Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-09
PUBLIC FUNERAL SERVICE
Janitor Hitter Lives in Deadly
Fear.
PRECAUTIONS IN MANY CITIES
Promise Of Wholesale Arrests in
Chicago Because of Locked
Schoolhouse Doors.


one little white caskets We're placed be-
meath the ground in the cemetery In Col
unwood today. Of these seventeen con-
tanned bodies of the unidentified children
who lost their lives in the burning OF the
Lakeview School last Wednesday. The
other four caSkets contained the bodies or
identified children. but We're included in
the public funerals. as the expense Will
be borne by the village.
In connection with the public funeral
services were held at 10 O'Clock today In
eight churches OF various denominations
in memory of the missing ones
Following this a public memorial serv-
ice was held at the temporary morgue,
where the twenty-one caskets lay in a
long row. For this service large num-
Der Of persons had collected and it was
with great difficulty that the crowd was
handled by the large Gordon OF police
from Cleveland that had been loaned to
Coilinwood for the occasion.
Janitor Hirter IN Fear.
Fritz Hitter. janitor of the Inflated Col
linwood School, today fed to the house
of a relative. fearing violence from a
crowd of Collinwood citizens that was
searching for him, having heard that he
was missing.
Fire Marshal Brockman and his assist
ant found Hitter and obtained the first
complete statement he has made since the
fire. Hitter declared he was in the build
ing at the time the school caught fire and
admits that one of the rear doors In front
of which 159 school children persisted was
not open. He asserted that he opened it.
For Public's Safety.
The public schools of Cleveland will
be closed for two weeks as a result Of
the investigation started by the fire at
the Collinwood Lakeview school The
spring vacation will begin Tuesday in
stead Of two weeks later. and during the
time the schools are closed the doorways
will be altered and fire escapes will be
erected on those buildings needing them.
For two days Director Orr, the build
ing inspector and the chief Of the fire de-
partment have been making an investi-
cation Of the school buildings
From the conditions we found none
Of us was willing TO take the responsible
ity Of permitting the schools to remain
open until certain changes are made" said
Director Orr. 1t was found that more
than so per cent of the schools are what
the fire chief terms infiammable To
prevent a repetition of the Collinwood
disaster 100000 will be spent to put
the schoolhouses in proper shape
Inquest Continued.
When County Coroner Burke resumed
fixing the responsibility for the great loss
SoI1 FRS
julius DIETRICH. who lives near the burned
school, and also lives near the home OF
Janitor Fritz Hirter. testified that a few
minutes before smoke began issuing from
the Lakeview school building she saw the
janitor on the back porch of his home.
few minutes later she said Hirter came
from the rear of the school building. and.
with a poker, broke the glass In the front
school door.
Mrs. Dietrich's daughter, who was
saved. said she first attempted to escape
from the burning building through the
front door, but found it locked.
Janitor Hitter was at the hearing today
and was represented by an attorney.
City Fire Chief Wallace. who investi-
gated the ruins of the school. gave his
opinion as to the cause of the fire, and
stated that the janitor had told him that
he was in the school building at the time
the fire was discovered.
Wholesale Arrest Of Janitors.
CHICAGO March 9.-Wholesale arrests
Of janitors of public and private school
buildings where doors and exits have been
found locked by inspectors from the build
ing commissioners Office and fire depart
ment captains are promised for today.
The arrests will be the result of concerted
efforts Of the board of education, the
building. commissioner and the fire chief
to make Chicago schools safe.
A conference will be held today at
tended by Deputy Building Commissioner
knight. Fire Marshal Koran and School
Architect Dwight H. Perkins. Reports of
the 1875 fire captains who investigated the
public schools and the thirty building in
spectors who were instructed to go
through every private school in Chicago
will be reviewed and steps will be taken
for the arrest of persons found to be GRIM
inally negligent.
Although few reports have been received
by Chief Koran. many schools were
found with entrances blocked during
school hours. Private schools are said by
inspectors to be offenders in this respect
to greater extent than the public insti-
buttons.
: School Rooms Ordered Vacated.
MILWAUKEE,, March 9-The third
floors Of sixteen Of Milwaukee's public
schools were ordered vacated today by
Building Inspector Edward v. Koch be-
cause Of the absence of fire escapes.
The order was served on President A. S.
Lindemann Of the school board and was
issued by direction of Mayor Becker. In
spector Koch will today investigate the
condition of private and parochial schools,
and II any are found wanting in fire es-
cape equipment they will be required to
close until they conform to the law. E
High School a Death Trap.
POTTSTOWN, March 9.-Deputy Fac
tory Inspector Gus Egolf of Norristown
inspected the school buildings here and
found that as at present protected the
large High School building would be a
death trap in case Of fire or panic. Radi-
ators obstruct the passage to the fire es-
capes, and besides having this changed
the inspector will order the cutting down
of the walls so that the fire escape will
be on level with the floor.
1t is probable that some Of the other
school buildings will have to be provided
with fire escapes.
Building Permits Issued.
Inspector Ashford issued the following