74 Hurt, Blast Traps Scores |
CHICAGO, Dec 1 - The death toll of the fire at Our Lady of the Angels parochial grammar school was fixed at 75 by Msgr. William McManus, superintendent of Catholic schools. He rushed to the scene from his office in the Loop. |
Twenty-five children and one nun were reported killed in a flash fire that swept Our Lady of the Angels grammar school at 3808 Iowa st. |
At least 74 children were burned or injured. The fire followed a mysterious explosion. |
Firemen said the blast shook the school and other buildings in the block. |
The blast and fire occurred at 2:42 p.m., a short time before school closing time. |
The school has two stories and a basement - all used for classes. |
The principal, Sister Mary St. Florence, was unaccounted for. |
First of the dead to be identified were Sister Mary Clare Therese, teacher of the fifth grade in Room 212, and Margaret Kucan, 8, a pupil. The child is believed to live in the 3800 block of Chicago avenue. |
The fire broke out on the second floor of the school. |
Ambulances sped the burned and injured to hospitals all around the area. |
Four children reportedly died after being taken to St. Anne's Hospital. In all, 40 children were admitted there. |
The flash fire trapped many of the children. |
|
Some were said to have jumped from the second-floor windows. |
Other children were led out safely. |
Fire Commissioner Quinn said firemen spotted the unconscious forms of children on the second floor. |
It was not known immediately whether these children were dead or overcome. |
Fifteen children were taken to Franklin Boulevard Hospital. There were 10 at Walther Memorial Hospital. Garfield Park Hospital took in nine children. |
|
Bodies of 15 victims were taken to the County Morgue. |
Frantic parents converged on the school and the hospitals as soon as they learned of the disaster. |
Firemen and spectators had to quiet many of them. |
Father Gorman, Fire Department chaplain, said 25 to 30 pupils were carried out of the burning building on stretchers. |
A 5-11 alarm brought fire apparatus to the scene from all sections of the city. |
The neighborhood of the Catholic Parochial school is heavily populated. |
The fire sent up clouds of black smoke which blanketed the neighborhood. Smoke could be seen a mile away. |
Gary Wassinger, 7, a pupil, said he saw smoke seeping under his classroom door on the second floor at 2:30 p.m. |
This was shortly before classes were to be dismissed. |
|
Gary said: |
“About 10 second later, the fire gong rang. We all heard the bell and we know this was for real. |
“Our nun opened the door and everybody ran out. A couple of boys fell while we were running out and I think they broke their legs. |
“My buddy, Michael Giacomino - he's 13 - was in the class room with me. He said he heard a lot of kids screaming and crying and yelling for their brothers and sisters.” |
|
Father Gorman said the children carried out on stretchers appeared to be dead “or near dead.” |
Learning of the magnitude of the disaster, Mayor Daley sped to the school. |
He joined Commissioner Quinn at the scene. |
Some residents of the neighborhood, as well as children who got out unharmed, said they saw boys and girls leaping from the windows of the second floor. |
|
A witness said: |
“In most cases their clothing was burning. |
“It was a horrible thing. They screamed as they jumped.” |