Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-05

ed by clothing or token, such as ring
or necklace.
About the burned school house there
are but few residences. In one of these
Mrs. Clark Sprung lived. Her little
boy, Alvon, aged Z, was a pupil in the
second grade. When the fire started
the mother ran over to the school and
arrived before the first floor was a
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 step ladder and
placed it against the window. Climbing
up she reached for her boy. She
caught him by the hair 1t burned off
in her hands and the lad fell back in
to the flames.
DesolatiOn unspeakable hangs over
the vicinity Of the school and the whole
village of Collinwood. The school
board met in special session at the tenn
porary morgue late this afternoon to
discuss the calamity while the coroner
prepared to hold an inquest to de-
termine the cause and place the re-
spOnsbility for the fire.
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, one of whose children was
killed. Soon as the alarm was given
Mrs. Kelley ran from her home which
is not far from the schoolhouse, to
the burning building. The front of the
structure was a mass of flames, and
llxvt ba Of hn Gcrh IN,
and dying children, which reached her
from the death trap at the foot of the
first fight Of stairs, and behind that
closed door, Mrs Kelley ran to the
rear, hoping to affect an entrance there
and save her children. She was join
ed by / man whose name is not known
and the two tugged and pulled fran
tically at the door.
They were unable to move it in the
slightest and there was nothing at
hand by which they could hope TO
break ii down with utter despair of
saving any of the children, they turn
ed their attention to the windows and
by smashing some of these they man
aged 20 save a few of the pupils.
They could have saved many more"
said Mr.. Kelley tonight, 'if the door
had not been locked. Nobody knows
how many of those children might
have made their way out before my
wife reached there, if the door had
not been locked. If half a dozen men
had been there when my wife and her
companion arrived at the schooihouse"
he said, perhaps they might have
broken down the door, but the two
n6 no flo
spread so rapidly that it was all over
in a few minutes
The suburb of Collingwood contains
about 5000 inhabitants and within a
half hour after the outbreak of the
fire, nearly every one of them was
gathered around the blazing ruins OF
the schOOlhouse. hundreds of parents
fighting frantically with the police and
tiremen who We're busily engaged in
saving the lives of the children caught
in the building and doing their best
to eYtinguish the fire.
The police We're utterly unable,
through lack of numbers to keep away
the crowd that pressed upon them
and the situation soon became so seri-
Gus that a number of the more cool
headed men in the crowd took it upon
themselves to aid in fighting back the
crowds, while others worked to help
the firemen and the police
Among those latter men was Wal
lace Upton, who reached the building
shortly after the front door had caved
in and disclosed to the horror stricken
crowd the awful scenes that had been
enacted there. Just in front of Up
toms eyes was his own 10-year- old
daughter, helpless in the crush. badly
burned and trampled upon, but still
alive. The fire was close upon her
and if she could not be saved at once
she could not be saved at all.
Upton sprang TO help her and with
all his strength sought to tear her
from the weight that was pressing her
down and from the flames which were
creeping close. Although he worked
with desperation of despair, his
strength was unequal to the task. He
fought on until his clothing was partly
burned from him and the skin of his
face and hands was scorched black.
Other men attempted to induce him
TO move, but he refused until he saw
that his girl was dead and that he
could not save her life by sacrificing
his own. He then withdrew from the
school house and. although so serious
ly injured that he may die, fingered
about the place. for several hours, re-
fusing to go 70 hospital to seek
medical attention.
The flames spread with such terrific
rapidity that within 80 minutes from
the time the fire was discovered the
school house was nothing but few
blacllened walls surrounding a cellar
6lled with corpses and debris.
The firemen dashed into the blazing |
wreckage and with rakes, forks, SHOW
els and their bare hands worked in
the most frantic manner with the hope |
of saving few more lives. They were |
unsuccessful. for none were taken |
alive from the ruins after the floors
collapsed. Fragments of incinerated |
limbs, skulls and bones were found |
almost at every turn, and these were |
piled together in a little heap at one |
side of the building.