The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-07
Day of Mourning Among Peo-
 pie of CoIIinWOod
OVER FIFTY FUNERALS HELD
Coroner's Inquest Develops Fact That No Earthly Aid Could Have Saved the Children In Their
 Mad Stampede.

Cleveland O., March e-Colinwood to- woe. Slowly and solemnly the process sions of death began to wend their way toward the cemeteries. bearing the bat tered and charred remains of some of the 167 children whose lives were snuffed out in Wednesday mornings catastrophe in the Lake View school. From g o'clock in the morning until dusk there was no cessation of the funeral corteges. Those who had no dead to mourn as a personal loss stood in the streets with barred heads as the grim processions passed. wood, One of the sad funerals was that of the three children of Janitor Herter, held jointly with the services for three other little ones.
 Mutterings against the janitor could be heard about the village as grief-crazed parents sought an object upon which to wreak vengeance, forgetting as they did, that Herter himself was walking with bowed head and broken heart behind the piers of three of his loved ones. A de- tail of police was placed around the
 
 neral came. Fully 300 persons had gath cred, but when the collins were carried from the doorway the crowd spread and opened the way for them without protest or expression of hostility.
 Fifty Burials.
 Altogether there were over 30 burials today and tomorrow the grewsome task will be reps ated. .s.nday will witness the last of the individual burials. and on Monday the remains of all those who are unidentified will be laid to rest with one funeral. Tonight there are & of these bundles of flesh that await claimants.
 Testimony describing the mad rush to death Of the school children was given today at the continued session of the cor oner's inquest. Stories of heroism on the part of the women teachers were recited. F. r. Whitney, superintendent of the Col linwood schools, stated his belief to be that no fire department could have done any effective work after the fire had started. Two of the teachers told of their unavailing attempts to open one of the double doors at the rear, which they said was locked The inquest also developed the fact that, after the first crush at the door, it was beyond human possibility to aid or save those whom the tongues of fire were devouring in the charnel house The inquest will be resumed Monday.
 Fire Chiefs Views.
 In statement today, Chief Wallace of the Cleveland fire department, after an examination of the ruins of the Collin wood school, said that 1t was his opinion that the loss of life would not have been so heavy if there had been no partitions at the sides of the storm doors at the rear entrance. Two feet eight inches had been taken off either side of the hall for the partitions. His examination devel- oped that the doors opened outward Chief Wallace doubtless will be a witness be- fore the coroner.
 Drastic steps were taken today by the Cleveland school board to place all tine Cleveland educational buildings in a con- dition that will preclude any los sof life from fires Easements will be fire -proofed, wooden stairways replaced by iron and spiral fire escapes inclosed in towers in- stalled Inner doors in vestibules also will be removed.
 With the appropriation of $25,O GOO today by the Ohio legislature, and the funds sub scribed locally, there will be plenty of financial relief for the stricken families.