The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-03-13
FIRE DRILLS IN NORFOLK
ANY BUILDING EMPTiED IN MIN.
UTE AND QUARTER.
CONDITION OF THE BUILDINGS

Fire Drill Was Taken Up in the New
Lincoln School Building Yesterday
For the First Time-Dril in Some
Schools Since Fall.
The terrible story of the Cleveland
school fire flashed across the wires
just few days before the anniver-
sary of the burning of the Norfolk
high school building has turned the
thoughts of Norfolk fathers and moth
ers towards the question of the safety
of their own school boys and girls.
The conditions in Norfolk school
buildings are not ideal in regard to
easy access from the buildings. Most
of the buildings were put up a good
many years before the public mind
had been aroused by a series of dis
astrous fires in public buildings.
| A system of fire drills have been
in effect in the Norfolk schools since
last September. City Superintendent
e. j. Bodwell introduced the fire drill
when the high school was installed
temporarily in the Olney building.
Most of the schools of the city can
be emptied in a minute and a quarter
or less.
Quick Fire Drill.
Yesterday the fire drill was called
in several schools. At the Olney
building the students who leave by
the north entrance were out of the
| N q nj
Those who leave by the south en-
trance got out of the building in half
a minute. The new Lincoln building,
where the fire drill was never intro
duced until yesterday, was emptied
in minute and a quarter. At the
Washington school in the Junction
the fire drill is held once or twice a
week. The Grant school empties in
a minute and a quarter.
The old high school building was
always regarded as a fire-trap by sew
eral members of the school board.
When the question of a new high
school building came up these men,
exits in case of fire. In this respect
it is said that the new high school
building is we'll arranged.
!. 1T is hard to think of the death of
those little children in Ohio as an
incident which will safeguard thou
sands of other children over the coun-
try but that Cleveland fire is going
to make a change in the new school
buildings erected" said Superinten.
dent Bodwell this morning. more
attention is going to be paid to max,
, ing it easy for the pupils to get out OF
the buildings in case of fire.
"The situation in Norfolk is to a
certain extent relieved by the fact
that there is a relatively small mum
Der of pupils in all of the grade build,
ings, the point of congestion always
having been the high school building
which has held the seventh anC
eighth grades in addition to the high
school. The new high school build
ing will be more safe building.
( There are $50 pupils in the Gran
building. That has the biggest at
s tendance. Take in the west Lincolr
e building there are 175 pupils. All o
a the doors swing outward. They ar,
n locked until $50. After that the
n doors are unlocked and usually open
J. Notice of a fire drill is Away
e given Unexpectedly and often catche
O the students at work at the black
k boards. The fire drill can empty
n building safely provided the fir
n doesn't cut off the exits. That is VIII
It two exits in opposite ends of a builC
e. ing are SO essential"
A report that the city school builC
ings were locked after school wa
called was vigorously denied by No
= fplL school authorities