Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-09-24
NINE CHILDREN DEAD.
Horrible Accident During Re-
cess at an Ohio School.
FLOOR OF Clubhouse GIVES WAY
Thirty Small Girls Precipitated Into
Vault Beneath GhastIy Expert
ences of Rescuers-FIag Used
as Rescue Rope.

ed at Pleasant Ridge, seven miles
north of Cincinnati, with the first
quarter of the session when nine, pos.
sibly ten, schoolgirls were suffocated
in a vault during recess, and a score
Of Others narrowly escaped the same
horrible death. During the rest of the
day this suburb was wild with mingled
excitement, sorrow and Indignation,
and those openly charging the calamity
to official negligence are making Sc.
rious 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 grounds in the rear of the
school building 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
vas III II IOui IOCI vi Ndltl Thai MOtliAi
have been over the heads of the child
rem falling in 1t singly, but those fall
ing foremost filed up the vault par
TALLY. so that others were moi 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.
The frame sheds of these vaults We're
about twenty feet square, without win
dows and only one narrow doorway.
so that only II girl escaped from
the door. She ran into the school build
ing and told the teachers what had
happened. The principal and other
teachers rushed to the rescue. The
scream 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 re-
enforced by the entire population of
the town, the police and fire depart
ments rendering most effective service.
| The firemen drained the vault SO as
| to be sure that the rescue was com
plete.
Those engaged in the rescue work re-
cite the most CHASTITY experiences
Even those rescued alive presented
such an appearance as to make many
in the crowd of spectators faint. but
the sight within the vault beggared all
description.
Among the first to come to the relief
of Principal Simmerman were Rev. l.
d. Lambert of the Presbyterian church
and Frank s.. Johnson of the Heralo
and Presbyter of Cincinnati.
James Smith, aged fourteen, II of
the pupils, climbed to the roof of the
schoolhouse, united the flag and ran to
the vault. BY means of this impromp
tn rope several were rescued. Marsha
Wood had great difficulty in keeping
the crowd back and from interfering
with the rescuers The importunitie+
of friends, especially of the weeping
mothers, were almost beyond the con
troll of the officers. Drs. L. q. Senoul
and z. ]. Shank, with their assistants
used the school building for a hospital
and morgue until after the dead and
rescued were taken to their homes.
Frank s. Johnson said:
II was standing across the stree:
talking to DR.. Lambert when n 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 each other in the vault
Up the ladder climbed the little one
drenched, gasplng for breath and faint
ing as soon as taken out into the fresl
air. AS fast as they came within
reach of the door those who stood al
the doorway reached down and lifted
them from the ladder and passed them
out to waiting friends. 1t was not pos
sible to go down into the vault ut first
for the reason that one would impede
the little ones who were climbing out
Finally the last girl that could get tt
the ladder got out, and then the mel
went in and rescued those that re
NAMED"
William ]. Card. n prominent mer
chant of Cincinnati, had three daugh
ters in the place, of whom Chairman
and Fausta lost their lives. Rotha
the twin sister of Fausta, narrowly
escaped death. When the crowd Of
girls rushed into the place Rotha wa
Knocked out of the door into the yart
lust before the collapse occurred.
Reports about the floor having giveI
way last year are denied by the schoo
trustees.