Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-06
FIRE DESTROYS
PUBLIC SCHOOL
At COAL VALLEY
Classes In Session When Planes
Are Discovered, But All March
Out in Three Minutes.
HEAVY Loss TO THE VILLAGE
Modern Equipment Is Totally De-
strOyed Except Piano Carried
Out By Women Teaches.

Fire, starting in the roof. COM
pletely destroyed the Coal Valley
school yesterday afternoon with a
loss Of $4,000. Loss of life was
pverted by the GOODNESS OF the prtn-
Cipal, Miss Ethel Lynch, and her
assistants, who marshaled the pu-
pills and empted the building In
three minutes.
Most Of the pupils on the second
floor lost their personal effects. but
those on the first floor saved their
, wraps and books. The only article
of furniture OF any consequence
saved was the piano, which was
carried down three flights OF stairs
by the principal, her sister, Miss
Sophie Lynch, and some of the old
er boys. On the landing the piano
became wcdged. and the principal,
sending for an AK, chopped away
The railing and newell post, while
the flames cracked over her head,
and made room to turn the instru-
ment 80 it could be moved 10
safety,
we almost broke our backs"
said Miss Lynch telling about 1t
afterward to The Argus" but l
think that was the only injury done
TO anybody in the building"
The flames had made considera-
bic Roadway when discovered by
someone who was passing about
1:45 .. n. Within u quarter Of an
hour the roof fell in. The school
stood on the hill more than hun
dred feet above the village aud
there was no water supply avail
able to fight the tire with. Help
did not arrive from the village till
about the time the roof fell. There
were d couple OF chemical extin-
guishers IN the school, but the jan
itoT had put them away down in the
furnace room 10 keep them from
freezing and they were not discoy-
cred.
Whether the fire originated from
sparks or from a poorly construct
ed chimney is not known, but it
must have been smoldering for
some time, for no coal had bean
put in the furnace for a couple OF
hours before the blaze was first
seen.
The Coal Valley school was built
eight years ago at cost Of $4,000.
Insurance carried amounted 10 S4,-
800. which will about pay for the
contents. It was two-story struc-
ture, with full basement. On the
first floor were primary and inter
mediate rooms and on the second
floor the seventh and eighth grades
and high school department III
the basement was the furnace and
fuel room and a dining room. The
school had modern equipment, with
n library Of 300 books. New REFER
ence books had just been added to
il and a first-aid room was being
fitted up, most Of the equipment
being in.
Four teachers have been employ
ed, the staff consisting of the Miss
es Lynch. Miss Katherine Martin
and Miss Helen DOdson.
r. The promptness with which the
building was emptied of pupils is
attributed largely to the repeated
fire drills and the perfect discip-
line.
School sessions were resumed to-
day in the town hall. The pupils
were assembled and their needs in
the way of books and other equip
ment were checked over. These will
be supplied and it is expected that
classes will take up regular work
not later than Monday.
Steps preliminary to rebuilding
the school will be taken at once.