Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-05
DEAD SCHOLARS
Al IL O'clock To-Day liz Bad
Been Identified By Parents
and frienGS.
Sc BODIES UNIDENTIFIED

Cleveland, O., March 5.-Up to
10 o'clock to-day 112 little bodies
had been identified from among the
| pupils of the Lake View school in
! Collinwood, who lost their lives in
the fire that gutted the school build
ing yesterday. Twenty-four hours
now have passed and the exact num-
Der of fatalities is unknown. The
number may reach 40. How many
bodies still are in the ruins il any
has not been positively determined.
Village firemen and voluntary assist
ants still are probing among the
smouldering ruins. So far 16S
bodies have been recovered. OF
these there remain fifty-six still TO
be identified. OF the fifty-six it is
generally admitted that practically
all will not be distinguished one
from the other. Their names will
be ascertained from the list of miss
ing.
The arrangements for great pub
lie funeral are being perfected. This
doubtless will take place not later
than Saturday. County Coroner DR.
T. A. Burke to-day began an investi-
CATION of the causes leading to the
terrible loss of life in the burning
of the school building. This work
on the part of the coroner is not only
official and in line with his regular
duties but he will go into the matter
thoroughly, his work being supple
mentary to the investigation being
conducted by the various Collinwood
officials, such as the board of educa-
ton and the village council. The
work of the Collinwood officials also
was resumed early to-day. So far
they have arrived at no definite con-
clusion as to the cause of the fire or
where to place the blame, if blame
is to be placed. 1t is generally ad-
mitted that the school building was
of approved fire proof construction
and that the calamity could not have
been averted, looked at from this
standpoint. Also it now is believed
that the fire did not have its origin
in the furnace or that it resulted
from the explosion of the heating
boiler. From the testimony so far
adduced the fire must have started
under the stairway leading from the
basement to the first floor of the
school building. The ianitor. Fred
Herter, maintains that there was no
waste or rubbish there. The Off
cials are trying to ascertain the
names of the three girls who are re-
ported to have been in the base
ment when the fire started and who
are said by the ianitor TO have first
notified him of the fire. Much de-
pends, ii is thought, upon the stories
these girls may be able to tell. The
officials desire to learn the exact rea-
son for the holocaust not only be-
cause it may be the means of pre-
venting repetition of the calam-
ity in the future and stand as
warning to other schools throughout
the country. but will to a degree ap-
pease the anxiety of the afflicted par
ents and the public in general In
this connection the ianitor has been
made to bear the major portion of
the blame. While the ianitor prac-
tically has cleared himself upon his
own testimony, yet the feeling
against him is high in Collinwood
Yesterday one father. erazed by his
grief, made an attempt upon the life
of Herter, but was restrained with
difficulty. Herter is being guarded
by the police. In addition to the
blame. whether justified or not,
being heaped upon him. Herter is
broken down with brief over the loss
of three of his own children In the
fire