The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-03-06

Cleveland, Ohio, March death in
enc of its most terrible forms claimed
between one hundred and sixty and
one hundred and seventy school child
rem of the North COllinWoOd schOol IN
the village of Collinwood, an eastern
suburb today, when the school build
ing, catching fire from a defective fur-
mace in the basement, was gutted IN
the space of half an hour. The build
ing being inadequately protected Dy
fire escapes, the children were unable
to make their way to the lower hoors
In time to escape the flames as they
shot up from the basement and cut
Off egress. Starting about $3.50 O'Clock
In the basement from the oyerheated
furnace, the fire gained tremendous
headWay before its presence was not
ed The fire drill was inaugurated
and those in the rOCrs on the lower
Aooy8 quickly moved out of the build
ing But when the panic-Strlcken Ut
tie ones in the upper rooms attempted
to make their way to the stairway, the
IAN cf uncontrolled and fear-Strlcken
children grew until but few were able
to cxtricate themselves and they per-
iehcd almost within reach Of safety.
Various uncOnfrmed statements are
made as to the cause Of the lire and
also that the doors of the building
had been locked at the front entrance.
while but one door of the rear entry
was unfastened.
The janitor, Fritz Herter, himself
bereaved of three children, says the
doors were open, according to custom.
At any rate, the congestion of heelng
children in the hallway below effect
ually barred the way and the little
ones went to their death totally un-
able to evade the flames.
Within three hours after the start
of the fire it had burned itself out,
and the work of recovering the bodies
proceeded The village fire department
had only two engines and neither,
upon arrival after the alarm was
given, was at all effective in stemming
the flames.
The school was twO-story and at
tic brick building, constructed about
six years ago. 1t was overcrowded with
pupils and it was found necessary to
utilize the attic for those of the ages
between and 8. Nearly all the child
rem were killed in the mass at the
first floor door which finally was
NY llCA Ii Jill IIIC 1/hhO AhoA
Railway shops who hurried to the
scene. A wall of flame had formed
across it, however, and most of the
children already were dead by the
time the doors were swung open.
Approximately three hundred child
rem attended the school which had nine
rooms.
Janitor Herter could remember little
<>f hot honnanoI hn fro t0 rt
ed q was sweeping in the basement,
he said when l looked up and saw
@ wisp of smoke curling out from
beneath the front stairway. I ran to
the fire alarm and pulled the gong
that sounded throughout the build
Ing.
Then I ran first to the front and
then to the rear doors. l can't re-
member what happened next except
tnat l saw the flames shooting all
about the little children running
down through them screaming. Some
fell~at the rear entrance and others
stumbled over them. l saw my little
Helen among them. 1 tried to pull
her out but the flames drove me back
I had to leave my little child to die -
Herter was badly burned about the
head.
Miss Catherine Weller, one of the
nine teachers in the school, lost her
life in a vain effort to marshal the
pupils of her class and lead them to
safety She died in the crush at the
rear door. Her room was on the sec
ond floor and when the fire alarm
sounded she marched her pnpils into
the hall, thinking it was only fire
drill. There the truth dawned uDon
both teacher and pupils and control
was lost. The children in their frenzy
plunged into the struggling mass
ahead of them. Miss Weller attempted
to stem the rush but went down under
1t and her body was found an hour
later piled high with those Of her
snupila