Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-27
81 PERISH WHEN
CHRISTMAS TREE:
SETSSCHO0L ATTIRE
Windows, Covered by Heavy
Wire Netting, Cost
Lives of Scores

HOBART, Okla, Dec. 25.-(By the
Associated Press.) Fire, stalking
the tracks of Santa Claus, turned a
country schoolhouse into an inferno
at Babb's Switch, miles from here,
Wednesday night and snuffed out
the lives of at least 30 persons,
many of them children, who had
gathered for Christmas Eve cele.
bration.
A tiny candle on a Christmas tree }
ignited a ball of cotton. Littl6
jewellers gripped their sacks
candy and stood srell-bound ne
their elders at first tried to put out
the fire and then, as the flames
licked up the cedar boughs and
spread to the dry wood of the finn
sly structure, broke for the single
exit at the rear, a mad scrambling
mob, fleeing from the leaping terror
at their heels.
Every window in the one-room
building was covered by a heavy
woven wire netting, bolted solidly
to the easement, placed there to
keep out providers. Frantically the
trapped men and women beat at
the distractions. Glass shattered
from each window and the wind
whistled in, creating heavy draft
and tanning the greedy flames.
Many fell in the crush at the
door and were trampled underfoot.
Lying where they fell, unable to
crawl away, their bodies were
| burned.
None of Bodies Identified
None of 80 bodies that had been
taken from the smoking ruins early
Thursday had been identified. A
previous report that several had
been found to be incorrect. None
was recognizable at a cursory in-
spection and Identification must
await the discovery by relatives OF
ineffacable marks.
More than 40 persons were In
jured, some OF them seriously. 10.
cal hospitals and residences today
housed 81 and an unknown number
was taken to the homes Of residents
CT the Babb'S Switch district.
About 200 persons were packed in
the small school room when the
Christmas tree burst into flames.
Men near the front of the building
tried to smother the fire and in
their haste knocked the tree over,
aiding the Progress of the blaze and
scattering burning branches over
the floor The dry floor caught like
finder and it was at once apparent
that, with no means at hand to
fight the fire, the building was
doomed Snow and ice which coated
the roof and walls did little to check
the flames.
Those who succeeded in getting
| out turned reScuerS to those who
were injured in the scramble, and
several automobileS were used to
bring the first of the injured here.
telephone Gall from a farm house
modified in few minutes a motor
caravan that labored slowly over the
icy roads to the secluded little dis
trict. AS the injured were brought
in, women Of the city organized a
volunteer nursing staff and first aid
| treatment was given each victim.
! Doctors OF the city swung into &C.
| ton and in a brief interval the in.
| jured were being given medical at.
| tention.
With the injured removed, the
grim task of recovering the dead
was undertaken by Sheriff #. p.
Shaddock and a force of deputies.
| No water was available and it was
! impossible to cool the embers and
| for some time after the building had
been reduced to ashes, little progress
could be made in taking out tho
! bodies.
Many Children PerisIf
AS the embers cooled in the 10
degree temperature the sheriff's
force penetrated farther into the
ruins, bringing out body after body,
many Of them pitifully small. The
loss Of life among the children was
heavy because they were grouped
! around the Christmas tree in the
front Of the building and were far.
thest from the door.
! Soon rows Of bodies reposed on
the hard crust of snow that covered
the countryside. A hearse and a
truck arrived from Hobart and, amid
| the confusion attending the efforts
! of frantic persons to find missing
members of their families, the first
| of the bodies were taken to a Hobart
| mortuary.
| Because Of the condition Of the
bodies, it was decided that canvass
| for missing persons would be needed
| to. identify them, and in the darkness
| Of the Christmas Eve a party of men
| started a house-to-house check, max.
ing note of the gaps in each family
| circle.
Early Thursday the undertaking
establishment was thrown open to
| the public and scores Of persons
filed past the long rows Of still
figures, looking for some familiar
mark that would identify a missing
loved ore.
Mrs. Florence Hill, teacher at the
school, was among the dead. She
was torn from the arms Of her hus-
band as he fought to- get her to tbs
doorway after he had forcibly
dragged her from the front of the
room where she was attempting to
aid the escape Of her little pupils.
Mr.. Hill escaped.
CHAMPAGNE and Whisky