The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-09-28
A FATAL ACCIDENT.
Ten Little School Girls Are cufocsted
in q Vault,
OTHERS NARROWLY ESCAPED.

h
All of the Victims Were From the
Primary Grades. The Acct
dent Occurred at the
Recess Hour.
A dispatch from Cincinnati, Ohio,
says school closed Friday at Pleasant
Ridge, seven niles north Of Cincin-
natl, with the first quar- OF Of the ses-
sim when line, possibly ten gils
were suffocated In vault during the
forenoon recss,, and score OF Others
narrowly escaped the same horrible
death. During the rest Of the day
Jhis suburb was wild with mingled
exc tepent, srrrow and jndtgnati>n N
and Friday night those openly cha.g-
ing the calamity to official negli-
gence are making serious threats,
among them being many women.
The large building is used for q
high school as well as for all lower de-
partments. All the victims were
from primary grades. On opposite
sides OF the spacious ground in the
rear of the school building are two
outhouses. When recess was given
about 80 Of the smaller girls we're in
the ou house assigned to them when
suddenly the foor. gave way, prec;pi-
tating them into the vault. This
vault is II feet deep and walled up
With stone like we'll. There was 10
it four feet Of water that would have
been over the heads Of the children
fallicg in it singly, but these falling
foremost filed up the vault partially,
so that others were not entirely sub
merg-d d.
Tie girls fell e;git feet from the
f,oring and the struggles Of those
who were on top Kept at least nine
underneath until they wete dead.
The frame sheds of these vaults were
about 20 feet square without windows;
and only one narrow doorway, so th45
only one girl escaped from the door.
She ran into the schools building and
told the teachers what had happened.
The principal and other teachers rash-
ed to the rescue. The screams OF the
girls were dimly heard while within
the vault and they were most Of thnm
unable to speak when re cued. The
teachers were soon reinforced by the
entire population OF the town, the
police and fire departments rendering;
most effective service.
DRAINED THE VAULT.
The fremen drained the vault so as
to be sure that the rescue was COM
plete.
Among the first to, come to the.
relief OF Principal Zimmerman were
Rsv. I. D. Lambert OF the Pfesbyoer-
ian church and Frank S. Johnson OF
The Herald and Presbyter Of Cincin.
oati. So
James Smith, aged IA, one OF the
pupils climbed to the roof Of the
school house, united the flag and ran.
to the vault. By means Of this I'M
prnmptu rops several were rescued;
Marshall Wood had great difficulty In.
xespi. g the crowd back and from in.
5erferrlpg with the rescuers. The inn.
portuniJles of friends, especially OF the
weeping mothers, were almost beyond
the control Of the officers. Drs. o. G..
Senour and P. T. Shank, with their
assistants, used the school building
IS a hospital and a morgue until after
the dead and the rescu d were taken
to their hem S.
Frank S. Johnson said: II was
standing across the street talking to
Dr.. Lambert when a little girl came
crying for help. We found Principal
Zimmerman saving lives. The smaller
girls were being forced to the bottom
by the movements and terrific stug-
yles Of each other in the vault. Up the
ladoer climbed the little ones, drench-
ID, gNp:ng for breath and fainting as
soon as taken out into the fresh air.
AS fast as they came within reach of
the door those who stood at the door,
way reached down and lifted them
from the ladder and passed them out
to waiting friends. It was not possi-
ole to 90 down into the vault at first
for the reason that one would impede
the little ones who were climbing out.
Finally the last girl that could get
to the lader got out and then the men
. vent in and rescued those who re-
; mained." #
VIM. J. Card of McC Cullough & Sons
in Cincinnati had three daughters in;
the place, OF whom Cnarmian and
Faus5a lost their, lives. Rotha, the
twin sister. Of Fausta, narrowly
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 OF the floor
occurred.
Reports about the floor having given
way last year are denied by the school
tru ,teeS.
A corrected list of the dead follows:
Loretta Finke, aged IL; daughter
Of Henry Finke OF the Schroth Pack
ing company, Cincinnati.
Emma Steinkamp, aged l3; daugh-
ter OF John Sseinkamp
Amelia Hesss, aged 9; daughter OF
Herman D. Hess5, dairyman.
Martha Buhr, aged s, father dead;
mother, Ella Buhr.
Edna Thee, aged 10; daughter OF
John Thee, blacks nitn.
Haz=l Glover, aged 8, parents dead;
1;,o5 ,,,;tSo ,ro ,, 4 ~ ofhor MIRO Wolf