Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-05
LITTLE ONES DIE
IN SCHOOL FIRE.
H.
Many Children Crushed and
Burned In Ohio Horror.
FATAL BLOCK AT DOORS.
Panic EnSues When Victims Find
Exits Barred.
FATAL BLOCK AT DOORS.
Die BEFOREEYESOF HELPLESSPARENTS

Brick Building Of Two Stories Burned
to the Ground With Crowds Of Ter
ror Stricken Youngsters, Caught Be-
tween Blazing Furnace and Blocked
Esress-Teachers Endeavor to Save
Their Charges by Means of Useless
"Fire DriII"-Identifeatio Of Many
Charred Bodies Impossible.
Cleveland, o., March 5.-Investiga.
ton of the ruins of the burned school
house at North Collinwood, ten miles
east of this city, together with the re-
ports of scores of missing children rem
dered by grief stricken parents, shows
that the number of little victims Of fire
and panic is much greater than was at
first reported.
Between 100 and 40 children lost
their lives by fire, smoke and the
crushing of their tender bodies under
the feet of their panic stricken school.
mates.
The awful tragedy occurred in the
public school of North Collinwood. One
hundred and sixty-fve corpses are in
the morgue at Collinwood, several chill.
dren are still unaccounted for. and all
the hospitals and houses for two miles
around contain numbers of children,
some fatally and many less seriously
injured.
Only Eighty Left Unhurt.
All of the victims were between the
ages of six and fourteen years. The
school contained between $40 and 325
pupils, and of this entire number only
about eighty are known to have left
the building unhurt 1t will be several
days before the actual number of killed
is known, as the ruins may still con-
tain other bodies, and the list Of fatali-
ties may be increased by a number Of
deaths among the children who are
now lying in the hospitals lowering be.
tween life and death. Two teachers
met death trying to save their charges.
The schoolhouse 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 door in front and the
other to a door in the rear. Both of
these doors opened inward, and it Is
said that the rear door was locked as
well.
Teachers Try to Save Little Ones.
When the flames were discovered,
the teachers, who throughout seem to
have acted with courage and self pos.
session and to have struggled herolcal.
ly for the safety of their pupils, mar.
shaled the little ones into column fol-
the fire drill,' which they had often
practlced.
Unfortunately the line of march in
this exercise had always led to the
front door, and the children had not
been trained to seek any other exit
The fatal fire came from furnace sit.
uated directly under this part of the
building.
When the children reached the foot
Of the stairs they found the flames
close upon them and so swift a rush
was made for the door that in an in.
slant tightly packed mass of chill
dren was piled up against IL. From
that second none of those who were
upon any portion Of the first flight OF
stairs had a chance for their lives.
The children at the foot Of the stairs
attempted to fight their way back u
coming down showed them merciless-
ly back into the flames below. In an
instant there was a frightful panic.
with 200 Of the pupils fighting 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 escapes and
the windows in the rear
Only Heap Of Bodies Left.
What happened at the foot Of that
FIRST flight OF stairs viii never he
known. for all Of those who were
caught I'm the full fury Of the panic
were killed. After the flames had
died away. however, q huge heap Of
little bodies burned by the FIRE and
trampled into things Of horror told
the tale rs well as anybody need TO
know Il.
The suburb Of CoIlingwocd contains
about 500 people. and within half an
hour after the outbreak Of the Ere
nearly every one Of them was gath !
cred around the blazing ruins Of the
sehoOIhOuse. hundreds Of parents fight
ing franticsIIy with the policemen and
fremen who were busiIy engaged In I
saving the lives Of the children caught
in the burning building and doing
their best to ertinEuish the Gre.
The police were utterly unable
through lack II numbers 70 keep away
ne crowd that pressed upon them.
and the situation soon became 50 sri
Gus that q number Of the more cod
beaded men in the thronx took Il upoa