Imperial Valley press., 1930-04-22
COUNTRY.
SHOCKED
BY FIRE
Ohio Prison Disaster Is
Worst In History Of
Penal Institutions
DEATH LIST MOUNTS
Over 300 Lose Lives AS
COnvicts Are Trapped
In Locked Cells
By HARRY w. SHARPE r-.
United Press Staff Correspondent

COLUMBUS, O., April 22.-tU.R
Three hundred and seventeen bod
les were ranged, side by side, in the
cattle barn morgue of the Ohio
state fairgrounds. early today, vie
tins Of the most appalling fire trag-
edy in the history of modern
prisons.
Burned to death in mad at
tempt bv convicts to effect a whole
sale prison break, all but 50, who
were burned beyond recognition,
had been identified.
One hundred and forty-four more
conviets, so badly injured that II
majority may die, were in Colum'
bus hospitals.
Another hundred. slightly burned
or injured in the frantic attempt to
escape from the barred trap of the
west cell house, required only first
aid treatment.
Nearly 1000 armed Officers pa
trolled the walls and yards Of the
prison today. Inclu:ed in the
troops. equipped for any kind of
warfare, were 600 soldiers of the
federal garrison at Fort Hayes and
the l66th Ohio National guard in
fantry, 200 regular guards. and $50
city policemen, including 100 ordi'
narily detailed to night duty.
The blaze, one of the three sup
posedly set by vengeful lifers. was
part of plot to throw the peni'
tentiary into an uproar and. III the
g.. Mt NJ
institution.
1t was $40 p. m. when the flames
were discovered in cell unit !, an
unused prison block. Wooden stair
ways, constructed as part of TEN
porary repairs, fed the blaze, and
il spread TO cell units G and II,
where the prisoners were returning
from supper to be locked in their
cells.
This was the moment chosen by
the conspriators for their mutiny.
The red tongue of flame. creep
ing up the stairs of cell unit ] was
to have been the signal for revolt.
Instead it lighted pyrc. welding
the locks and fusing the steel bars
that held nearly 1000 men prison
crs within a trap of their own
making.
The. blaze raced upward through
the open corridors of the cell house,
finding little timber to feed upon
until it struck the heavy roof and
ate its way through. The scream
ing men below began to writhc
from showers of hot embers, and
rcdoubled their imprccations.
Pandemonium Reigns
The prison became a pandemon
ium as the flames burst through the
roof. Shortly after the first fire
was discovered, second blaze, in
the Catholic chapel, was found and
promptly extinguished. But by this
time n majority Of the more hard
ened reckless criminals, still hoping
for escape, We're still plotting. and
n group of lifers struck down thcii
guards, made a break for the WOODEN
mills, 800 yards away, and put II
to the torch.
Warden 2. +. Thomas ordered
the gates opened for the fire de
partment. The fire fighters enter
ed the yard, only to find themselves
face to face with ieering, Graz,
mob of rioters who threatened t'
tear them to pieces if they attempt
cd to extinguish the blazes. Th'
fire department was forced to with
draw temporarily.
"I will not send my men in there
unless they are given adequate pro
tection," said Fire Chief AL Nice
Arrival of the national guards
men reinforcing the police and fed
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