The San Francisco call., 1908-03-05
Continued from Page !. Column :

this exercise had always led to the
front door, and the children had not
been trained to seek any other exit
The IRE today came from the furnace.
situated directly under this part of the
- building. When the children reached
the loot Of the stairs they found the
hanlcs close upon them. and so swift a
rush was made for the door that in an
instant a tightly packed mass of chill
dreE was piled up against it,
From that second none OF those who
were aDon any portion of the first
hlght Of stairs had a chance for their
lives. The children at the foot of the
stairs attempted to fight their way
back 10 the floor above, while those
who were coming down showed them
mercilessly back into the flames.
In an instant there was a frightful
panie, with zoe OF the pupils hghting
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 fire escape and
the windows in the rear.
BODIES TELL PANIC TALE
What happened at the foot of that
first flight of stairs viii 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, huge heaps of little
bodies, burned by the fire. and tram
pied into things of horror. told the
tale as well as anybody need to
know st.
Various and unconhrmed statements
are made as to the cause OF the fire
and also that the doors of the build
ing had been locked at the front en-
trance, while but one door Of the rear
entry was unfastened. The janitor,
Fritz Herter, himself bereaved Of three
children, says that the doors, were
open according to custom, at any rate
the congestion of fleeing children in
the hallway below effsctually barred
the way, and the little ones went to
their death totally unable TO evade the
flames
Within three hours after the start
Of the FIRE il had burned itself out and
the work of recovering the bodies pro-
ceeded- The village fire department
had only two engines. and neither,
upon arrival after the alarm was
given, was at all effective in stem
ming the flames.
MEN OPEN DOOR TOO LATE
The school was constructed about
six years ago 1t was overcrowded
with pupils, and ii was found neces-
aary TO utilize the attic for those Of
ages between and s. Nearly all the
children were killed in the mass at
the first floor door. which finally was
opened by men from the Lake Shore
shops, who hurried to the scene
A wall OF flame had formed across
and most Of the children were dead by
the time the doors We're swung open.
approximately 500 children attended
the school, which had nine rooms.
JanitOr Herter could remember little
Of what happened after the fire started.
ae said, when I looked up and saw a
wisp Of smoke curling out from be-
meath the front stairway. I ran TO the
FIRE alarm and pulled the gong that
sounded throughout the building Then
I ran first 10 the front and then to
the rear doors.
SEES OWN CHILD DIE
Il cannot remember what happened
next. except that 1 saw the flames
shooting all about and the little chill
dren running down through them
screaming. Some fell at the rear en-
trance and others stumbled over them.
] saw my little Helena among them.
-ried 10 pun her out. but the flames
3rove me back I had to leave my lit
lie child 10 die"
Herter himself was badly burned
about the head
Miss Catherine Weller. one of the
nine teachers in the school. lost her
life in a vain effort TO marshal the
pupils Of her class and lead them to
safety. She died in the crush at the
rear door. Her room was on the sec
ond floor and when the fire alarm
sounded she marched her pupils out
into the hall thinking it was only
fire drill. There the truth dawned upon
both teacher and pupils and control
was lost
The children. in their frenzy. plunged
into the struggling mass ahead of
them. Miss Weller attempted to stem
the rush, but went down under it, and
her body was found an hour later be-
meath the pile Of her pupils. Miss
Fisk, another teacher. was taken out
alive. but she can not live.
FLOORS FALL IN FLAME
Burning through the cross supports
of the first floor, the flames passed
upward until all three floors crashed
into a blazing pile in the basement
After the fire. had practically burned
itself out the work of rescuing the
bodies was begun by firemen and rail-
road employees from the Lake Shore
shops
The railroad company turned over
one Of its buildings near by to be
used as a temporary mOrgue, and
thither the charred and broken little
bodies were removed as faSt as they
could be dug from the ruins. Within
i've hours practically all had been re-
moved.
They were placed in rows in the Lake
Shore shops. Identifications could be
made only by means of clothing or
trinkets The fire had swept away
nearly all resemblance to human fea-
lures in the majority Of instances Dis
tracted parents soon began to gather
and the work of Identification Of the
blackened and mangled corpses began.
The grewsonae task of taking out the
blackened torsos and bits of human
remains was one Of horror. A line Of
rescuers was formed. backed by half
dozen ambulsnces. AS the bodies were
untangled from the debris they were
passed along to the stretchers and
thence loaded in the ambulances-
Mercifully covered with blankets, the
pitiful sights were veiled from the
crowd Of curious that stretched about
the entrance TO the structure. AS fast
as load was obtained ii was driven
away 10 the improyised morgue.
MORGUE is IMPROVIsED
AT the temporary morgue in the Lake
Shore shops the scenes became four
fold in the intensity OF human suffer-
"a fhers rnofberS brofbers NJ