Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-05
fBy Associatod Prcss.l

(By Associated Press.)
CLEVELAND, OHIO. March r.
Penncd in narrow Railways jammed
mp against doors that only opened in
ward. between one hundred and xix
~ and one hundred and seventy chill
dren in the suburb of North Collin
wood today were killed by fire, smoke
aud beneath the grinding heels of
their panic stricken playmatcs. The
awful tragedy occurred this morning
in tho public school of North Collin.
wood, ten miles cast of thia city. Al
10 o'clock tonight one hundred and
sixty-fivc corpses were in tho morgne
at Crllnwood, six children were still
unaccounted for. and all the hospitals
and houses for two miles around con-
tained numbers of children. some fa
tally, ana many less seriously injured.
All OF the victims were between the
ages Of six and fifteen years. The
school contained between 300 and 400
and of this entire number only about
eighty are known to have left the
building unhurt.
1t Will be several days before the
exact number of killed IL known as
the ruins may still contain other hod-
ics and the list OF fatalities may Do
increased by number of deathG
among the children who are now lying
In hospitals lowering between life and
death.
The building was OF brick, two stor-
les and an attic In height The num-
her OF pupil5 was moro than normally
large. and the smaller children had
been placed in the upper part of the
building.
There was but one fire escape and
that waa In the rear of the building.
There we're two stairways, one lead.
Ing to n door in front. and &c other
to n door in the rear. Both OF these,
doors opened inward and Il IS claim
cd the rear door was locked as well.
When the flames were discoverei
the teachers. who throughout seem 20
have acted with courage and self pos.
session and TO have. struggled hcro!-
cally for the safety of their pupils
marshalcd the little ones into column
for the fire drill which they had
often practiced. Unfortunately the
line OF march in this exercise had nj
ways Jed to the front door and tho
children had not been trained to seek
any other exit.
The fire today came from furnace
situated directly under this part of
tho building. When the children
reached tho foot of the stairs they
found Tho flames close upon them. and
so swift rush was made for the 1oor
that In an instant tightly packed
mass OF children was piled up agains'
it. For a second none of these
u+hh M
n'ght Stairs had chance for their
lives.
The children attempted to nch,
their way back TO the floor above.
while those who weEe coming down
showed mcrcllessIy back into the fire
below In an instant there was 4
irishlfnl panic with two hundred OF
the pupils fighting for their lives.
Most of those WHO werc killed live
here. The greater part OF those who
Escaped managed to turn back and
reached the fire escape, and the win
dows In ;hc rear.
Flames Spread With Rapidly.
The flames sprcad with such terri
flc rapidity that within thirty minutes
from The time the fire wa3 discovered
inc SCHOOL house was nothing but a
few b!ackcncd walls surrounding +.
cellar lillcd With corpbes AMI debris.
Tho fircmcn dashed into the blazing
building and with rakcs. forks anl
Hboye'5 and their bare hanls worked
In The most frantic manner with The
hope of saving more lives.
They. were unsuccessful. for none
was taken out alive after the floors
collapsed. ~ -
Fragments of iucinerated limbs.
skulls and bones we're found almost at
every turn and these were piled In y
littlo heap al one side Of The loIilding.
The great majority or fne little bod.
los maj were taken from the ruins
were beyond AL possible resemblance
Posi,ive identification of many of the
children VIII never DO inatc.
Besides tho children which wore
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