Milford chronicle., 1956-05-18
Man Killed In
$3.50, 900 Kent Fire

(Continusd from first pagel
far the victim, is described by DR..
S. S. Bjornson, state medical ex-
aminer, as an unidentified man"
The fire started in second floor
classroom on the northwest section
of the building where it is belitved
the victim may have fallen ask.ep
while smoking. His body was found
lying on a small platform outside
the building below a second story
window from which he apparently
Jumped or fell in attempting to es-
cape the flames. The coroner said
the man suffered LOO per cent
burns Of the body
Dutton, it was learned, had been
dismissed from the school in April
because of drinking but he is said
to have occasionally entered the
building at nights to sleep.
The building housed carpentry.
printing, tailoring shops and other
trade training equipment of which
was lost in the fire. A classroom
was located on the second floor.
Adolphus Simmons, one of four
resident employees VINO sleep on the
second floor, was awakened by
smoke about 2:35 a. m. and he
awakened the others. all escaping
without injury. None of the flames
damaged any other buildings at the
school and no students were in
jured.
Firemen were summoned by
school employees and also by a
brakeman on the DelmarVa line of
the Pennsylvania Railroad who no
ticed the flames and called the
Clayton Fire Company.
Fire Marshal LaRue described
the building as a three STORY
structure with a basement. He said
the 10G-foot metal water tower
with $4,000 gallon capacity
caught fire from flames that were
famed by a 20-mile-an-hour wind
The tower was 100 feet from the
building and about so feet higher
than the roof of the 175-by-50 foot
building.
The blaze drew $50 firemen from
the Clayton, Smyrna, Townsend
Middletoyn. Leipsic, Cheswold,
Little Creek and Dover fire COM
panies. George Knots, Clayton fire
chief, directed operations. Some of
the companies remained until late
last Thursday morning and the
Clayton firefiighters were still on
the grounds last Thursday night.
| The school is located on 400
foot tract of land at the northern
edge of Clayton and the land is
farmed. There are 60 Negro boys,
five priests and II Josephite bro
theirs and seven employees at the
school. The Rev. Charles Brown,
ssh, is director of the school.
1t was the first trade school for
Negro boys in the United States
and was established by the Joseph
ite Brothers in 1885.
The property includes, in addi-
tion to the industrial building,
church, the only Catholic church
in that area; two dormitories with
classrooms, a rectory, a convent,
kitchens and laundries, guest
home, gymnasium, and various
barns for stock used on the farm
It marked the third serious fire
at the school, the last one occur
ring in December, 1945, when a
priest lost his life. Previous fires
we've in the barns on the place.
Glasses were held as usual fol
lowing the fire. According to
school officials the boys are from
eastern states. particularly from
New York, Washington, and Balti-
more and, they are, are worthy
boys from broken homes. The
school is supported by voluntary
contributions by benefactors and
is part of the overall program of
the church. "The boys are not
problem bows, but boys who have
a problem" a priest said.
With the loss of the water tow
er, the school was tied in with the
town of Clayton water supDly.
! Hot coffee was served the vol
unteers during the fire by the
Clayton Fire Company auxiliary.