M
harmed, but that the sister In care of
the No. class was overcome by the
peril of her charge and swooned away.
The class Immediately became stricken,
broke away from all restraint, threw
other rapidly-marching classes INTO con-
! fusion, and all rushed for the stairway,
with the sad results already told.
The dead and dyingas they were taken
out were carried into the Church of the
Most Holy Redeemer, where they were
laid in front of the sanctuary and at
tempts to resuscitate them were made.
Mothers, forcing their way In despite of
large force of police, filled the sacred
building with pitiful cries. Mothers,
| finding their missing children living, fell
upon their knees In the mud and snow,
giving thanks, while q frantic shrek
proclaimed the Identification of each
little dead one. The ages of the chill
dren dead and injured range between
7 and u years.
The school building is five stories
high, shallow in depth, and with wide
frontage on Fourth Street, embracing
several numbers. It's adjunct, the Church
of the Most Holy Redeemer, on the east
side is convent of the Sisters of NOtre
Dame, who have general charge of the
school. Father Hespeline is school di-
rector. Five hundred girls, under II
years of age, and 200 boys attend the
school, and they were all in their classes
when the panic occurred. A survey
shows that every rule and precaution
for safety in the school had been disre-
garded. On the four floors there are
nine classrooms opening into two hall
ways, with stairs running east and west,
reaching either end of the building.
Through the class rooms, access can be
had to either stairway, but the halls and
stairs are separated. In nearly every
room the doors open inward and there IS
only one door in the room for the egress
of from thirty to eighty children, mostly
young girls, and the doors are only two
and half feet wide The stairways are
likewise narrow and at the top of the
highest fight there is stout wooden
gate not easily moved. Actual measure
ment showed that the inward opening of
the door came within eleven inches Of
the end nearest the benches, hardly
room enough to squeeze through. The
backs of the benches are within twenty
four inches of the rear walls az d the
stove blocked all progress at the juno
ton of the passageway and the center
aisle, between the row of benches.
Changing His Shirt.
From " Underground or Life Below the Surface"