The Washington times., 1908-03-05

was complied with safeguarding the
lives OF the rttle pupils.
Penalty for Inside Doors.
Section a572. of the Ohio statutes, pro
vides a penalty OF $500 me for officers
in charge Of public buildings who per
nit its use where the doors swing N
ward. OF where they are locked during
occupancy; where ample means OF ext
are not provided and where there Is
no provision for extinguishing hIe'
The CoUinwoOl building was never III
spected by the State inspector. ,-.,+
Undertakes were active lnFousllOut
en- s,7bI,TI This morning All manner
of vehicles conveyed little coIllhs 70
sorrowing homes. White 1 .tl.C.,l lite
crepe appeared on doorWays Iui -
ont the village The people OF liie al
ffcted community benumbed yesteIusty'
this morning awoke TO a grieI more
acute than can be chronicled.
Age of Victims.
Traeedv's stab was with a ragged
blade. and pains all the more because
Of the age Of the victims-their help
lessness in danger. their dependableness
on a protection that was no protection,
and the horrible nature Of the fate that
overlook them.
AS one aged man. looking at a row
OF small bodies, said, this morning.
I'VE know what we who have run
the race amount 10 In the world, and
few years more or less is OF little
moment to the world. The death OF a
child makes mystery It closes DOCK
1t is this feeling that IS Tacklng the
hearts IN beTeaved homes today. The
sorrow. however, deep as II Is, does
not block out the natural. inTuTlated
speculation of WHO is TO blame?'
Fires with the consequences Of yester-
days should not occur and the officials
@ "a Inc arsI Trrfrw
is at fault The real cause OF the ire
viii probably never be known, unless
some one who knows comes forward
and tells.
There is talk OF inCendiarism-a nat
urai indulgence of sensational specula-
ton always to be heard after such a
tragedy, but with no known founda-
ton OF fact The rumor can be regarded
some tell OF an overheated furnace,
the only logical accounting for the origin
Of the fire.
Burisls Before Inquiry.
Why the fire was not discovered until
IL had made great Roadway is the i'm
portant question This cannot bs looked
into until the cemeteries about North
Colllngwood have opened and closed an6
the little. charred. mangled bodies haVe
teen laid away.
Whether the fire In the cellar was
discovered long before It attained such
Roadway, and an attempt was made to
eXtinguish K without the aid Of the
FIRE department Is the question being
discussed today.
The failure to call the fire depart
menE could be based on Two reasons
one OF them being the desire TO avoid
alarm in the school rooms and the
other an impulsiVe effort to quickly
smoother the blaze, which could not
originate without fault, and thus do
away with an Investigation which
would result If the fire department had
beer called
was, the fire could not be
cred out. il rose until caught in
savy draught of the halls. then
through the building like the
IN a blasting furnace. Then death
with the fire.
Construction Condemned.
ty Coroner Burke made d terse
ent today:
construction Of the school was an
e." he said. The halls were mar
nd there was practically only
ode of exit The children were
Ike rats in a trap"
people don't care much about
st now. They are interested IN
which among the little charred
belongs 10 them
the school house was a death
now apparent. otherwise such
uElll NbAtiQ llDA nave liaNltl4ru a
clock in the morning. Why II
death trap is another question
use who nCilt the school should have
>aown the requirements Of bulldine
OF this character Those who locked one
OF the two exits probably never thought
Of the possibility of a panic.
Who Is to Blame?
Who is t. blame?- will be the ques,
ton In IT, little suburb as long as
visitors to the cemetery see little mounds
over the graves of the FIRE victims
Even today. after many hours OF op-
poTtunity of discussion with eyeWit-
nesses. il is impossible 10 learn The de-
tails OF the calamity. AS close as il
Is possible 10 get To the facts. there
was an alarm Of fire. The children, as
we'll as their teachers. thought a fire
drill had been ordered and were I'M
concerned for the time being.
Closely following the sound waves OF
the IRE bell We e heat waves and back
Of them the flames. Anyone who has
ever witnessed a fire drill knows that
in an amazingly short time the chill
dren are in the Railways, in orderly
line. marching in uniform step toward
the exits.
When the little ones in the North
CollinwOod school got TO the halls they
smiled smoke, they felt heat, and they
FELT danger. Their step quickened.
Three or four boys broke for the door
This door opened inward.
on such detail hung scores Of lives
Had the door opened outward. those
with terror in their legs would have
bounded through and the others. who
were marching, would have gone on
70 safety, with the precision OF a regi-
ment On parade.
Scramble at Doorway.
One boy, as nearly as can be learned
tried to pull the door toward him. An
sther thought in his terror he could
DO 90 more quickly. There was q
scramble
One or them went down, then another
and another, until there was heap al
the door.
The line. excited by cries. BY the
struggle, by the danger, Involuntary
Impressed upon them. could hold TO
getheT no longer. Il would have been q
miracle n they could have done so.
Then what followed can only be
imagined Girls and boys fought with
each other. Some went down then rose
as others went down. It was Ike water
IN q whirlpool or like the tossing o1
ouicksand
minute of This was epo11ey, IN