May 18, 1923
99 Years Ago
Panic Reigns When Schoolhouse Catches Fire; 74 Bodies Have Been Recovered From Ruins
Cleveland, S.C.-Seventy-four bodies had been recovered early this morning from the ruins of the schoolhouse here, which burned down when a kerosene lamp fell from the ceiling during the commencement program. A panic followed, and the crowd stampeded from the hall. Most of the victims were caught on the narrow stairway and were packed so tightly that the flames caught them before they could escape. Authorities think that the bodies of all who perished have been recovered. Many leaped from the second floor windows of the building and were seriously injured.
May 18, 1937
85 Years Ago
Poppies Made At Roanoke Facility To Be Sold Here
Poppies which will be worn here in memory of the World War dead on Poppy Day, May 29, have been received by the Alleghany Unit of the American Legion Auxiliary from Roanoke Facility, where they have been made by disabled war veterans. The flowers are crepe paper replicas of the famous poppies of France and Flanders, that flourished and bloomed amid the war’s desolation. They are being arranged for city-wide distribution on Poppy Day.
May 18, 2007
15 Years Ago
Three Area Officers Added To Memorial
Three law enforcement officers from the highlands were memorialized Sunday in Washington D.C. when their names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Virginia State Trooper Kevin Manion, former Alleghany County Sheriff Edwin B. Butler and Alleghany County Deputy Sheriff Samuel C. Brown were among the 382 names that were added this year. The memorial also contains the name of Virginia State Police Sgt. Jim Biggs, who was killed in the line of duty in 1984.
May 18, 2012
10 Years Ago
Damaged Warship
The damaged USS Essex returns to San Diego on Thursday morning, the day after the ship collided with a tanker in the Pacific Ocean when the aging warship’s steering apparently failed. The warship looked like it had been in a super-sized fender bender at sea; Its starboard aircraft elevator was scraped and dented, and its railing bowed back the wrong way. A small section of catwalks was crumpled, and capsules holding lifeboats were smashed. Some of the guardrails were split open.
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