Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-03-05
1865 SCHOOL
CHILDREN BURN

CH|LDRtN BURN
Continued from page onc)
fast ms n load was obtained It was
driven away to tho improvsod morRuc.
Tho sights OF tho human charnol house
caused the mon dolving into tho mass
.of burned flesh to hesitate, but tho work
had to be done and done quickly. so
they smothered their feelings for the
time being as they tendorly handled all
that was mortal Of the little ones.
At tho temporary morguc in the Lake
Shore shop the scenes became fourfold
in tho intensity OF human suffering as
fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters
passed up and down the lines formed of
1G0 corpscs. TO facilitate identification
tho bodies were numbered as they were
received at the morguc. The first identi-
iication was made by tho mother of Ncls
and Tommy Thompson. aged six and
nine years respectively. The heads and
arms had been burned from both bodies,
but the mother recognized the shoes on
her childrens' feet. And so the disheart-
ening work went on, accentuated now
and then by n piercing Shrek or plain
tive moan as loved one was recognized
by clothing or token. such as ring or
necklace.
HAIR BURNED AWAY FROM MOTH
ER's HAND.
About the burned school house there
are but few residences In one of these
Mrs Clark Sprung liver. i.cr little boy.
Avon, aged :, was a pupil in the second
grade. When the fire started the mother
ran over to the school and arrived when
tine first floor was a mass of flames. At
a window on that floor she sI'. the face
Of her boy. He recognized her and plead
ed for help.
Rushing across the street Mrs. Sprung
secured stcpladdcr ana placed it
against tho window. Climbing up she
reached for her boy Snc caught him
ly the hair. 1t burned off in her hands
and the lad fell back into the flames.
Dosolation unspcakablc hangs over the
vicinity Of the school and the whole vii
lage Of Collinwood. The school board
met in a special session at the temporary
morgue late this afternoon to discuss the
calamity while tho coroner prepared -
hold an inquest to determine the cause
and place the responsibility for the fire.
BACK DOOR WAS LOCKED.
The statement that the back door of
the building was locked was made by
Walter c. Kelley, the editor of the
sporting department of the Cleveland
Leader, two of whose children were
killed
As soon as the alarm was given Mrs.
Kelley ran from her home which IS not
far from the school house, to the burn,
ing building The front portion Of the
structure was a mass of flames, and
frenzied by the screams Of tho fighting
and dying children which reached them
from the death trap at the foot of the
first flight of stairs. and behind that
closed door. Mrs. Kelley ran to the rear
hoping to effect an entrance there and
save her children. She was joined by a
man whose name is not known, and the
two of them tuGgcd and pulled frantically
at the door. They were unable to move
it in the slightest. and ther was nothing
at hand by which they could hope tc
break il down. 1t utter despair of saving
any OF the children they turned their
attention 10 the windows and by smash
ing some Of these they managed to save
few of the pupils.
"Thcy could have saved many more
| said MI Kelley tonight If the door
had not boon locked. Nobody knows
how many Of the children might have
mad" their way out before my wife
reached there If the doors had not
been locked If half a dozen mon had
been there when my wife ana her