The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-03-05
LITTLE ONES BURN.
Fire Horror In Cleveland
Suburban School.
OVER A HUNDRED AND FIFTY DIE
More Than Three Hundred Children
In Death Trap.
OVER A HUNDRED AND FIFTY DIE
MANY KILLED IN WILD STAMPEDE

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Lake View school mt COllinwoOd,
Destroyed During school Hours,
Brought Worst Disaster In Years,
Victims All Children of From Six
Only Perished with Little Ones.
Fire Drill Failed as Result of Jam
Where stairways Converged at the
Main Entrance, Locked Doors Com
pleting the Observation-Disclosures In
Vain Tried to Drag Their Children
From Henped Up Pile of Burning
Human Bodies.
CLEVELAND, O.. March 5.-Three
hundred and sixty children, nearly all
Of them between the ages of six and
fourteen, were entrapped when fire
started in the Lake View school. an
old building, at Collmwood, a suburb.
The police estimate Of the number Of
dead as the result Of the terrific panic
that followed is 10, and it is believed
that the list may be increased, as 1852
bodies have been taken out. Scores are
injured, many of them fatally, some Of
them burned and others suffering from
being trampled upon in the rush to
escape. OF the dead many are so badly
burned that Identification Is impossible.
Hours after the fire was extinguished
the number OF those missing approach
ed the hundred mark.
Most of the children were killed as
the result Of the jam at the main en-
trance to the school, at which different
stalrways cOnverged. Many Of the pu-
pills fell here, and the others behind
piled on top Of them In an lnextricable
mass. The same condition resulted in
the only other door through which es-
cape was possible. 1t is thought that
many of those in the bottom Of the
heaps were crushed to death before the
flames reached them.
In the awful panic which ensued i'm
mediatoly after the first cry of fire the
only two exits soon became choked
with children, who heaped on one an
other and were smothered to death.
Three little girls met instant death in
attempting to jump to safety from the
third floor Of the burning building.
They were Mary Ridgeway. Anna Roth
and Gertrude Davis.
Thus death In one Of its most terrible
forms claimed between $50 and 17O
little children of tender age when the
building, catching fire from defective
furnace In the basement, was wrecked
in the space of half an hour.
The building being inadequately pro-
vided with fire escapes, the children
were unable to make their way to the
lower floors In time to escape the
flames as they shot up from the base
ment and cut of egress. Starting about
$50 O'clock In the basement from the
Overheated furnace, the fire gained ire
mendous Roadway before its presence
was noted. The fire drill was inaugu.
rated at once, and those In the rooms
on the lower floors quickly moved out
OF the building. But when the panic
stricken little ones In the upper rooms
attempted to make their way to the
stairway the jam Of uncontrolled and
fear stricken children grew until but
few were able to extricate themselves
and they persisted almost within teacl
OF safety.
Various and unconfirmed statements
are made as to the cause of the fire
and also that the doors of the building
had been locked at the front entrance
while but one door of the rear entry
was unfastened. The janitor. Fritz
Herter, himself bereaved of three chill
dren, says the doors were open, ac
cording to custom. At any rate the
congestion Of fleeing children In the
hallway below effectually barred the
way. and the little ones went to theil
death totally unable to evade the
flames.
Within three hours after the star
OF the fire II had burned itself com
pletely out, and the work of recover
ing the bodies proceeded. The village
fire department had only two engines
and neither upon arrival after thu
alarm was given was at all effectiv,
In stemming the flames.
The school was two story and at
tic brick building constructed abou
six years ago. 1t was overcrowde,
with pupils, and 1t was found neces
sary to utilize the attic for those o
the ages between six and eight. Near
" all the children were killed in tn
mass at the first floor door, whel
finally was opened by men from tn
Lake Shore railway shops. who hun
ried to the scene. A wall of fam
had formed across 1t, however, an,
most of the children already wer
dead by the time the doors wer
swung open.
Approximately 800 children attend
Ell the school, which had nine rooms.
.!anitor IIerter could remember llttl
of what happened after the fire star
ed. II was sweeping in the base
nlent." he said, '"Shcn l loo ed u
and saw wisp Of smoke curling on
iro.n beneath the front stairway.
ran TO the fire alarm and pulled III
gong that sounded throughout til