Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-03-05
loo Children
BURNED
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formerly lived in Detroit and was edu
Gated in Toledo
Miss Fisk, another teacher, was TAX
en- out alive, but she cannot live.
Burning through the cross supports
OF the first floor, the flames passed
upward until all three floors crashed
into a smoldering pile in the base
ment. After the fire had practically
burned itself out, the work of rescu
ing the bodies was begun by the fire
men and railroad employees from the
Lake Shore shops.
The railroad company turned ovel
one Of it's buildings nearby 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 five
hours practically had been recovered
They were placed in rows in the Lake
Shore shops. Identifcations were
made only by means of clothing or
trinkets. The fire had swept away
nearly all resemblance to human fea.
lures in majority of instances. Dis
tracted parents soon began to gather
and the work of identification of the
blackened and mangled corpses be.
gan.
The grewsome task of taking out
the blackened torsos and bits of hu.
man remains was one of horror.
A line of rescuers was formed, back.
ed by half dozen embulances. 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 veil
ed from the crowd of curious people
that stretched about the entrance OF
the structure, and as fast as a load
was obtained it was driven away to
the morgue to be succeeded by an
other within short time.
The sights of the human charnel
! house caused the men delving into
! the mass sof burned flesh to hesitate
but the work had to be done and done
quickly, so their feelings had to be
smothered for the time being as they
tenderly handled all that was mortal
of the little tots.
At the temporary morgue in the
Lake Short shops the scenes became
fourfold in intensity of human suffer
| ing as fathers, mothers, brothers and
sisters passed UP and down the lines
formed OF the one hundred and sfxt,
corpses. To facilitate identification
the bodies were numbered as they
were received at the morgue.
| The first Identification was made by
the mother of Nell and Tommy
! Thompson, aged six and nine years
respectively. hTe heads and arms
had been burned from both of the
bodies but the mother recognized
the shoes on their feet. ~
And so the disheartening work went
on, accentuated now and then BY
piercing shrieks or plaintive moa1
as loved one was recognized b.
clothing or tokens, such as a ring o.
i a necklace.
! About the burned school house
there are. but a few residences. II
one Of these Mrs. Clarke Sprung liv
ed. Her little boy, Alvon, aged z
was pupil in the second grade. Wher
the fire started the mother ran owe,
to the school and arrived when tn.
first floor was a mass of flames. A
window, on that floor she saw tn,
face of her boy.
i He recognized her and pleaded fo
4 help. Rushing across the street Mrs
Sprung secured stepladder and plac
4 ed it against the window. Climbin,
up SuS IedCuSu LUZ her boy. SQ(
caught him by the hair. 1t burned of
| in her hands and the lad fell bacl
into the flames.
i Desolation unspeakable hangs owe
the vicinity of the school and tn,
whole village of Collinwood TIL,
school board met in special session a
the temporary morgue late this afte-
noon to discuss the calamity, Will,
the coroner prepared to hold an in
quest to determine the cause ant
place the responsibility for the fire.
4 Miss Gollmar said: ''It was awful
I can see the wee things in my room
. holding out their tiny arms and cry
ing to me to help them. Their voic
es are ringing in my ears yet, ant
/ shall never forget them. When tn.
alarm rang started the pupils tt
II marching from the h1ildino Whoy