THE LEEDS DISASTER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2166, 21 February 1891, Page 3

THE LEEDS DISASTER.

By an accident which occurred on , New Tear's Wight, at the schools cennected with St. John's Church, Upper Wortley, Leeds, fourteen little girls were severely burned, and nine of them subsequently died. It seems that at an eyening entertainment in connection with a sale of work fifteen girls, whose ages ranget 1 from nine to fourteen years, were to take part in an entertainment called " Suowflakes." Each was covered with cotton wool and carried a lamp. George Brooks, the sexton of the church, says :—" The girls were laughing among themselves and knocking about. One of the lamps got on fire somehow or other, '1 he girl who was carrying it tried to smother it out, but the wool she had on her arm caught fire. Some of the others tried to put it out and they caught fire too. Thinking the place en fire the others rushed for the door and they all caught fire. Mrs Dixon, whose child is among the sufferers, and who had been superintending the dressing, and two men named Ely Auty and Uharles Clegg, were in the room at the time. They strove to check the flames, and their oriea and the shrieks of the terrorstricken children soon attracted the attention of those in the schoolroom. I was one of the first to reach the room and whipping off my coat I wrapped it round the burning wool thus stamping out the fire. As the fire on one was smothered I passed her on." Brooks' example was speedily followed by others, wiih the result that within five minutes all traces of the fire had disappeared, though all around the poor children lay groauing in agony. So effective was the means of checking the fire adopted by Brooks that his coat was barely singed and he escaped without any personal injury. Others however, were not so fortunate, and Clegg was so badly burned about the hands in his gallant efforts that he had to be treated at the infirmary.