The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-05
LITTLE ONES DIE
 IN FIERY FURNACE
(oontlnaed from Page one.l

rush of the panic stricken pupils and | fell at the bottom of the stairs with numbers of the children on top of her. ! She lay there unable to rise because of the weight of the bodies upon her. She was dragged from the mass of dead children just in time to save her own life.
 One of the scenes of supreme horror that attended the fire, occurred at the | rear doorway of the building before the firemen arrived. This door, like the one in front, opened inward, and | 1t finally was broken down by heir weight and because of the lire that had partly burned and weakened it, the women who had gathered on the out side saw before them a mass of white faces and struggling bodies. The flames swept over the aisle while the women stool helyless, unable to lift | a hand to aid the ch hildren. Many of | the women were unable to withstand the sight, and dropped faintins to the ground.
 The fire department was late in reaching the building. and when st came the apparatus was inadequate and ! the men were volunteers. there being l no paid fire department in the suburb. The water pressure was not sufficiently strong to send a stream to the second story window. Moreover. the firemen
 
 third floor. The volunteers did what they could, but within a few moments after their arrival. the task was one for ambulances alone.
 After the bodies had been taken to the temporary morgue, fin the Lake Shore shops, they were laid in rows of ten. The first Identification was that of Eels Thompson, q boy, who was identified by his mother, who knew his suspender buckle.
 Mothers Agony.
 Among those who sought vainly through the morgue for their children was Mrs. John Phillips of Polar Street, whose 15-year-old daughter was among the dead. Her attention was called to the fire by her 4-year-old son, who called her to come to the window and ''see the children playing on the fire escape" Mrs. Phillips ran to the school house and found her daughter among those penned in around the front door. She took hold of her hands but could not pull her out.
 ''I reached her and stroked her head" said Mrs. Phillips. trying to keep the fire from burning her hair. stayed there and pulled and tried to keep the fire away from her till a heavy piece of glass fell on me, cutting my hand nearly of. Then fell back and my girl died before my face"
 Dale Clark, 6 years old. was identi- fled by a little pink border handker- chief in which he had wrapped new bright green marble. The body of made known by fragment of watch chain.
 At 10 o'clock tonight 1t was said that sixty bodies had been identined.
 All of the victims were between the ages of 6 and IT years. The school contained between BIO and 325 pupils, and of this number only about eighty are known to have left the building unhurt. Ii will be several days before the exact number of killed is known, as the ruins may still contain other bodies, and the list of fatalities may be increased by number of deaths among the children who are now lying in the hospitals. lowering between life and death.
 The school house was of brick, two stories and an attic in height. The number of pupils was more than nor mally large and the smaller children had been placed in the upper part of the building. There was but one fire escape and that was in the rear of the building. There were two stairways one leading to a door In front and the other to a door In the rear, both of tn ese doors opened inward. and 1t Is claimed the rear door was locked as well.
 To Make Investigation.
 Deputy State Fire Marshal Nathan Fiegenbaum made an inspection of the ruins after the fire and tonight de- clared positively that the doors of the school house opened toward the inside and that the rear door was locked when the children reached 1t, He declared that his investigation had so far fail ed to establish the caSse of the fire.
 Word was received in Cleveland to- night that Governor Andrew L. Harris had ordered the state officers to make a prompt and searching investigation Into the cause of the fire. He also directed that the examination extend to the pubIic schools generally. The Collinwood council tonight began an investigation. Several witnesses were examined but no important inforua- ton was developed.