Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-03-04
TOday's Telegraphic News.
BURNING OF SCHOOL BUILDING.
Many Small Children Burn to Death
Futile Attempts Of Fire men TO Res
cue SchoIars-DlstressIng Scenes.

MANY Small Children Burn to Death
Futile Attempts of Fire men to Res
cue SchoIars-Dlstresslng Scenes.
Cleveland, o., Mar. 4.-Fire is raging
in the Lskeyiew School at Oollinwood,
Cleveland suburb. Early reports in
dictate that q number OF children have
been injured in panic that resulted.
Cleveland, o., Mar. --latest esti-
mates from the scene Of the North Collin
wood School FIRE say over seventy-6Ve
children lost their lives. Nothing is
left of the building but the four wslls.
Thirty bodies have been taken from
the ruins. 1t Is feared the walls will
fall at any moment and entomb the other
bodies past hope of recovery. Collin
wood and Cleveland 6remen are working
10 the blazing ruins.
They are in peril Of instant death in
case the remaining walls fall.
Private homes near the fire have been
converted into temporary morgues. How
many bodies have been taken out there
cannot be estimated st present.
The children are trapped on the third
floor of the building with no means OF
escape. The OollinWood fire depart
ment is without sufficient ladders. The
Cleveland department is trying to put
up an aerial ladder in an attempt to
save some of the children.
Many children may have been buried
in the collapse of the lower floors.
The fire started from unknown causes
under the stairway leading up to the
third floor. The high school pupils
who occupied the lower floors were
enabled to escape. The lower grade
pupils, the smaller children, we're
csugh. in a trap. There were no fire
escapes on the building. At the fret
J alarm the high school pupils rushed for
the door, and the crush at the exits was
appalling.
Many of those who escaped the flames
we're injured 10 tho mad rush for safety.
The building is six stOrie, higd and Of
brick. Three hundred and fifty pupils
we're in attendance when the fire broke
out. The smaller children we're caught
when they ran to the head OF the stairs
snd we're beaten back by solid wall of
flames. Screaming they ran to the
windows. The children crowded to the
rear of the third aoOr where the smoke
was less dense. There they huddled
about the opened windows screaming
for help.
A later dispatch says that one hundred
children are believed to have lost their
lives in the fire.
A list of known dead is but partial.
Some estimates place the number of
dead at $50.
A great pile of bodies is at what was
the front door of the building. Mothers,
friends and 6remen are Juggling away at
the heap of debris is an unOrganized
search for bodies.
There were probably 80 children in
the building at the moment classes
were reciting.
The vanguard Of the panic stricken
children jsmmed against the big door.
Those behind push in. The first of the
little bodies we're crushed into almost
unacceptable masses.
One little lad leaped up and walked
over the tangled heap Of bodies to safety.
Others tried to follow. They piled up
higher and higher until those under-
meath suf ,cated.
Out tf from escape by the mass of
bodies at the front door the children on
| the second and third floor, then tried
the windows. The smallest ones who
we're reciting in the attic rooms were
carried down the FIRE escape to safety.
The others, too late, opened the win
dows and screamed for help. The little
ones went insane with fear and ran down
the stairs until they met the up-sweeping
flames and persisted.
The first and second floors finally fell
away nd at 1880 only the walls of the
building were left standing, and the
screams of the helpless, trapped children
had died away forever.
The scenes around the burning build
ing we're heart rending. The mothers OF
many of the children had come when the
news wss flashed through the little town
ship. Hundreds of relatives, brothers,
sisters aud friends jammed the little
school yard and the street. Mothers
plunged into the heap of bodies with
the fremen and frantically tugged at
the blsckened charred forms while the
flames ragged above them.
Cleveland, o., Mar. 4-Atl:3O p.
NJ. there we're 80 bodies at The Lake
Shore mOrgue. Of these FIVE are wOm-
co; the remainder are children.
It has been learned that the FIRE started
10 the basement from an oVerheaIed