Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-13
Details OF. Horror In
School Fire At
CollingWood

| ton OF the building Is Responsible 1Or
the horrible death of 165 children
in fire that destroyed Lake View
School, Collinwood, a suburb of
| Cleveland, this morning. AS in the
Iroquois and Slocum catastrophes. the
authorities awoke to the terrible fate
that was impending only after the
calamity had spent its fury.
over the blackened, burned and
trampled bodies of the children an
investigation started at once. II i'm
mediately showed many of the fatal
defects in construction and arrange
ment.
Only Two Exits Available
Only two exits were available for
nearly 400 children and the door
leading to one of these was closed
and opened inward.
The main door and the halls were
narrow, cramped and unfit for the
rapid passage of the children.
The fire escapes did not reach the
ground and the entire plan of the
building was such as to lead County
Coroner Burke to declare that the
construction was an outrage.
There was lax discipline in the in
stitution. And, finally, the fire de-
partment of the village was utterly
unable to cope with the situation.
Panic was primarily responsible,
| hpwnunr Had Tho onn littIa anao
been able to preserve their presence
of mind, scores moved down in the
roaring flames might have escaped in
| safety. As It was, dozens were
! crushed to death before the flames
reached them in the terrified rush
for safety.
Dozens Leap to Death r
Dozens more were killed in frantic
leaps from windows. The remain
der were swallowed up in the flames
carried down into the raging fur
mace in the cellar of the building,
when, fifteen minutes after the first
alarm, and while agonizSd parents
dashed helplessly about on the out
sido--restrained by force from dash
! ing in--the floors of the building
collapsed and made further rescue
absolutely impossible.
After that there was naught to do
but wait for the fire to exhaust itself
and then to take up the agonizirg
work of digging out the victims.
The victims range in ages from 6
to 10 years and the story of their
fate is one of the most heartrending
that the newspapers have been called
upon to chronicle.
Approximately there were 900
children in the building when the
fire started. or these II is known
that at least 165 met death. 1t is
thought tonight that the list will be
extended to 10 at least, and more
may be added to II after a house-to-
house canvass has been made of the
village.
Many of the victims were burned
beyond recognition and where iden-
tification is made 1t will be by means
of bit of clothing or some trinket.
At least a score more probably will
die from the injuries they sustained.
The school house was two-story
and attic brick building and was
erected six years ago. Singular lack
of foresight was shown in the con-
struction, for It was provided with
but narrow halls, and the covered
fire escapes on the outside, custom
AIRY on school buildings, had never
been installed.
Furnace Causes Fire
The fire started In the basement
and was due to defective furnace
Severe cold had prevailed here dur
ing the past few days and the janitor
had a raging fire going when school
opened at 8 o'clock this morning
The pupils, crowding all the rooms
of the building, were in the first pc.
Tod of their studies when the cry OF
"Fire!" was started.
Every ambulance in the city an
swered the general ambulance alarm
following the discovery of the fire
Twenty wagons and drivers were en-
gagged from 9:40' o'clock in the
morning until after O'Clock in the
afternoon. Even at o'clock sever
al drivers had not returned to the
barns. Drivers and attendants were
exhausted physically by the actual
exertion of carrying away the dead
and dying.
The first load was seven bodies,
These were taken to the Hogan
morgue in st. Clair street. Instruc-
lions were received, however, to take
the bodies to the Lake Shore store
house One dead little girl was TAX.
en- to her home. Forty-eight bodies
We're carried to homes during the
day At s o'clock in the evening
two wagons were still busy taking
the identified dead to homes.