The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-04-01
HOW ACCIDENT OCCURRED

uUW ACClUEUI uG0UKNEU
'rincipal Manthey Makes a Statement
Concerning the Lad Falling from
Fire Escape.
Editor Republican,:
Being more or less directly respon-
sible for the fire drill in the high
school building, gives occasion for a
few statements on the matter.
First, a fire drill is esp... ally and
absolutely necessary in thu building.
because the third floor is a, use. the
hall ways are narrow, and there is
only one exit.
Secondly, there must be a fire drill
through the fire escape in order to
get children out in case the one ex-
it which we have is in smoke or
flames.
Thirdly, a drill must be orderly,
brisk, but not prec1pitous.
Our regular drill through the one
front L. Z is simple enough and
gives us 10 difficulty. We have in all
about 800 souls in this building who
can be gotten out in a short time
when we can take them out through
the door.
The escape by window and fire
escape is a more difficult matter.
and much slower.
We have a canvass shoot" from
the third floor, one from the second
easily reach the ground through the
lower windows.
Ii was while using the third floor
shoot" that one of our students
received a serious fall, breaking his
arm. 1t is our first accident and pure
ly an accident. 1t IS very unfortunate
indeed, and like most accidents came
suddenly and unexpectedly.
We regard the canvass "shoot" as
a very rapid and safe means of get
ting to the ground. 1 have gone down
repeatedly with a child of ~ in each
arm. Children have gone down in
twos time and time again. Our lady
teachers have gone down.
Since this is true, surely a boy
should have no difficulty. 1 did not
see Phil Medley fall. AS nearly as 1
can find out he fell about 10 or 10
c0ot ITn trin1 to cfOf, him cole DC hn
came down, thinking he would strike
another student as the latter was
getting out at the bottom. He would
not ave hurt anyone if he had come
down as he started, because the
velocity is nearly zero when one
reaches the bottom on account Of
the slack and curve of the canvass
shoot. The sudden attempt to stop
his motion had the tendency to roll
him out over the side Of hte 'shoot''
In an ordinary iron fire escape l
believe there is much more danger
with young people. You can fall
there on account of a false step very
easily indeed. You cannot fall out
of a canvass shoot unless you force
yourself out by some unusual and
| unnecessary violance. Once in, you
| go to the ground, and easily too, the
| curve il the canvass bringing you to
a gradual stop.
There are some girls too timid to
do this. We have not forced anyone
to take the shoot. We have urged
them to get accustomed to it,. We
did not force Phil Medley to go down.
Also he has gone down before in
safety. An accident may happen to
any one and at any time, due to var
ious things.
l wish parents to recognize that
we are making our fire drill as eff
fective as possible, and that a drill
by way of fire escape is no small
matter with a large number of school
children.
Even a serious and Unfortunate
accident like the recent n can be
no argument against fire drills and
the canvas shoot. One could as
we'll argue that a fire department
should be discontinued because d
driver had knocked over and SER
iously injured a citizen.
J.. j. Manthey,
Principal.