The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-17
GIRLS FLEE IN
THEIR N|GHT|Es
Four Hundred of Them Scam
per Out Of the Burning
College Dor1ni
tory.
AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE
One Building Totally Destroyed at an
EARLY Hour This Morning
With Loss Of
100000.


WELLESLEY, Mass, March IT,
Four hundred college girls many OF
tllam but partly clad, escaped from
the main dormitory and admin.stra
ton building at Wellesley college
| when fire broke out at $3.50 a. M,
!! today and totally destroyed the build
ing with a loss expected to reach
$200, 900.
] The fire is believed to havs started
! in the chemical laboratory on the
fourth floor. Girls on the third floor
were awakened by the smoke anc
reported to this night watcaman. The
| fire whipped throughout the halls OF
! the long building with great speed
i and girls in the west wing were
Il forced to hurry from the buisd'ing in
i night attire.
i general alarm brought all the
Z. Wellesley fire apparatus and later AID
8 was summoned from Newt.n, Tut the
: building was almost entirely wrapped
in flames before the, firem IN had
their hose lines trained on the build
ing. 1t was impossible to check the
, flames, and there was time to saw
only few bits of furniture from the
, lower floor. The building destroyed
B was the FIRST built by the college. z
y mad frontage of 200 est Ansl aesn
tained 200 dormitory rooms. a recep
, ton hall, dining room, phone Office
i | for the college laboratory and tht
j. general college administration offices
4 Girls in the west wing OF the ble
J buildings, known as College Hall
r we're rushed out partly clad, frighten
e ed and crying. Superintendent Aus
/ ltin. fearing panic, Immediately sen
i a call to the Wellesley police station
but the fire gong caused the girls Il
j. rooms some distance from the fira U
t fall into fire drill order and leave tn
b building as the flames were airead'
}. mounting the roof The building wa
y emptied in thrse minutes.
d When the FIRE apparatus arrived
s the roof Of the west side of the tulsd
ing was already ablaze Flremen an
e police made certain that all of tn
a college girls had escaped from eac
Of the Ave floors. Within half a
hour. the flames had' spread through
out the entire length of the build1ns
This burned building was on hi
q. overlooking Wellesley and the flame
t. were visible for miles. The dorm
Iy tory and adm: :nistration building wer
erected in the early seventies.
d. Mary O'Mahcney, chief of the co
to leae FIRE brigade directed the rescu
work, arousing the girls and rushin
O. thsm partially dressed into the can
O. pus. Through the quick work Of tn
to brigade of girls, the building. MOI
than four hundred feet long and fly
stories high, was omptied In thre
I'd minutes with minimum Of hyster
to and fright. Mary Smith, secratary
ne the dean OF the college rushed I'M
ed the smoke filed administrative Office
sr- and saved the deans records, II
n only college record saved.
At chapel, which was held as usu
* today. President Helen Pendleton a
ce nounced that the college will
ms closed until the end OF the rsgul
ar, snr;np vacation April Z. There WI
er not girl in the school, it was sal
ss- who did not attend classes in cole
w hall which Is a combined dormltoi
class room and administration huf
!. ing.