The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-03-12
I7O CHILDREN DIE IN A FIRE
School Building Burns and Children Die
By Scores in Utter Helplessness

Janitor Herter could remember lit
tie Of what happened after the fire
started. ~ was sweeping In the base
ment,' he said, "when | looked up
and saw wisp of smoke curling from
beneath the front stairway.
81 ran to the fire alarm and pulled
the gong tbat sounded throughout the
building. fhen l ran first to the front
and then TO the rear doors. | can't
remember what happened next, ex-
ccpt that l saw the flames shooting all
about and the children running down
through them screaming. Some fell
, at the rear entrance and others STUN
bled over them. l saw my little Helen
among them. / tried to pull her out,
but the flames drove me back. | had
to leave my little child to die" Her
ter was badly burned about the head
After the fire had practically burn
ed itself out, the work Of rescuing
the bodies was begun by fremen and
railroad employees from the Lake
Shore shops. The railroad company
turned over one of its buildings near
by to be used as temporary morgue,
and thither the charred and broken
little bodies were removed as fast as
they could be dug from the ruins.
They were placed to rows in the Lake
Shore shop. Identifcations were
made only by means of clothing or
trinkets. The fire had swept away
nearly all resemblance to human fea-
lures. Distracted parents soon began
to gather and the work of Identify
ing the blackened and mangled corp
ses began.
The grewsome task Of taking out
the blackened torsos and bits Of
human remains was one of horror. A
line of rescurers was formed backed
by half dozen ambulances. AS the
bodies were untanglcd from the de-
bris they were passed along to the
strci chers and thence loaded Ill the
ambulance. Mercifully covered with
blankets ,the pitiful sights were veil
Ell from the crowd of curious. As
fast as g load was obtained it was
driven away to the improvIse,
morguc, to be succeeded by another
within short time.
Teacher Tells Story.
"It was awful [ can see the wee
things in my room holding out their
tiny arms and crying to me to help
them. Their voices are ringing in my
ears yet, and | shall never forget
them. When the alarm gong rang |
started the pupils to marching from
the building. When we started down
the front stairs we were met by SOL
i'd wall Of flame and clouds Of dense
smoke. We retreated, and when we
turned the children became panic
stricken and I could not do anything
with them. They became jammed in
the narrow stairway and I knew that
the only thing for me to do was to
get around to the rear door if pos
sible and help those who were near
the entrance. When | got there, af
ter climbing out Of a window | found
the children so crowded in the mar
row passageway that | could not pull
even one of them out. Those behind
pushed forward and as 1 stood there
the little ones piled upon one anoth-
er. Those who could, stretched out
their arms to me, and cried for me
to help them. | tried with all my
might to pull them out and stayed
there until the flames drove me
away"
At midnight there were 165 bodies
in the morgue Of which 10S had beer
identified ard 81 were still unknown.
It is possible that other bodies may
be found in the ruins, as at least Il
children are still missing and have /
not been heard from since the fire.