The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-20
Over 100 Girls at BelOit Indus.
trial School.
No Chance to Escape a Fire at
Night.
MARSHAL'S REPORT
1t Has Sensational Features to
Consider.
Shows State the Worst Offender
Against Fire Laws.

Locked in their rooms behind heavy
steel wire screens, with heavy pad
locks on their doors, without possible
source of escape, more than 100 girls,
inmates of the Girls Industrial school
at Beloit, sleep each night in a fire
trap of a four story building, accord
ing to a sensational report filed with
Governor Hodges today by Deputy
State Fire Marshal G. n. Miller
For months Kansas state officials
have preached fire protection in pub
lie buildings The state labor commis-
sioner has directed attacks at theaters,
picture shows, factories, elevators,
lodge halls and office buildings-for the
sake of saving human life he said.
Several times he stopped theatrical
performances because a juvenile star
was under the age limit of the Kansas
child labor law. Now the state fire
marshaPs office makes an official re-
port which shows that conditions in at
least one state institution are far more
dangerous and hazardous than any
other building in Kansas
Deputy Miller spent day investi-
eating conditions at the girls indus
trial school. He not only found that
the inmates of the institution are
locked in their room without the
slightest possibility or hope for es-
cape, but he has brought to the at
tention of the governor the fact that
there is almost no fire protection at
the school and that there is appar-
emily no one with certain knowledge
that even a night watchman is pro-
V1ded to send in an alarm should a
fire be discovered. Windows in the
rooms in which the girls are kept
prisoners, are at least four feet from
the floor. Some of these windows
cannot be raised more than sixteen
inches and before girl could leave
her room even after raising these win
dows, it would be necessary to remove
the heavy steel screens which are
nailed or screwed to the window cas-
ing. And there is no fire escape at
tached to the main building, enabling
the girls to descend to the ground even
should they succeed in leaving their
rooms by way of thesbarred windows.
That isn't all. % Miller calls the gov
ernor's attention to the fact that many
Of the doors are locked with padlocks,
that no key fits two or more locks and
that it would be entirely impossible in
case of a fire to unlock the doors to
the girls rooms.
The main building at the school is
stone structure. But its interior con-
structure IS of wood and the floors
are heavily parained and highly in
f1ammable. The only means of escape for
the girls on the upper floors of the
buildings is by way Of wooden stairs.
All of the doors open in, instead of
Out-a direct violation OF the state laws
On the cottages surrounding the main
building, there are iron ladders reach
ing from the roof of the buildings to
the ground. But a girl must release
herself from the barred cage before she
can get to this makeshift fire escape
In some of the dormitories there are
as many as 80 girls sleep each night
behind padlocked doors and barred
windows and so feet from the ground.
These conditions, Miller's report says,
have existed for several years.
Following the filing of the report to-
day, Governor Hodges ordered the
placing of an electric lock system in
the school This will enable the auto
matte unlocking of all of the doors in
the building by use of a switch in the
superintendent's office. No other i'm
provements will be made at this time.
1T is a condition that has existed
for some time" said Governor Hodges, |
"and we want to do everything posi-
BILE to relieve it. The new locking
system will help greatly and 1 hope
that other improvements can be made
Of r1v dat