The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-03-20
GIRLS UNAFRAlD ECAPE FLAMES
Wellesley College Students Superb in
Face OF Danger-COllege Hall
Burns.


rect discipline. coolness and bravery
On the part OF the students and fac
atty members prevented loss Of life
o. injury when College hall, Oldest OF
:he Wellesley college buildings, was
burned today.
Two hundred and fifty young NO
mea students. 30 instructors and 30
maids were in bed when the fire was
discovered. Every one was saved and
rot one Of tae scores who marched
IN an orderly procession through
smoke-f!led Railways suffered so much
as a scra- On.
The buildling was left a blackened
shell. WI hin its crumbled walls was
Nreckage represen ing a loss Of $780,
900. OF this amount 100000 was the
estimated value OF personal property
Of the inmates. nearly all Of whom
escaped in scanty attire. Insurance
will aboun to about $6o0000.
Miss Ellen Fi.z Pendleton, presi-
dent of the institution, said another
structure would be erected in the near
future. On account of the fire the en-
sire college was ordered closed until
April I, the end of the Easter recess.
Nearly 1000 of the 1900 young women
had left for their homes tonight.
President Pendleton took occasion
70 praise the conduct of the students
as extraordinary
Never before she said, ''has there
been such fire, with similar condi-
lions, without loss of life or injury
20 some one. The obedience to tne
ire drill was a credit to the college.
There were no screams or cries heard
and this in itself showed perfect and
marvellous control
College hall had a commanding site
on a hill cas-: of Lake Waban. The
cornerstone was laid in 1871. The
building was of brick and stone with
an interior of wooden fittings. It was
five stories high with a floor space Of
500 by 120 feet.
The building was divided into dor
,nitories administrative Offices and
quarters for servants. Three hundred
and fifty persons slept there last
night-250 students, so members OF
the faculty and so maids employed
by the faculty and students.
Miss Charlotte Dopnell, Of Wiscas-
set, Maine, and Miss Virginia Moffatl,
of Orange, Mass, seniors, were the
heroes of the fire. They occupied
rooms on the third floor, under taH
laboratory, where the fire originated
supposedly from spontaneous combus-
ton. Their rooms faced in the court
around which the building was con-
structed and the glare of the flames
aroused them. Miss Moffatt saw a
bright light reflected on the transom
over her door, and springing from her
bed rushed into the aall where she met
Miss, Donnell
There IS a fire. she cried.
Miss Donald replied, 'I'll ring the
fire alarm while you call the girls,
and she ran down a fight Of stairs
and started the fire gong on the Sec
ond floor. Miss Moffatt hurried along
the halls pounding on every door.
She did not yell fire" but command
ed: Put on your wraps quickly"
Soon the nails were filled With
startled young women. Some carried
personal effects in their arms but the
greater number had not waited to save
t1eir belongings. The halls were al
ready filled with smoke and the girls
1OGuSu Ill Inc du0 Ad4SACO IL Jill IlAS
building. The college volunteers fire
brigade was early in action and made
sure that none of the sleepers was
left.
Once outside several of the girls
sought to reenter the building to save
valuable papers in the Offices. Miss
Mary Smith, of West Chester, Pa, Sec
retary to the dean, made bold das0
into the deans Office, on the first floor
and with the aid of Edward C. Mona
han, an employe, saved most of the
records.
'"Dae roll call developed that five
students and three members of the
faculty We're missing. The floor non
itors ran back through the smoke and
aroused tie missing eight and all es-
caped,' said Miss Davis. when the
head of the line of students marching