Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-05
PUBLIC FUNERAL
At COLLINWOOD
Calamity Stricken Village win
Bury Its Dead on
Saturday.
THREE GIRLS BEING SOUGHT.
Were in Basement When Fire
Started and May Know
Origin.
One Frantic Father Tries to Kill jan,
itor Herler---Feeiing Runs High
Against Him.

Cleveland, O., March 5.-Late this
afternoon 16l bodies had been taken
from the ruins of the Lakevew school
in Collinwood, where 1t is thought $50
school children lost their lives yester-
day OF the number of bodies recovered
l29 have been Identified. Judging from
the number now thought to be miss
Ing there may be fully 20 more bodies
In the ruins. which have been burned
Ia ashes.
So far l6s bodies have been recovered.
OF these there. remain SO stil to be lden-
tilted.
or the Sc, it is generally admitted
that practically none will be distln-
guished one from the other.
Their names must be ascertaincd from
the list of missing
great public funeral win take place
tomorrow or Saturday
INVESTIGATION BY CORONER.
County Coroner n A. Burke today
began thorough investigation of tho
causes leading to the terrible loss Of
life. His work will be supplementary
to the investigation being conducted
by the various Collinwood officials, such
as the board of education and the Wiz
lago council
The work OF the Collinwood officials
also was resumed early today So far
they have arrived at no definite conclu-
sion as to the cause OF the fire or
whore to place the blame, If blame is
to be placed
1t is generally admitted that the
school building was of approved fine
proof construction and that the calam-
ity could not have been averted looked
at from this standpoint. Also it now is
believed that the fire did not have it's
origin in the furnace or result from
the explosion OF the heat boiler. From
the testimony so far adduced the FIRE
must have started under the stairway
| leading from the basement to the first
floor of the building.
NO RUBBISH THERE.
The janitor. Fred Herler. stoutly main
tains that there was no waste or rubbish
there. The officials are doubling their
efforts to ascertain the names OF the
three girls who are reported TO have
been In the basement at the time the
fire started and who are said by the
ianitor to have first notified him of the
fire. Much depends, 1t Is thought upon
tho stories these girls may be able TO
tell.
These are the problems that are con-
fronting the officials. The latter desire
to learn the exact reason for the holo-
caust. not only because II may be the
means of preventing a repetition of the
calamity In the future and stand as a
warning to other schools throughout tho
country, but will. to a degree, appease
the anxiety of the afflicted parents and
the public in general. In this conner-
ton, the janitor has been made TO benr
the major portion of the blame.
TRIED TO KILL JANIToR,
While the 1anltor practically has
cleared himself upon his own testi-
mony. yet the feeling against him Is
high In ColluWood Yesterday one faith
or crazed by his grief. made an at
tempt upon the life of Herler, but was
restrained with difficulty. Herler Is be-
ing guarded by the police. In addition
to the blame whether justified or not, be-
ing hoaped upon him, Herlsr is broken
down with grief over the loss OF three
OF his own children I'm the fire. As the
cay wore on, the belief became general
that the number Of dead might total
upwards of 1880 While 1913 bodies had
been recovered, IL was stated by ex-
CYvil Engineer Gould that he was OF
the opinion that possibly 70 more bodies
still were In the ruins, burned to ashes.
He based this opinion upon the differ
once between the number of bodies re-
covered and the number reported miss
ing.