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Show SEVENTEEN PERISH IN SCHOOL EIRE Escape for Children in Montreal Mon-treal Cut Off, and Principal Princi-pal Refuses to Desert Her Small Charges. MONTREAL, Feb. 27. Principal Maxwell and sixteen children perished in a fire yesterday in the Hocheiaga school of the Protestant school commission. com-mission. The fire was first noticed by workmen work-men employed nearby. jThe teachers wers notified, and the work of getting the children out of the building began. The kindergarten department was located lo-cated on the seeond floor, and it was here that the loss of life occurred." The children were started out, but found the lower hall full of smoke and refused re-fused to descend. They retreated to the rooms whenee they had eome. The fire by this time was making its way upward, and the smoke growing so dense that even the experienced firemen fire-men could not stand it. Firemen tried to get Miss Maxwell to go down the ladder, but she. refused and rushed back into the back part of the building in search of the children. Later she was found lying on the floor with a child beside her The deaths were caused by asphyxiation. There were no fire escapes in the building. , Miss Sarah Maxwell, principal of the school, was 31 years old. The children who were killed ranged from 3 to 8 years. |