The Cairo bulletin., 1908-03-07
FIFTY FUNERALS
H.LO YESTERDAY
WHITE HEARsES THREAD THEIR
WAY THROUGH STREETS OF
cOLLlNWOOD.
WAS DAY OF MOURNING
Monday Funeral Of Unidentified viii
Be Hed--Rigid Examination Be
ing Conducted BY the
Coroner.


|
Cleveland, March G.From house to
church, church to cemetery white
hearses threaded their way through
the streets Of Collinwood all day to
day. In each hearse was little white
casket containing a blackened body OF
one Of the victims Of the fire which
destroyed Lakeview School last We'd
nesday
Days Of Grief.
Wednesday and yesterday were days
OF grief. Today was day of mourn.
ing. Silently, and with heads barred
broups of friends. relatives and specta
ters stood about the streets and watch
ed funeral professions as they passed
slowly by. Every few minutes a group
of carriages following hearse would
wend its way to the cemetery. About
nifty funerals We're held today. As
many as that viii be held tomorrow
Monday the unidentified will be bur
led. This WIN be public funeral
Rigid Examination.
The ccnnty coroner Is conducting a
rigid investigation with n view to
learning, If possible, the origin of the
fire. The testimony of several sur
yivlng teachers was taken. Eeach told
graphically of their efforts to save the
pupils of their respective rooms
Some were successful III caving all
her little boys and girls. Some lost
two or three. Others lost whole class
es of children
Heroism Recounted.
All related the heroism of Miss
Katherine Walter, who lost her life In
an effort to save her pupils when she
might have saved herself by abandon
Ing the children to the fate that finally |
overlook them in spite of her efforts |
No salient points We're brought out
by the coroner today as to placing the
plane for the catastrophe.
Rage Against Janitor.
The men and women of Cleveland |
have been visiting the afflicted all day |
comforting parents, giving needed |
money, assuming charge OF funerals |
The Collinwocd council has appropria |
ted 5000 for the relief of the suf
ferers. yet the situation is far be
yond any surcease.
The mothers and fathers of the dead
boys and girls are more than grief
stricken: they are half frantic Turn
ing to rage against the panitor. Fred
Hirter, a hundred of them nearly
mobbed him this morning, though
there is no evidence that the fire was
due to his carelessness and though
he Is half mad with sorrow over the
loss of two of his own children, who
perished in the flames.
Door Locked Tight.
In fact, tbut for the incident of the
three little girls In the limed-floored
closet. there is nothing to show the
cause of the fire, but there is much to
show for responsibilities may be
criminal--after the flames began their
fatal swoop. Today's Investigation by
Coroner Burke has demonstrated that
AT least one OF the doors of the west
entrance to the school was closed and
remained closed throughout the panic
Moreover. Il was locked, and the lock
was proof against the assaults of all
the reseuers
II is not true. as first reported. that
any of the doors opened inward, but
II is now known that the wing harti
tions narrowed the vestibule exit By
nF oh |
poured to that exit in a hurrying mass
with the flames licking on behind
not third had a reasonable chance of
getting through alive. The wonder is
that 100 In all the school got safely
out II is shown too. that but one fire
escape had been provided-eyen that
the children had not been taught to
use.
Janitor's Pitiful Plight.
But most pitiful of all. perhaps. was
the plight of the janitor. Fred Hirter
when ne was nailed before the lnquis-
itors today. The theory that an over
heated boiler may have been the cause
of the fire he stoutly denied, though
he could hardly speak from grief over
his own loss. He told the investiga
tors that there we're turns in the hall
that the children ran through. II one
stumbled. be said. it meant that all
must be wedged In the narrow space
while the flames worked their will
npCn them.
But we're you not working at
red hot boiler. as little Anna Neu
bert says. just before the FIRE start
ed9"
Il was not: the fires we're nearly .
out Good Cod Do you think could
be careless with my own 1.-THE girls u?
stairs?~
Il Is believed that Hirter has gone