Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-19
CRUSHED IN A PANIC.
A Wild Stampede Of Children at
the Garnet Building.
LITTLE ONES HAVE 4 FRIGHT.
Several Severely Injured in the One
Available Doorway.
ONE OF THE EXITS CLOSED.

ONE OF THE EXITS CLOSED.
A few minutes before 10 o'clock this morn
ing there was a panic IN the Garnett
School building. 10th and u streets north
west. and a number of pupils were injured
| in trying to escape from the building. There
are GOO colored pupils accommodated in the
| building. The panic was caused by a boy,
Windsor Robinson. who was in a school
room on the third floor, falling in a fit.
The noise frightened pupils in an adjoining
room. and started cry of fire. Nearly all
Of the rooms in the building were emptied
at once There was but one exit, that i'm
front, as the rear one had been closed on
account of building operations.
A Terrible jam.
There was a terrible Jam in the front en-
try and a score or more of children were
crushed. but none fatally injured.
An Appalling Scene.
The scene in the building when the panic
rose was appalling Many of the teachers
were unnerved- All of the injury to the
children was done, as stated, in the front
entry. There is a pair of doors there that
swing either way and let children in and
out Of the building. There is just under the
door an oblong entry way about fifteen feet
by six. This is below the level of the main
floor of the building. Seven stone steps rise
to this floor. These steps are about ten
feet wide and are on one side, the space on
the other side being occupied by a stairway
going down to the cellar. There was APP
parently no great jam until the children
in their wild flight reached this seven-step
stairway descending to the entry. There
was a crush there and some of them went
down upon the stone floor. Others fell or
flung themselves upon them and in an in
slant there was a struggling mass of chill
dren, indiscriminately piled up in the box
like chamber Those underneath who were
conscious were screaming with terror and
pleading for help. The janitor and Others
who came went to the rescue at once, and
| In few minuates had got the injured out
of the heap. Many were bruised and bleed
| Ing and the floor was stained with blood.
The Start Of the Panic.
The school is filled with children of all
ages from six TO eighteen. On the third
floor is Miss Dietz's fifth grade. 1t was in
her room that the incident which led to the
panic occurred. A geography recitation was
in progress. The school building was quiet.
only the hum of study and recitation break
ing upon the ear. In the room just below
Miss Dietz Miss Davis school was going
through the physical or calisthenic exer-
cises. Windsor Robinson, one Of Miss
Dietz's pupils. was standing in the
aisle by his desk reciting. He is a large
boy, seventeen years old, and weighs about
lSo pounds. Suddenly Robinson fell back
ward in the aisle. He was attacked with a
| Mt. He fell straight back in the aisle and
his heavy body made thud and noise
| which startled the whole building. The
pupils in the room naturally sprang TO
their feet uttering. exclamations of alarm
and horror. The doors of the rooms all
through the building were open and the
children in the room across the hall from
ataoh ha al .x.1
made rush for the door. They uttered
cries Of fire" and murder" and this
| seems to have sent thrill OF fright
through the whole building Miss Dietz's
pupils, knowing the cause of the trouble
kept their room. In the other parts of the
building the children had heard only the
Jarring fall and screams of terror. The
thought that the building had fallen in
seems to have flashed into the minds of
ALL They were frightened beyond control
and rushed out of their rooms and began
| the mad flight to the trap-like entrance.
The Excitement.
| Most OF the pupils in the school live in
the immediate neighborhood. The panic
had hardly occurred before the news had
spread. and there was great excitement.
The first reports were exaggerated into a
terrible disaster. and frightened mothers
and relatives of the children gathered
about the building. Many were there even
before the mass of juvenile humanity
heaped up In the entry had been. disen-
| tangled. The extent of injuries inflicted
could not then be known, and the excite
ment instead of being delayed was in
rested the janitor and school authorities,
quiet was restored.
The Exits.
| Mr.. Cromwell, the principal Of the build
ing. and Mr.. Montgomery, the superin-
tendent Of the division, both attributed the
! serious results of the panic to. negligence
on the part of the authorities in charge
of the work of erecting the school building
just in the rear of the Garnet building.
Lumber and brick have been piled up SO
as to close the exit on the north side of
the building. This has been practically
closed, so Star reporter was told. since
last November, although Mr.. Cromwell has
repeatedly complained of the condition of
affairs Formerly the girls used this exit
and the boys went out of the front way
| Now they all go out Of the one way, the
only way open. Mr.. Cromwell and Nr.
Montgomery were both Of the opinion that
| IL this north entrance had been open no
| one would have been injured. The stairs
appear to have been Of ample size TO ac-
| commodate even such a rush as that which
| they witnessed this morning.
The Police.
Before the excitement was over the police
from the eighth precinct station. just across
| the street from the school building as well
| as the officers from the beats about the
| vicinity Of the school, We're on hand to
lend their assistance, and they did good
| work in getting the injured ones to their
homes and to the hospital The officers
also kept back the crowd of persons who
| were attracted to the scene of the panic
and 1t took but few minutes to get the
1 injured ones to places where they could
| get the necessary treatment
| Gessford's drug store, corner of 9th and
| U streets. was used by the police as a tenn
porary hospital. and there several of the
bruised and injured ones received medical
| treatment.
| The officers who looked after the victims
| of the unfortunate affair reported the list
| of injured as follows:
| Robert Smith. 2023 Vermont avenue: Alice
| Braxton. 2l2i 11th street: Marion Green
| 1880 Pierce place; Mamie Herbert. go T
| street; Robert Harris. 2225 18th street: Annia
| West. o street northwest between 9Th and
| 9Th streets: Hattie Washington. l43s w
! street; Henry Murray, 92l street: Grace
| Early, 2142 10th street.
! Robinson May Die.
/ Windsor Robinson, the boy whose Sc
| rious affiction caused the trouble, was in a
| critical condition this afternoon, and il is
| feared he will die. He was taken TO his
mothers home, No. 2l36 9th street extended
|