New Britain herald., 1915-10-29
No One Criminally Responsible for Tragedy at Peabody, Mass.
TWENTY-ONE BODIES CLAIMED
Acting Chief of State Police Neal Con- cludes Investigation and Says While ParochiaI School Was Badly Con- structed It Complied With Law.

lost their lives yesterday in a fire which swept through the building be- fore they had time to escape, were claimed by their parents today. Five bodies remained over night in an undertaking establishment while rela- lives endeavored to identify them. Four of these had been identified at noon and there remained the charred form of little girl, burned beyond possible hope of recognition
 Accepts Body as Child's.
 When the four had been taken away Mrs. John Ahearn, mother of Agnes Ahearn, eight years of age, who was unaccounted for, went to the morgue and finally accepted the body as that of her child. It was placed in ctt- fin and sent to her home. These bodies were identified today: Anna Kenny, 10; Catherine Com panic, II; Anna Jones, 10; Catherine O'Connell, 12.
 While investigation has not fully es- tablished the origin of the fire, Act ing Chief Neal of the state police, after an investigation today announc- inally responsible.
  brick shell of what yesterday morning was St. Johns Parochial school, men searched today for evidence as to the cause of the fire which cost the lives of twenty-one girls yesterday. Every corner of the ruins also was looked ever carefully that it might be defi- nitely determined whether all the bodies had been recovered.
 ThA fnr was renewed at dawn under the di- rection of Michael H. Grady, chief of police of the town. George c. Neal, acting chief of the state police as- sisted by three inspectors, conducted the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the start of the fire.
 Started in Store Room.
 The only fact that could be substan- tiated early in the day in this connec- tion was that the flames originated in a small store room in the basement. The door of this room was locked. Acting Chief Neal broke it open just after the fire had been subdued. All that he could see in it was a part of one barrel It was particularly toward this room that he directed his efforts today. With the inspectors he made q minute examination of the debris on the floor in the hope of learning what had been kept in the room.
 It is known that it was customary tc place waste paper and other sweep ings in wooden barrels in the store room. According to the sisters of the Order of Notre Dame, who were in charge of the school, nothing else was there. At one and of the room there was a gas jet.
 Plan Public Funeral.
 Several of the parents of the fire victims attended mass at St. Johns Roman Catholic church today. Pray CTS for the deaed were recited. After the mass plans for public funeral for the little ones were discussed and ar engagements were placed In the hands cf Rev. Nicholas J. Murphy, pastor of the church Meanwhile relatives of the missing children revisited the un- dertaking rooms and tried, by means of trinkets found with the bodies to make further identifcations.
 No Criminal Responsibility.
 Acting Chief Neal. who concluded his investigations today, announced that no one had been found criminally responsible for the fire. He said that while the building was badly con- structed, it complied with the essential requirements of the law. In the opin- ion of the state authorities the hre sta arted in a small closet under stair way in the middle of the building. This closet contained school supplies. a small box of sweepings and the gas meter. One of the many theories ad- 1yapoad os to the origin of the fire is that the box of sweepings contained a few match heads which may have been dropped on the floor by boys or others
 "The law requires" said Chief Neal, "that the state and local building in- spectors shall consult and determine the proper means of egress from all buildings, and if they are not sufficient to order fire escapes installed on the building. The St. Johns Parochial school building was carefully exam nied and by computing the width of the exits, it was found that they were sufficient to take care of the 6SO chil- dren. Within the past few days, the entire school in a regular fire drill, was emptied in ninety seconds.
 Met Death By Suffocation.
 ''The fault in building was the fact that all the stairs led to the center of the building, and not towards the exits" Chief Neal added: "The walls were sheathed and coated with shellac and the smoke from the burn ing wood and oil is very poisonous. It is your opinion that this poisonous smoke was responsible for the loss of
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