Ninetoes heard about this on one of the history shows he watches, and he wanted to find out more. Just how far did he would dig and how crappy it would get he didn’t fully understand.
Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at the Cincinnati Privy Disaster of 1904. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!
On September 23, 1904, there was a disaster at the Pleasant Ridge School on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. At this time, Pleasant Ridge was a farming community also populated with working-class families. Pleasant Ridge School was a crowded elementary school of about 300 students plus another fifty from the village of Rossmoyne (the Rossmoyne school was condemned by the state).
At close to 10:15 a.m., recess was called by the principal, Thomas Simmerman, and the students went outside. He saw the dark clouds coming in, and the students were getting antsy since it was the end of the week. Worst-case scenario, the kids get a little rained on. The boys went to the baseball diamond to start a quick game, and the girls went off in their groups. A strong gust of wind swept over the area, and a powerful storm broke out. Many of the students ran back to the school, and others went looking for shelter. Thirty-one students went into the school’s 10-square-foot girls’ privy. This outhouse has been in use for eleven years.
The outhouse floor was weak due to rot and water-damaged timbers. There was no snapping of wood or creaking of the floor. It simply collapsed, sending all thirty-one students down into a twelve-foot cement vault (the vault was dug deep so it could get more use as the population of students grew). The bottom of the vault was covered in four feet of human waste.
Many students were seriously injured from exposure to toxic waste, suffocation, and/or internal injuries. Nine students died. They were: Hazel Glover (8), Martha Buhr (9), Rotha Card (10), Carmine Card (8), Edna Thee (10), Emma Steinkamp (13), Amelia Hesse (13), Lillian Witham (14), and Loretta Fink (12), all of them female.
Survivors of this disaster recounted tales of the floor slowly giving way, then collapsing. Some were able to safely jump to the doorway. Teachers and local doctors rushed to the scene and used ropes, ladders, or rakes to pull the survivors to safety.
An investigation into this disaster revealed that the joists were rotten where the wood met the stone foundation. It was also discovered that the building had not been properly maintained. The coroner took charge of the timbers, and an investigation was launched to determine who was responsible for the disaster. In the end, it was determined that the Board of Education was responsible for this disaster due to gross negligence on their part.
No one was charged with any crimes for this disaster. In fact, the only fallout was during the elections for the Board of Education that year. The campaign against the incumbent members was so fierce that they all withdrew their names from the ballot.
New safety measures were instituted by the Hamilton County Board of Health. Chief among them was the inspection of all privy vaults, and they had to be routinely inspected. Also, wherever possible, the privies had to be connected to sewage systems.
Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.
PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.
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