The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-03-10


Egress-Teachers Endeavor to Save
Their Charges by Means of Useless
aFire Observation-Disclosures of Many
Charred Bodies impossible.
Cleveland o., March 10.-Investiga-
tion of the ruins of the burned school
house at North Collinwood, ten miles
east of this city, together with the re-
ports of scores of missing children rem
dered by grief stricken parents, shows
that the number of little victims of fire
and panic is very large.
Between 100 and 176 children lost
their lives by fire, smoke and the
crushing of their tender bodies under
the feet of their panic stricken school
mates Many others were injured.
All of the victims were between the
ages of six and fourteen years The
school contained between 80 and 1926
pupils, and of this entire number only
about eighty are known to have left
the building unhurt 1t will be several
days before the actual number of killed
is known, as the ruins may still con-
tain other bodies, and the list of fatali-
ties may be increased by a number of
deaths among the children who are
now lying in the hospitals lowering be-
tween life and death. Two teachers
met death trying to save their charges.
The schoolhouse was of brick, two
stories and an attic in height. The
number of pupils was more than nor
mally large, and the smaller children
had been placed in the upper part of
the building. There was but one fire
escape, and that was In the rear of the
building. There were two stairways,
one leading to door in front and the
other to a door in the rear Both of
these doors opened inward and it isl
said that the rear door was locked as
well.
Teachers Try to Save Little Ones.
When the flames were discovered,
the teachers, who throughout seem to
have acted with courage and self pos.
session and to have struggled heroical
ly for the safety of their pupils, mar
shaled the little ones into column fol-
the fire drill" which they had often
practiced.
Unfortunately the line of march in
this exercise had always led to the
front door, and the children had not
been trained to seek any other exit
The fatal fire came from furnace sit
uated directly under this part of the
building.
When the children reached the foot
of the stairs they found the flames
close upon them and so swift rush
was made for the door that in an in
slant tightly packed mass of chill
dren was piled up against it. From
that second none of those who were
upon any portion of the first flight OF
stairs had chance for their lives
The children at the foot of the stairs
attempted to fight their way back to
the floor above while those who were
coming down showed them merciless.
ly back into the flames below. In an
instant there was a frightful panic,
with 200 of the pupils fighting fol-
their lives Most of those who were
killed died here. The greater part OF
those who escaped managed to turn
back and reached the fire escapes and
the windows in the rear.
Only Heap of Bodies Left.
What happened at the foot of that
first fight of stairs win never be
known, for all of those who were
caught in the full fury of the panic
were killed After the flames had
died away, however, a huge heap OF
little bodies burned by the fire and
trampled into things of horror told
the tale as well as anybody need to
know it,
The suburb of Collingwood contains
about 5000 people, and within half an
hour after the outbreak of the fire
nearly every one OF them was gath
cred around the blazing ruins of the
schoolhouse, hundreds of parents fight
ing frantically with the policemen and
firemen who were busily engaged in
saving the lives of the children caught
in the burning building and doing
their best to extinguish the fire.
The police were utterly unable
through lack of numbers to keep away
the crowd that pressed upon them,
Gus that number of the more cool
headed men in the throng took it upon
themselves to aid in fighting back the
crowd, while others worked to help
the firemen and the police.
Among these latter men was Wallace
Upton, who reached the building short
iy 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 ten-year-old
daughter, helpless in the crush, bad.
Dy 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 creep
ing close. Although he worked with
desperation of despair, his strength
was unequal to the task. He fought
on until his clothing was partly burn
ed from him and the skin Of his face
and hands were scorched black. 9th
err men attempted to induce him to
move, but he refused until he saw
that his girl was dead.