The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-24
SCHOOL GIRLS
DIED IN A VAULT
NINE OR TEN SUFFOcATED
AND A SCORE OF OTHERS MAR
ROWLY ESCAPED.

Floor Gave Way Under the Weighr
of the Little GirIs-They We're
Left Struggling in the VauIt-Tyhose
Underneath Lost Their Lives.
Those Who stood Upon the Bod
les of the Victims Were Saved.
Great Indignation Expressed.
Cincinnati, Sept. 23.-School closed
to-day at Pleasant Ridge. seven miles
north of Cincinnati, with the first
quhrter of the session, when nine,
possibly ten, school girls were suffo-
Gated in a vault during the forenoon
recess and a score of others narrowly
escaped the same horrible death.
During the rest of the day this
suburb was wild with mingled excite
ment, sorrow and indignation, and to-
night those openly charging the calam-
ity to official negligence are making
serious threats, among them being
many women.
The large building is used for a high
school as well as for all lower depart
ments. All of the victims were from
primary grades.
On opposite sides of the spacious
ground, in the rear of the school build
ing, are two outhouses. When recess
was given, about thirty of the smaller
girls were in the clubhouse assigned
to them, when suddenly the floor gave
way, precipitating them into the vault
below. This vault is twelve feet deep
and walled up with stone like a well.
There was in it four feet of water
that would have been over the heads
of the children falling in it singly,
but those falling foremost filled up
not entirely submerged.
The girls fell eight feet from the
flooring, and the struggles of those
who were on top kept at least nine
underneath until they were dead.
Teachers to the Rescue.
The frame sheds of these. vaults
were about twenty feet square, with
out windows and only one narrow
doorway so that only one girl escaped
from the door. She ran into the school
building and told the teachers what
had happened. The principal and
other teachers rushed to the rescue.
The screams of the girls were dimly
heard while within the vault and they
were, most of them, unable to speak
when rescued.
The teachers were soon reinforced by
the entire population of the town, the
police and fire departments rendering
most effective service. The firemen
drained the vault, so as to be sure
that the rescue was complete.
Among the first to come to the relief
of Principal summerman were Rev. 1.
d. Lambert of the Presbyterian
Church and Frank S. johnson of the
Herald and Presbyter of Cincinnati
Used the Flag as a Life Line.
James Smith, aged Il. one of the
pupils, climbed to the roof of the
schoolhouse, united the flag and ran
to the vault. BY means Of this i'm
promptu rope several were rescued.
Marshal Wood had great difficulty in
keeping the crowd back and prevent
ing it from interfering with the res
cuers The opportunities Of friends.
especially of the weeping mothers.
were almost beyond the control OF the
officers.
Doctors zenour and Shank, with their
assistants. used the school building for
a hospital and a morgue until after the
dead and the rescued were taken to
their homes.
Frank M. johnson said; II was
standing across the street talking "a
Dr. Lambert, when a little girl came
crying for help. We found Principal
summerman saving lives. The smaller
girls were being forced 70 the bottom
by tho movements and terrific strug-
giles of each other In the vault. IN
ihe ladder climbed the little ones.
dlenched Fasping FOR breath and faint
inE aa aoon as taken out Into the fresh
continued on Fiffh PAGE