Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-16
School Building on Fire,
1880 March from
Building.
ONE ENTRANCE FLAME
BLOCKED, ANOTHER USED
Rarents Gathered in Yard, Fear
IL. ing That Children We're
h In Danger.

! &fghtsea1 hundred boys and girls.
pupils IN the Eighteenth Avenue Pub
t3ic School, at Eighteenth avenue, Liv
gut In perfect order today when the
emergency alarm for the fire drill was
sounded after the tower which em-
hellishes one of the buildings was
found to be in flames.
The naarch had little more than be-
kun whem tho children knew that the
driIl they were engaged in was not
merely q test, as the cloud of smoke
which poured from the tower was
pixinly viHtble 10 them. With the front
entranns on Mfghteenth avenue blocked
by tho flames the pupils Of the school
through the Livingston and Boyd
streets and rear court exits. They
were held for twenty minutes before
tssy were permitted to disperse. and
during that time there was not the
sii4latest indication of fear or panic
confusion was furnished by the par
ents of the children. most of them of
foreign birth, who swarmed about the
grounds after the alarm had sounded.
Shortly after 10 o'clock this morning
John OBrien, the janitor of the build
ing, noticed the odor of gas. He went
to the third floor of the tower. which
adorns the main building, to examine
the gas meter, Superintendent Erwin
r~A af@tsxy
March started at the same time on
still hunt for the gas leak The three
men saw smoke pouring from a tower
window att about the same time
O'Brien was sent to turn in a fre-alarm
and Manness to give the school alarm
for the emergency drill.
Engines Companies IL, s, is, 20 and
Truck 5, with Deputy Chiefs Sloan and
Morgan, were quickly at the scene. The
orderly drill had almost emptied the
two school buildings before the ap
paratus arrived, so that the task OF
the firemen was an easy one. The
flame in a closet of the tower was
quickly extinguished, the damage
amounting to hardly more than S25.
Nearly 1900 Pupils.
In the old Luilding, which was built
i'm 1871, there were nearly 1900 pupils.
The addition, build in 1900, housed about
500 pupils. Both buildings are of brick,
three stories in height The horde of
J9pare It's and relatives arrived with the
fire-fghting apparatus, but were held
back from the school grounds by the
police.
An examination after the fire
showed that the main joint in gas
pipe in the closet was detached. This
pipe was used for lighting purposes
until the electric lights were installed
a year ago. Another pipe supplies
the ranges for the cooking classes,
which. however, did not meet today.
Unless it is found that someone de-
liberately detached the main joint OF
the pipe the cause of the gas leak
must remain a mystery. Nothing is
known of the manner in which the gas
was ignited.
CAPTAIN c. Albert Gasser. of the bu-
reau of combustibles, witnessed part OF
the fire drill.
ut was magnificent" he said. "The
children were under perfect control all
Of the time. This fire, with its source
similar to that of the Seventh Avenue
School fire, emphasizes the need of
rigid inspection of the gas pipes and
meters of the public school buildings
The children. when they were finally
permitted to disperse, were told there
would be no afternoon session. An in
vestigation to determine the cause OF
the blaze has been begun.