The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-29
Most Horrible Fate BefaI|s
Nine School Children.
PLUNGED INTO CESSP00L
While Frolioking in Clubhouse on
School Grounds Floor caved in
and Revolving cataspro-
phe Occurred.

An appalling horror closed the pub
lie school at Pleasant Ridge, village
seven miles north Of Cincinnati, Fri
day, with the first quarter of the ses-
sion, when nine, possibly ten school
girls were suffocated in a vault during
the forenoon recess, and over score
, of others narrowly escaped the same
horrible death.
During the rest Of the day the lit
tie town was wild with mingled ex-
citement, sorrow and indignation, and
those openly charging the calamity to
! official negligence are making serious
threats.
On opposite sides of the spacious
ground in the rear Of the school build
| ing ar etwo outhouses. When recess
was given, about thirty Of the smaller
girls, all from the primary grades,
were in the outhouse assigned to
them, when suddenly the floor gave
way, precipitating them into vault
of filth. This vault is twelve feet
deep and walled up with stone like a
well.
There was four feet of water or filth
that would have been over the heads
Of the girls falling in it singly, but
those falling foremost filled up the
vault partially, so that others were
not entirely submerged. The girls fell
eight feet from the flooring before
striking the filth, and the struggles OF
those who were on top kept at least
nine underneath until they were dead.
,, The frame sheds over these vaults
were about twenty feet square, with
| out windows, and only one narrow
doorway, so that only one little girl
escaped from the door.
She ran into the school building and
told the teachers what Lad happened.
The teachers were soon reinforced by
| the entire population of the town.
Those able to climb out on the ladders
themselves were rescued by Principal
Simmerman, who finally tainted. Then
others went into the vault and brought
dead bodies from the filth until the
vault was cleared. The aremen drain
ed the vault so as to be sure that the
rescue was complete. Those engaged
in the rescue work recite the most
CHASTITY experiences.
Even those rescued alive presented
such an appearance as to make many
in the crowd OF. t.spectators faint, but
the sight within the vault beggared all
description. The children who were
on4op ofsthef writhing mass were res
cped. first While they were getting
out of the vault their feet crowded re.
l. lentlessly down on others who were
meeting with "a most agonizfng death
in the filth. It was noticed that the
older ones were on top and rescued.
The opportunities of friends, especial
ly of the weeping mothers, were al
+ most beyond the control Of the off,
GERS. DR.. U. &. Senour 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.
Reports about the floor having CIV
zen away last year are denied by the
.schooE trustees. They state that the
floors were repaired during the sum-
mer vacation and nothing was wrong.
Janitor Smith states that he had told
members of the board that the place
was not safe. Coroner Weaver had
the wrecked girders preserved. It is
claimed that as soon as they were
dried out that the timbers were found
to be rotten, and it is reported that
one of them was spliced.