The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-22
$500 CHILDREN
SAVED by DRILL
MAGNIFICENT SYSTEM SAVES
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
Superb Exhibition Of Courage and
Training - Despite the Excitement in
the Street the Pupils File Out in Per-
feet Order With the Smoke All
Around Them.

New York, Nov 22.-Twenty-fve
hundred school children, the youngest s
out of public school No. II in West For
ty-seventh street, between Eighth and
Ninth avenues, without the slightest
sign Of nervousness, altho every one
Of them knew that their school was afire
and that their lives were in danger.
Not ono of the little boys and girls
was harmed. Not one lost his or her
courage. It was a most wonderful dis
play of discipline.
| System Saves Lives.
| Public school No. II is one Of, the
oldest schools in the city. It is four
story brick building on the north side
of West Fortyseventh street, with
yards on either side. There are $500
pupils, boys and girls, and fifty teach
in in the school building proper elssS The
West Forty-seventh street police station
is but a few doors from the school
house.
On the second floor front and almost
directly over the main entrance to the
school there is a room used by the
teachers as dressingroom. To the
west of this cloakroom there is class
room. Miss Mary O'Connell presided
there yesterday. Miss Parsons, an
other teacher, had the room just to the
east Of the cloakroom In both classes
there were about five boys and girls,
whose ages range between. seven and
nine years.
An odor Of smoke, was first detected
to the acting principal, Mrs. Gordon,
advising her that the school was afire
This note the teacher gave to- little
girl, telling her to hand it at once to
Mrs. Gordon. ~
Mrs. Gordon was in the large assem-
4 blyroom, which was filed with pupils.
She read the note, tore it up, and told
the child who had brought it to go
right back to Miss o,conR NIL 9 aagdon
sounded bell, a large one: It was
heard in every one o fthe forty eight
classrooms.
VSilence!' commanded the bell-call.
In every classroom the command was
obeyed. Observation-Disclosures as we'll as
pupil-was at attention.
Machine-Like Precision.
A second later there was heard two
short rings from the same bell. Every
child. every teacher, knew what this
meant. Similar calls had been sounded
time and again, whenever the principal
thought it best to instruct the children
at fire drill. ..,....~. ...*s
1March out in regular order, and
without wraps or books was the
translation Of the Second call. Had
three short calls been sounded, it would
have been the order for every child and
: teacher to fall in and march out, but
. with clothing and books.
The second order, like the first, was
| obeyed like flash. In every classroom
. the teachers gave the order to fall in
A second later the march was started
The monitors were at their posts aheat
"Steady, coo1;g steadyg9 cooll",. com
handed the monitors. just IN TINS wa!
, they have given the command =, hundred
: Of times whenever the lire drlll was OF
hand. ga > -. g. -
The fire, in the meantime, had sspreat
Black smoke were pouring forth. TIL
air was: Sitting. The roar of tn
flames could be plainly heard. But o.
I. marched, the little children, fou
0 abreast, each division heading towar'
:. the entrance nearest ito Ninth avenue
+ Word Lad been passed along that tn
9 exit was to be made in that direction
y About the same time that the fire wa
+ discovered in the school l4-year- OF
l. Martha Ryrne was passing the school
. house. Martha is the daughter OF DE
toctive Sergeant James Byrne, attache
: to Inspector McClusky's staff. She is
Q very bright girl and last spring she wa
:. graduated from No. II. -,
Martha had taken part in fire drill
= in school many times: AS she wa
4 passing the old schoolhouse she say
! clouds of smoke pouring from the teach
Il ers' cloakroom.