New-York tribune., 1908-03-07
FIRE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL
THREATENS $500 PUPILS.
building Emptied IN Half Minute
BIZ Perfect Drill.

A lively hlaze which 1or tine threatened PUBIC
School ls5 n West losth stree,. between Broadway
s-o Amsterdam avenue, was discovered ABOUT II
O'Clock yesterday morning, and before t was e&-
-irgusshsd eid about s5oo damage. AT nc time cur =
ing TIE excitement attending the fire vss there the
iesst disorder among the twenty-thrse hunorea
children IN rhe school and the manner IN whlch
1ne school was eTnrtiec within thirty seconds after
TIE fire discovered showed how wei the n'e
<r1l had been taught the pupils.
The clans Of the engines they responded TO the
private CALL the drivers. with the Collinwood dls
fresh in their minds. urging ther horses 70
the utmost along the slippery pavernen1s brought
rsszv e The parents 10 the schoohouse, and there
were many affecting scenes as anxious fathers and
1ao:hers embraced their children as they marched
ont Of the school II necessary TO summon the
polics reserves from the West 1@hh street staTion
- keen hack sIse crowds
The FIRE was discovered N stcreroom on the
fourth foo- Of the schooIhouse which IS U-shaped
1reproof building fronting II h9th street ana
reaching back TO 1sth street lie Roy Herbert one
II the teachers. discovered the fire. closed the ooor
of TIE storeroozn and ran down the hallway 10 me
junction Of the LIS where he sounded The IRE
gong. In z second books were dropped and the
children formed in lines every one srll De
Hev1ng that Il only test
Herbert continued his way until he reached
the private hrebex IN the school. which he rang,
sending n the alarm 10 Fire Headquarters. bring
ing apparatus from blocks around He then took
Up his position stairway 10 direct the exit O.
the scholars
BY this time the smoke had spread through the
building hUt not noticed until the doors Of the
x-Udv reeEns were opened for the lines march 70
the starwsys- Then every one. from the youngest
kindergarten pupil 70 Principal Gadolss knew u
real fire With cool deliberatien the boys
IN the elder grades, as they had been instructed,
I'd their stations the stairways and landings
prevent what fatal II the Ccllinweod
Tre-s pani1- As TIRE children marched down the
stairway. one Of the teachers started the air &
Marching Through Georgia" and Immediately The
whole school Joined n. their voices carrying
FOR blocks IN all directions. This finished. the
same teacher started My Country Tis of Thee"
snd by tire time this had been sung through the
whole building was deserted
Some Of The drs apparatus was already On the
scene when the street reached and for fear
r-as of tke children u,ighr injured by the
plugging horses they were al drawn up IN the
courtyard ef the school and kept there until the
poice could clear passage for them through the
thousands OF anxious ones who thronged the neigh
ho-food. No tine zas allowed the children 70 get
their hats and coats until the IRE was all over,
when Ihev were distributed
When that call came II. said 2 husky fireman
whose Two boys were pupils the school and I
realized what = was could hardly wait until We
reached rhe building We have one Of tHe fastest
pst- OF horses on the JOB" he said with pride.
hut they seemed Just 70 crawl al the way down
there The first thing 7 was ny boys and
-her started % tel sena Of the Others that moth
ing could hsp2sp u that building now 1ha- I was
rhers
Public School 7s5 as built n 1so- Z Is al FIRE
EroOt and has fifteen sIa5rwavs. with exits in
1sth street ard two II so91a street After the FIRE
chief Binns sus DEPUTY Fire Marshal Mcguire
rcund there has been two distinct blazes one in a
locker and another II Z desk n The same room
They are making -ts1d investigation James Al
eEander, the 5anitor OF the school said he believed
re fire vas caused by spontaneous combustion
= 7. ! Snyder. Superintendent OF School Build
1ngs. IS n Cleveland locking into the Coll-nWood
NE. II order 70 remedy any defects there might
cs II local school Buildings puI il said his
ofcs yesterday that. although some Of the schools
n uss IN ne city were OF the cid wooden kind.
-hsy vere al well equipped n case Of fire and
there .eec be no fear The part Of parents that
1he Collirwccc disaster would be repeated here
Within tbs lzs- few months Ihe-e have been sew
e-sl small ares n local schoclheuses Public schoa
8 Lexington svenus and esth street, had three N
-hs last year. On March : there was Z s-.au IRE
n Public School Is. IL West 18th street.
o-1l was sounded srd the children marched ont
without any 6lsordrr. TIE excellent disclpI5re Of
rs tTe1ty-three hundred children II School lbs
yesterday Is sourCe Of much sa-5s1sc 70 the
rrsnhsrs Of The Beard Of Education. and unsrnLsd
= T1s sceccl tcr lis maintenance