Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-03-11
Half Consumed Remains of 65 Little
Children Found Where They Fell
in Panic and Flames
Poor Fire Drill Tried but Fast Spreading
Flames and Locked Door Allow
but Few to Escape
F ront Door Worked Vave-Iike to Shut
Burning Victims Hell pless in Their
Trap of Horrible Death
identification Difficult.

Identification Difficult.
Identifications were made only py
means of clothing or trinkets. The
fire had swept away nearly all reseln-
blance to human features in a major.
ity of instances.
Distracted parents soon began 10
gather and the work of Identification
of the blackened and mangled corpses
began.
Rescuers' Grewsome Task.
The grewsome task of taking OFT
blackened torses and bits of human
remains was one of horror. A line
Of rescuers was formed, backed by
half a dozen ambulances. AS the
bodies were untangled from the de-
hris they were passed along to the
stretchers and thence loaded in am
balances.
Mercifully covered with blankets,
the pitiful sights were yelled from
the crowd massed about the entrance
to the structure. AS fast as a load
WAS obtained it was driven away to
the morgue, to be succeeded immedi.
ately by another.
Strong Men Hesitate.
Sights OF the human charnel house
caused strong men delving into the
mass of burned flesh to hesitate, but
the work had to be done and done
quickly, so their feelings were smotli-
cred for the time being as they ten
derby handled all that was mortal OF
the little tots.
Terrible Scenes at Morgue.
At the morgue the scenes became
fourfold in the intensity of human
suffering. as fathers, mothers, broth
ers and sisters passed along the lines
formed of the 100 corpses. The first
Identification was made by the moth
er of Nels and Tommy Thompson, six
and nine respectively. The heads
and arms were burned from both bod
les, but the mother recognized the
shoes.
And so the disneartening work
went on, acceutuated now and then
by a piercing shrek or plaintive
moan as loved one was recognized
One Mother's Terrible Experience.
About the burned schoolhouse there
are but few residences. In one of
these, Mrs C ark Sprung lived. Her
little boy, Alvon, aged seven, was IA
pupil. When the fire started the
mother ran over to the school and a..
rived when the first floor vas mass
of flames. At a window on that
floor she saw the face of her boy.
He recognized her and pleaded for
help. Rushing across the street Mrs.
Sprung secured a stepladder and
placed it against the window. Climb
ing up she reached for her boy. She
caught him by the hair. 1t burned
off in her hands and the lad fell
back into the flames.
DesoIation UnspeakabIe.
Desolation unspeakable hangs over
the vicinity Of the school and the
whole village of Collinwood.
Death List May Reach III.
At 10 o'clock last night los corpses
were in the morgue at Collinwood.
Six children were still unaccountCd
for. All the hospitals and houses
for two miles around contained num-
bers of children, some fatally and
many less seriously injured.
One in Four Escaped.
All the victims were between .
and 10 years. The school contained
between 300 and 1926 pupils, and OF
this entire number only about so are
known to have left the building I'M
hurt.
1t will be several days before the
exact number of killed is known as
the ruins may still contain other
bodies, and the list OF fatalities may
be Increased BY a number of deaths
among children who are now lying In
hospitals lowering between life and
death.
Death-Trap Doors.
Unfortunately. in the fire-drill prac
ticed in this school, the scholars We're
never taught to seek an exit through
the rear doors, The front doors, though
unlocked, opened inward and when
the children rushed in that direction
the doors were pushed shut and the
children were wedged tightly between
them and the stairway.
Will Never Tell Awful Stor,-.
What happened at the foot of that
flight OF stairs will never be known.
for all of those who were caught in
the full fury of the panic were killed.
After the flames had died away,
however, huge heap of little bodies,
burned by fire. and trampled into
things Of horror told the tale as well
as anybody need know II.
Rear Door Was Locked.
The statement that the back door
was locked Is made by Welter C.