Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-17
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

A fire occurred in the Stevens
school, on Twenty first street between
K and L, on the morning of Tuesday,
Fire Panic at the When for II: nate,
Stevens School. iy cost no lives.
were endangered. The Star of that
date says:
AN alarm of fire was turned in
about 9:45 o'clock this morning for
nre discovered In the Stevens School
Suiiding, where there are IA schools
kept. with at least $50 pupils in daily
attendance. The Fire Department re
sponded promptly and In a few min
utes had the flames, which were CON
nned to the woodwork surrounding
the register on the second floor, en-.
rirely extinguished, with a probable
loss OF $500 to the building. There
were about $50 children in the build
ing at the time. and, considering the
great excitement, it was almost a
miracle that no more injury was done
among them. When the cry of
Fire" was raised. scene Of the great.
est terror and confusion ensued. The
children came screaming out Of the
rooms into the Railways, and rushing
down the stairways, broke the balus-
tiers by the pressure. and II is won.
der that none Of them was killed. As
1t is, several were injured, but none
seriously, it is thought, except Anna
Davis, 1919 years OF age, residing
With her parents on Twenty.tirst
street between h and l. streets. She
was knocked down by the stair rail
ing giving way from the pressure of
| children coming down from the stories
above, and was trampled on. She was
removed. as soon as the stampede
was over. to her home, and DR.
! George S. King was called In, who
stated that there are no bones broken,
although she is badly bruised and suf-
fering from great nervous excitement
Another little girl named Anna Queen,
| who had been subject to spasms, was
| frightened into fit and carried home.
The greatest consterna ton was oc-
casioned among the children within
and parents and friends without who
| were rushing in to save the children
The teachers and children were scream
| ing, and two small boys, it Is reported,
! jumped from the third.story window
to the ground. One of them. little
fellow. was caught by some man IN
! known In the crowd.
'It appears that from faulty con-
struction OF the building there was
woodwork abutting on the heat f1ues,
| and this had become charred and was
liable to take fire as so much finder.
The cold weather making large fires
| in the furnaces necessary this morn
ing, the charred wood in the north
| west corner of the building took fire
| The result might have been the de-
struction Of the building and sad loss
Of life. AS it is, a considerable space
| In the floor was burned, and a warn
ing Is given which may avert great
O ct a nf hui ho
others In this District equally faulty
| in construction.
Miss M. L. Bowie. teacher Of a
fourth primary school In this room,
states that the first she saw of the
fire was the flames shooting up in the
corner about as high as the seats, and
that very little smoke was perceptible
at first. Her school was panic-strick-
en-. and the children ran out scream
ing Fire! before she could exercise
any control over them This caused
the panic through all of the schools.
THE building was built In 1858, is
four stories high. having three stair
ways or entrances besides the doors
in the basement. The entrance on
Twenty-first street has a double stair
way on the outside. The entrances
on the south and north sides lead
from the second story to the yard. and
are double doors and stairways about
10 feet wide.
THE wonder is that there were no
lives lost, as the excitement was very
great. The schools all resumed their
exercises after the abatement of the
panic. To the credit Of the teachers
1t must be said that most of them
acted with considerable GOODNESS and
prudence, and did their best to calm
the excited children. but many of the
little ones we're too greatly excited to
yield their usual obedience
The Star. in Its comment on this
affair. says:
This narrow escape from fright
full tragedy shows the necessity for
the closest supervision of the work of
the contract builders of schoolhouses.
1t will also tend to discourage the
building of schoolhouses Of great
height. It would be unfair, however.
to the other school buildings of the
city to judge them by the Stevens
Building. which was erected some