The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-01-28
DORMITORY BURNED
Disastrous Fire at State Normal and
Industrial College
THE YOUNG LADIES ALL ESCAPED
Cool and Sensible Behavior on Part
of the Students Averted q Serious
Panic.

by fire about o'clock Thursday morn
ing. The inmates all escaped. although
| some had barely time TO save them
selves, and many lost all their belong
| ings. The loss Is about $1,000, with
| S25 600 assurance.
1t was with a feeling of absolute
| terror that people, awakened before
| day this morning, were told that the
! Normal College was on fire, and at the
| dormitory, where $50 girls were known
| to be sleeping. AS crowds hastily left
| OF coming horror. No street cars were
/ mile distant, there was an awful dread
! OF coming horror. No street cars were
! running at the hour, and those who
! reached there were overcome with JOY
! 10 find that not soul OF all the 400
! had been hurt, but that with wonderful
/ fOrethOught on the part Of the watch
! man and the system Immediately or
! ganlZed by the college authorities,
| every soul was saved, there not even
being a panic during the whole time
! Of rescue. The nerve and GOODNESS
| displayed by these young ladies was
something remarkable, and the concern
felt for them by every man, woman and
child in Greensboro is sufficient assur-
ance of their high merit.
! Everybody and everything turned
out. and poured out assistance and ac-
| commodations, feeling that the best
they had was not half good enough for
/ nhn,
Hotel was thoughtful enough to at
once begin preparations for breakfast
! for the whole crowd, the street cars
rendered free passage and at o'clock
| every one cf the girls had been cared
for, by that and other hotels in the
| city, who had also responded in no un-
! certain tones OF hospitality soon after.
The same thing occurred at dinner, and
! parents OF the students all over the
State need have no fear that their
daughters or wards will suffer a mo-
ment of discomfort. The college au-
thOrities are not at all ratified, for at
the melting at 10 o'clock everything
was being planned cut for comfort
able disposition OF the burned-out
students, and arrangements were
made to begin the regular exercises
Monday morning, thus causing only
one days interruption in college
studies.
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
The fire was discovered in the kitch.
en- by the watchmar at o'clock In
the morning in the building devoted
to the laundry, kitchen, dining room
cold storage, boiler room and heating
plant In this building were rooms fol
$50 girls, and nearby was the dormi-
tory proper, a four-story brick build
ing containing rooms for 250 inmates
and crowded to its capacity. When
discovered the fire was breaking Out
the roof of the kitchen. With rare
presence Of mind the watchman, in
stead of turning in a general alarm
quietly summoned aids and went
through ali the rooms, waking up the
sleeping students, and SO systematical
! ly and quietly was this done that every
one Of the girls was saved without ac
cident Or panic. The general fire alarm
was sounded a few minutes after 4
and the fire companies responded will
rapid work, getting to the burning
buildings mile away with speed. /
was impossible to save the four-stOry
dormitory proper, which was in a few
feet of the burning dining room ant
wards it soon wrapping it in flames
All the other buildings were savet
without damage.
SOME NARROW ESCAPES.
There were some hair-breadtf
escapes and much excitement, but a
no time was there anything like 1
panic among the young ladies. Tw'
girls in the, fourth story who had bee1
J-o Aor q
, began to lick their beds, and with hor
ror on being awakened by man il
their rooms and the heat and smok
and noise around they rushed on thei
rescuer knocking him down. and raj
screaming to the window, and wer
just in the act OF jumping out whel
he caught them and carried them strug
Cling to the first landing. where assist
, ance was in readiness, and they wer
carried safely out. Many trunks wer
burned. all in the third and fourt
stories being lost There we're
rooms, and from two to three trunk
in each room on these stories. TIL
: other trun<z were saved, but muc
| clothing hanging il wardrobe'
and Of this a great dea, was destroyed
The girls saved their money In mos
instances, taking their purses eve
f when they had to leave thei
trunks and clothing A loss of $50 an
one of $50 have ben reported, but /
: most cases the girls having none
e saved it. One hundred and twenty-f1y
1 lost all their clothisg.
: THE LOSS
On the buildings bur!ed. there Ia
! been expended last year in improv'
n ments $4,000. These consisted Of a
a additional story to the dormitory,
> steam-heating plant, cold storas
and ice plant, steam laundry, etc. II
whole college plant Is valued at 500
600, but the part burned Is estimate
to have been worth $4,000. It is sal
+ that So. 900 will cover the insurance {
r this portion, distributed by Commi
r sioner Young in many com mpanies.
, PRESIDENT McIVER'S NOTICE.
, President McIver Thursday afternoc
{ issued the following notice to the pu
lie:
;, January II, 1904.
: ITO the Public: The main dormito
. of the State Normal and Industri
: College was burned this morning abo
=, + o'clock. No student was injured
any way, though q number Of the