Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-09-30
MET AWFUL DEATH.
Nee Little Girls Snffocated In School.yard
VauIt-Flooring Gave Way.


Cincinnati, (SpeciaD .-School had
closed but a few minutes at Pleasant
Ridge seven miles north of Cincinnati
at the end of the first quarter of the
session, when, 9 possibly 10. school
Urls were suffocated in vault and a
score of others narrowly escaped the
same horrible death
During the rest of the day the sub
lrb was wild with mingled excitement,
sorrow and Indignation At night
hose openly charging the calamity to
official negligence are making serious
threats.
The large building is used for high
school as well as for lower depart
nents. Ali of the victims were from
primary grades.
Girls Made A Rush.
On opposite sides of the spacious
ground in rear of the school are two
outbuildings. When recess was given
about 30 of the smaller girls went to
The outbuilding assigned to them,
when suddenly the floor gave way, pre-
:ipitating them into the vault below.
This vault is II feet deep and walled
up with stone like we'll The child
rem falling foremost filled up the vault
partially. so that others were not en-
tirely submerged. The struggles Of
those who were on top kept at least
nine underneath until they were dead.
The frame sheds of these vaults
were about 20 feet square, without
windows and with only one narrow
doorway, so that only one girl escaped
from the door. She ran into the
building and told the teachers what
had happened The principal and 9th
er teachers rushed to the rescue. The
screams of the girls were, dimly heard
within the vault, and most of them
were unable to speak when rescued.
The teachers were soon reinforced by
almost the entire population of the
town, the police and fire departments
rendering effective service. The fire.
men drained the vault to be sure that
the resuce was complete.
Those engaged in the rescue work
recite the most CHASTITY experiences.
Even the children rescued alive pre-
scented such an appearance as to make
many in the crowd of spectators faint,
but the sight within the vault beg
CARED all description.
Among the first to come to the re-
lief of Principal Simmerman were Rev.
DR.. |. D. Lambert, of the Presbyterian
Church, and Frank S. Johnson, of the
Herald and Presbyter, of Cincinnati.
Rescued By Means OF Flag.
James Smith. aged ID years. one Of
the pupils, climed the roof of the
schoolhouse, united the flag and ran to
the vault. By means of this impromp-
tn rope several were rescued. Later
a ladder was used. Marshal Wood
had great difficulty in keeping the
crowd from interfering with the res
cuers. The opportunities of friends,
especially of weeping mothers, were
almost beyond the control of the Off
GERS.
Drs. U. G. Senour and P J. Shank,
with their assistants, used the school
building for a hospital and a morgue
until the dead and the rescued were
taken to their homes.
Smallest Suffered Most.
Frank S. Johnson said:
81 was standing across the street
talking to Dr. Lambert, when a little
girl came crying for help. We found
Principal Simmerman saving lives.
The smaller girls were being forced
to the bottom by the movements and
terrific struggles of the children in the
vault Up the ladder climbed the little
ones, drenched, gasping for breath, and
fainting as soon as taken out into the
fresh air.
GAS fast as they came within reach
of the door those who stood at the
doorway reached down, lifted them
from the ladder and passed them to
waiting friends 1t was not posi-
bic for any outsider to go down into
the vault for the reason that he would
have impeded the little ones who
were climbing out, and then men went
in and rescued those who remained"
Lucky Escape Of A Twin.
William J. Gard, of Cincinnati, had
three daaehteEs in the place, of whom
CHAIRMAN andsFausfa lost their lives.
Rotha, the twin sister of Fausta, mar
rowly escaped death. When the crowd
of girls rushed into the place Rotha
was knocked out of the door into the
yard just before the collapse occurred.
Reports about the floor having given
way last year are denied by the school
trustees, but there IS an angry dispo-
sition to blame those who are respon-
sible for its condition.