Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-03-07

Bodies Recovered rom the Ruins Of
the Building Were So BIaeksnSd and
charTsd that Identification In Many
Instance Wac impossible.
Cleveland, o. March 6.-OnA nun
dred and slxty-fve lives. all but two
Il them children between the ages
of six and fifteen years, are known to
have been lost In the Are which, on
Wednesday, destroyed the public
school In north COllingwOod. 10 miles
east OF this city.
Several others still are missing and
their bodies may possibly be in the
ruins.
II probably will be several days be
fore the exact number Of dead h &C
curately determined.
OF the 165 bidies recovered, 1903 have
been positively identified and 81 still
are unknown.
Bodies BlackenSd and Charrsd.
The bodies are 10 blaekenOd by fre
and smoke; 90 battered and bruised
By trampIing feet, that there Is no
human chance OF their identity being
establish from anything which they
TeSmblsd In their hf0 time.
II 10 only by means OF some article
Of wearing apparel that their names
can be ascsrtained.
The cause OF the IRE, which, aided
By q panic, narrow hallway and doors
which It Is claimed by many were
made to open toward the inside. all
n q mystery.
It was first supposed that 1t came
from an OverheRted furnace or an ex'
ploding boiler In the basement OF tho
school house. 1t has been establish
OA that there was no explosion, and
che janItor Of the school, Fred Her
ter, three OF whose children died With;
In arms length Of thsir father, do
eIares that It could not have come
from the furnace.
Believes Fire Of lneendlary Origin.
l.. r. Gardner. q member OF the
school board. il positive in his aSser'
ton the Ore was OF incendiary origin,
In that portion of the building where
lt was discovered, there are no cleo
trio wires, there was no direct means
Of creating heat.
There was in the building At the
Zine the IRE was discovered between
$50 and S7S pupHS. They were under
the control Of nine teachers. Two OF
these are SInoDg the dead,
The school waS over-crowdSd ann
aiaTters had been provided for tie
younger children 10 the attic. suan;e
"a II may seem, more OF the pupils
escaped from this part Of the school
Guiding than from any other. the
ohIldren we're under GOOD discipline.
Ghey haa been praeticed trequsntly In
enc firo drill. their teachers Without
exception retained their self.posses
uion, Allowing great courage In the
2ncs Of Imminent death. and yet more
than half Of these little o0es died
Aorrfbly because Of faulty building Ar
sangSmsnts.
The school house was two stories
and . han In height. ths whils hsins
Of brick and concrete. Inside Il VA
q shell which burned With almost ~
conceivable rapidly.
scene Had Few Parsllsls.
For supreme borTUr the scenes that
weso enacted around the rear oooE Of
ehis iIl-Gated school have lad few
paraIIels 10 this or any other eoun-
cry. little chlidrsn were piled upon
each other, Slx and eight deep. Whils
strong mea ard frantic uothsfs strug
esea vita desperation N TeieaSs them
ysk sAibed and were compeils1 70 stand
Saek and - the little Onss de eesOFs
eAsir syes.
Ono uomrn foasd her OSa daugAtei
a. this press ara Stroked her hair
and nnae 81 effort 20 ksep thp nAnsa
away. sAe fhfiaa and tAs ehild Nas
Alarmed 10 aeagA Skils her DotHer
Aelpiess, tooked o..
Fron The uposE aoors q The balls
ang twu ssairNays 0Gsred exii On
e ehens is4 - fka fFunt eegs. az
oshsr - ~ eucs n 80 resF g -
- - nns p'aes rt4 tAe to- = e,