Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-03-13
CHILDREN DIE
IN SCHOOL FIRE
aITTLE ONES PERISH At COLLIN
WOOD, A SUBURB OF
CLEVELAND.
HUNDRED AND FIFTY BODIES.
Terrorized Scholars Block the Doors and
Fall a Prey to the Relent-
less Flames.
FRENZIED PARENTS POWERLESS.

CLEVELAND, O., Mrach 4.-Scores
Of young lives were crushed out in Il
are which completely destroyed the com
mon school building il CoIlinwood, q
suburb, this morning.
1t o'clock this afternoon ] IS bodies
had been removed from the burned build
Ing including that Of Miss Iiskc, one Of
the teachers. At the above hour the
list Of missing numbered almost 100.
Tie fire was started by an ovcrheatcd
furnace, and in the panic which ensured
Whcn 400 children attempted to get out
Of the building through one exit and the
windows, ut least $50 of them were
killed or burned to death.
The school was Of the common grade
and contained children ranging in age
from years to IA.
MANY ARE STILL MISSING.
The flames spread quickly to all parts
OF the building. 1t was only n moment
before the structure was filled with
smoke, and the pupils were crushed and
terribly burned in their attempt to get
out. VI the nine teachers, seven had
been accounted for this afternoon.
Charrcd bodies were piled five deep in
possible to identify them
Men who arrived at the scene to assist
in the rescue work used rakes in hauling
the bodies out. One man pulled the arms
Of his little daughter from her body in
attempting to rescue her from the burn
ing building.
There were two exits i'm the school
house, but it is stated that one Of these
was locked. Those who fell in the open
doorway were trampelcd upon by those
behind and soon the doorway was i'm
passablc.
CORONER MAKES STATEMENT.
County Coroner Burks Immediately
after the fire said:
The construction Of the school house
was an outrage. The Railways were mar
row and there was practically but one
mode Of exit. The children were caught
like rats in n trap"
The school building was supposed to be
practically modern, although erected
three or four years ago. The school chill
drcn had been given fire drills, and were
supposed to be in training for Just such
an emergency. When the crucial mo-
mcnt arrived. the drill was FORGOTTEN.
and there was not the slightest effort at
an orderly or prompt escape Instead.
the children jumped from their seats and
rushed for the schOolrO0m doors. When
they encountered the flames in the hall
ways they rushed back to escape by the
windows. Many jumped to the ground
SPECTATOR CATCHES CHILDREN.
A man who was carly on the scene,
caught five children In his arms as they
jumped one after the other from the
second or third story windows These
five escaped without injury
Those who continued through the hall
ways either met death in flames there
ipu t, I,D =,
exit, only to be blocked by those wndccd
i'm the doorway and consumed by the
flames which were crowdng them on
ward. The greater number Of children
escaped from the main door before ii
became choked,
ESCAPE BY WINDOWS.
The frightened and panic stricken chill
dren turned to escape by windows and
any other means that could be found.
Escape was cut off by the flames which
by this time, had spread throughout the
rooms The building was of brick vet
this did not retard the progress Of tn,
flames.
In few minutes the lower floor fell
DrecipltatinC scores Of children to the
basement. among the burning pmbcrs.
The scene about the building was
hcartrendinG. Quickly the news of the
terrible catastrophe spread throughout
the village and hundreds of narcnts
were crowding about the building in
search of their girls and boys
SEE WRITING FORMS.
In a few minutes twenty bodies had
been taken from the ruins Plainly the
writing forms OF dozens of others could
be seen in the basement Nearby fac
tories dismissed their men and instruct
ed them 10 assist in the rescue They
hraved the fire and made heroic efforts
II.
HELP FROM CLEVELAND.
Practically every ambulance in the
eastern part of Cleveland was called. as
we'll as every available physician
Many children rescued are fatally in
jured, either by fire or being trampled
upon. Scores of children have been tax
en- to city hospitals.
Three little girls met instant death
in attempting to jump to safety from the
third floor of the burning building They
were Mary Ridgeway, Anna Roth and
Gertrude Davis.
PULLS ARMS FROM BODY.
\ man named Dorm, who arrived upon
the scene early, and at the time the
children were crowded in the front door,
discovered his little girl among the mass
of injured and crushed. He caught the
girl by the hand and in his frantic eff
forts to save her, pulled her arms from
her body.
The four children of the janitor Of the
building lost their lives in the fire.
MOST HORRIBLE PANIC.
The panic that had worked such fear
full results inside the building spread
to the helpless crowd outside, but only
for a brief time. Organized efforts at
rescue were soon under way. Firemen
played streams upon the piles of bodies
in the doorways and tried to drag out
bodies with rakes and other implements
Ambulances and automobiles were soon
available to take the injured to hospitals.
After the fire had been reduced some