The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-09
FIRE DRILL SAVES
MANY LITTLE ONES
March Out of Burning School
house and There Is
No Panic

The Sumner school building at Aldrich
and Sixth avenue north was damaged TO
the extent Of $1,000 by fire yesterday aft
Eight hundred and eighty-six- pupils
marched out OF the burning structure
and in ! minute and 40 seconds were lined
up on vacant lot across the street
Miss Fife L. Mason. a teacher, and one
or the older pupils Of the 3 seventh grade
We're IN the rear. They carried with them
Emma Stein. cripple, who was not able
10 march with the rest
There are nineteen rooms in the school
building Mrs Florence Eirnin Is the
principal She was informed that the
building was on fire by woman who saw
the roof blazing She sounded the fire
signal and sent one of the pupils TO the
nearest fire box 10 turn in the alarm.
The children, ranging in age from to
16 years, marched out with the precision
Of soldiers on parade. and until they
reached the school yard they did not know
the building was on fire
Police Take Charge
The rules are that the children shall
hne up on the sidewalk in front Of the
building every time there is q fire drill
but when the boy who was sent to turn
IN the alarm reached the box he found
Sergeant GinsbeFg and Patrolman Pat
Finn Of the north station on the corner
The school house is on fire." yelled the
The two policemen hurried TO the scene
of the fire only q block away. and as the
children marched out and were lining up
they directed them TO proceed across the
street. and when the fire department ar
rived there was no person on the walk in
front OF the building, circumstance
which was Of great benefit 10 the firemen,
for had the 900 children been on the side
walk il would have inconvenience the fire
fighters in their work.
There was no panic among the young
sters. They marched out at the tap of
the gong and cleared the building in rapid
= time Many OF the children were Obliged
IN through the cloak their
way from the school rooms. and they
seized their wraps and reached the side
walk happy
Two Drills in One Day
Yesterday morning there was fire drill
When the gong sounded in the afternoon
most of the children marched out Of the
building believing there was q second test.
When they reached the outside and saw
the old ramshackIe structure in flames.
many Of them rejoiced. because they saw
vacation of some weeks
Mrs. Firman is a stickler for the fire
drill and the fact that the children We're
We'll trained was demonstrated yesterday
afternoon when she emptied the big
building IN less than two minutes and had
the little ones on the sidewalk
The children who attend this school are
of all nationalities. Many of them are
Hebrews and are not conveTsant with the
English language. but all know what 10
do when the fire bell rings
The fire was a stubborn one for the fire.
men 10 fight. tt was confined TO the at
tic. but owing TO the number OF additions
NE roofs everiapped enc another, and in
one or two instances II was necessary TO
cut holes through brick walls to reach
the fire. which started in one mex and
ran through the attic from one en0 the
building 10 the other. The fire did not
reach the lower floors. but the entire
building was saturated with water. and IL
viii be some weeks before il viii be in
condition for use
The school board has a problem on its
hands TO accommodate the children who
haze been turned ont Of school Every
building in the city is crowded and unless
temporary quarters can be secured the
pupils belonging to this district will be
without school facilities for some weeks.
The school board win meet today and viii
attempt TO secure accommodations for the
children of the district, but II is doubt
full II satisfactory arrangements can be
made, for accommo dations in the locality
are far from adequate.
The Sumner school was one of the old
est buildings in the city There have been
several additions to the building, and it is
one of the most unsatisfactory institutions
of the city. bur as the walls are left. il is
expected that the building viii be recon-
structed
The insurance on the building is 322, 500.