Fire in the Schoolhouse
A classroom incident in Whitcomb shows the dangers of oil-lamp lighting and heating.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On Thursday, while the school children were singing, the school room was filled with thick smoke. Upon investigation, Miss Robison found that the wick in the oil stove had been turned while still lighted into the oil, which was burning rapidly. With the assistance of Mary Carley, the fire was extinguished. Several minutes were afterward spent in calming the excited children.
“With the assistance of Mary Carley, the fire was extinguished. Several minutes were afterward spent in calming the excited children.”
Before modern fire codes and electrical heating, rural schoolrooms relied on volatile oil stoves, turning simple instruction into a matter of immediate physical safety for teachers and students.
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