The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-03-30
PANIC IN A SCHOOL.
Five Hundred Children Caught In a Burn
Ing school Building In q Chicago suburb

Five Hundred Children Caught In a Burn.
Ing school Building In q Chicago suburb
"A number Seriously Injured.
CHICAGO, March %. - Fire in the
South Evanston public school yester-
day caused panic among the pupils
Several of the children jumped from
the fourth floor and were injured.
Those whose injuries may prove fatal
are: Newell Simmons, head and
shoulders injured; Ella Sargent, legs
broken; Percy Bradley, inter-
nally injured Esther Burden, ia
tally injured; Carrie Johnson, burned,
probably fatally; Frank johnson, fire.
man, cut by broken glass; Samuel
Mack, expressman. crushed by falling
debris.
The pupils on the second floor of the
building were driven by the flames and
smoke to the upper stories, whence
they were rescued by the firemen-
Teachers and pupils were panic-strick-
en-, and many were knoclxe d down and
trampled upon in the rush for the exits
After the building was thought to be
deserted fireman found teh-year-old
Lucy Husteble unconscious on the
third floor. She was badly burned and
her recovery is doubtful. The build
ing. valued at $50, 900. was total loss.
During the fire the burning building
was surrounded by crowd of agonized
men and women, whose children were
in danger, and who added to the in
tense excitement by striving to break
through the police lines and rescue the
imprisoned little ones. Miss Foster, a
teacher in lower grade, discovered
the fire just as the children were pre-
pairing to go out for recess. She had
gone to the closet for her hat, and had
no sooner opened the door when the
flames burst into the room with a roar.
The children were paralyzed with fear
for an instant and made no effort to
escape. Then they fell to screaming,
and all rushed to the doors. Miss Fos-
ter ran hastily upstairs to the office of
f. w. Nichols, the principal, and the
panic-stricken pupils followed her,
blind with fright Principal Nichols
warned the teachers in the other rooms
as soon as he could, and telephoned to
the fire department. Before the en-
gines arrived, however, the fla mes had
made such Roadway that the building
was past saving.
In the mean time the greatest excite
ment and confusion reigned in the
school houses Five hundred children
and dozen teachers were trying to
break through the front door. The
flames soon cut off the hall leading to
the other entrance and a rush was
made for the other exit. There were
200 pupils on the first floor. Most of
them ran out to the yard Some of the
last to reach the door became terror
lied at the sight of the flames raging
at their backs and rushed upstairs.
Some of the pupils ran to the windows
in the hallway of the third floor and
raised them. The people in the yard
shouted to them to remain quiet, but
several clambered out on the lodges,
prepared to jump.
The scene about the burning build
ing was appalling. The firemen were
endeavoring to run life ladders up to
the windows while the parents in the
yard and streets about the school
houses were shouting to the children
clinging to the windows TO hang on or
go back and descend the stairs Final
", boy stood up in third story win
dow and jumped to the ground, forty
feet below. 1t was Newell Simmons
He fell on his shoulder and was picked
up senseless. Almost Immediately after
ward Esther Burden leaped from an
adjacent window on the same floor.
Another girl named Sargent jumped,
striking squarely on her feet, and sank
to the ground with shrek of pain.
Physicians say that her right leg is
broken and that she may have sus-
tanned serious internal injuries. The
firemen rescued several children who
were perched on the window lodges
ready to drop.