Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-05


her, and If she could not be saved at
once she could not be saved at all.
Upton sprang to help her and with all
his strength sought to tear her from
the weight that was pressing her down
and from the flames which were creep
Ing close. Although he worked with
a desperation Of despair, his strength
was unequal to the task. He fought
on until his clothing was partly burn
ed from him and the skin of his face
and hands were scorched black. 9th.
err men attempted to induce him to
move, but he refused until he saw
that his girl was dead and that he
could not save her Life by sacrificing
his own. az
All Over In Half an Hour.
The flames spread with such terrific
rapidity that within thirty minutes
from the time the fire was discovered
the schoolhouse was nothing but few
blackened walls surrounding cellar
filed with corpses and debris.
The firemen dashed into the blazing
wreckage and with rakes, forks SHOW
els and their bare hands worked in the
most frantic manner with the hope Of
saving a few more lives. They were
unsuccessful, for none was taken alive
from the ruins after the floors col
lapsed. Fragments of incinerated
limbs, skulls and bones were found
almost at every turn.
The great majority of the little bodies
that were taken from the ruins were
burned beyond all possible recognition.
And it is no small part Of the sorrow
which is bearing down the people of
North Collinwood that positive identifi-
cation of many of the children will
never be made.
Little Heroine Saves Brother.
One of the heroines of the catastro.
phe was little Marie Whitman of 5217
Lake street. She ran through the
smoke filed halls and grasped her lit
tie brother, whom she managed to drag
from the room and take out through a
window, both Of them being nearly
strangled with smoke.
Miss Gollmar, one of the teachers,
said:
1T was awful. l 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 build
ing. When we started down the front
stairs we were met by solid wall OF
fame and clouds Of dense smoke. We
retreated, and when We turned the
children became panic stricken, and ]
could not do anything with them. They
became jammed in the narrow stair
way, and / knew that the only thing
for me to do was to get around to the
rear door If possible and help those
who were near the entrance. When ]
got there after climbing out Of win
dow I found the children so crowded
in the narrow passageway that could
not pull even one of them out. Those
behind pushed forward, and as stood
there the little ones piled up on one
another. Those who could stretched
out their arms to me and cried for me
to help them. I tried with all my might
to pull them out and stayed there until
the flames drove me away"
. Teachers Marrow Escape.
Another teacher, Miss Pearl Lynn
narrowly escaped death. She was car
ried toward the rear entrance by the
rush of the panic stricken pupils and
fell at the bottom Of the stairs, with
numbers Of the children on top Of her
She lay there unable to rise because OF
the weight of the bodies upon her. She
was dragged from the mass Of dead
children just In time to save her OWE
life.
One of the scenes of supreme hor
ror that attended the fire occurred at
the rear doorway of the building be
fore the firemen arrived. This door
like the one in front. opened inward
and 1t was locked. The children were
piled up high against ii, and when II
finally was broken down by their
weight and by the fire that had part
ly burned and weakened 1t the women
who had gathered outside saw before
them a mass Of white faces and strug.
Cling bodies. The flames swept over
A. at.Ia ,,rhfIo ths x,-nfaap Gtann baIf
less. unable to lend a hand TO aid the
children. Many Of the women were
unable to withstand the sight and
dropped faInting to the ground. The
fire department was late in reaching
the building, and when Il came the
apparatus was found TO he inadequate.
Child Dies Before Mothers Face.
Among those who sought vainly
through the morgue for their chill
dren was Mrs. John Phillis OF Poplar
street, whose ffteen-year-oid daugh-
ter Is among the dead. Her attention
was called TO the Are BY her four
year-old son. who called her to come
TO the window "and see the children
playing on the fire escape" Mrs.
Phillis ran to the schooIhouse and
found her daughter among those pen
ned In around the front door. She
took hold Of her hands. but could not
pull her out.
Il reached in and stroked her head
said Mrs. Phillis. trying to keep the
fire from burning her hair. I staid
there and pulled at her and tried tn
keep the Ere away from her till a
hearr niece Of Glass Eel On ne cut.