Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-03-12
school Children Perish In Burning
Building at COllinwOod, Sub
urb Of Cleveland, OniO.
the NUMBER MAY REACHl7O
The Panic Stricken Little Ones Piled
Up In Front Of clesed
Doors at Foot Of
Stairway.

barrow Railways, jammed up against
loors that only opened inward between
)ne hundred and sixty and one hun
dred and seventy children in the su-
curb OF North Collinwood Wednesday
were killed by fire, by smoke and be-
heath the grinding heels OF their
panIc-stricken playmates.
The awful tragedy occurred Wednes-
day morning in the public school OF
North Collinwood, ten miles east OF
this city. At ten o'clock Wednesday
night 165 corpses were In the morgue
at Collinwood, six children were still
unaccounted for and all the hospitals
and houses for two miles around con-
tanned numbers OF children, some fat
ally, and many less seriously injured.
All Of the victims were between the
ages OF 6 and IL years. The school
contained between three hundred and
ten and three hundred and twenty-five
pupils, and of this entire number only
about eighty are known to have left
the building unhurt. 1t will be sew
eral days before the exact number OF
killed is known as the ruins may still
contain other bodies, and the list Of
fatalities may be increased by a num-
Der of deaths among the children who
are now lying in the hospitals hover
Ing between life and death.
The school house was Of brick, two
stories and an attic in height. The
number of pupils was more than nor.
mally large, and the smaller children
had been placed in an attic OF the
building. There was but one fire es-
cape, and that was In the rear OF tue
building. There we're two stairways,
one leading to door in front and the
other to a door in the rear Both OF
these doors opened inward and 1t is
claimed the real door was locked.
When the flames were discovered
the teachers throughout seem to have
acted with courage and self posses
sion, and to have struggled heroically
for the safety of their pupils, mar
shalled the little ones into column for
the "fire drill' which they had often
practiced.
Unfortunately the line OF march in
this exercise had always led to the
front door and the children had not
been trained to seek any other exit.
The fire came from furnace situated
directly under this part Of the build
ing. When the children reached the
foot OF the stairs they found the flames
close upon them, and so swift q rush
was made for the door that In an In
slant a tightly packed mass of chill
dren was piled up against 1t. From
that second none Of those who were
upon any portion Of the first flight Of
stairs had a chance for their lives. The
children at the foot Of the stairs at
tempted to fight their way back to the
floor above while those who were COM
ing down showed them mercilessly
back into the flames below. In an in
slant there was a frightful panic with
200 Of the pupils fighting for their
lives. Most Of those who were killed
died here. The greater part of those
who escaped managed to turn back
and reached the are escape and the
windows In the rear.
What happened at the foot Of that
iirst flight Of stairs will never be
known for all Of those who were
caught in the full furry Of the panic
were killed. After the flames had died
away, however, scores Of little bodies,
burned by the IRE and trampled into
things Of horror told the tale a. we'll
as anybody need to know 1t.
Besides the children who we're
killed inside the building three little
girls, Mary Ridgeway, Anna Roth and
Gertrude Davis were instantly killed
by leaping from the attic to the
ground.
Miss Ethel Rose, teacher on the
FIRST floor Of the building, whose pu-
pills we're youngest In the school, man.
aged to get all but three Of her
charges out Of the building In safety,
Two Of the smaller ones she carried
In her arms.
Aft.. Auno Hn-nn Al. v.t..t..l -