Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-10-29
In Five Minutes, Flames Completely Envelop Cath
 ollie School Building.
WEE TOTS TRAMpLED
 TO DEATH IN PANIC
W0tIer Superior of Institution Saves u by Dropping Them from Window of Upper StGry-.mong Injured,
 Three Expected to Die.

Peabody, Mass, Oct. 2S.--Twenty- one children, all girls, ranging from 6 to 16 years of age, were burned or trampled to death in the tragic fire that destroyed St. Johns Parochial school at Peabody this morning.
 Late tonight 15 identifcations had
 been made. Three other children
 are on the dangerous list at the Pea
 body hospital. Out of the chaos of
 the most terrific day in Peabody's
 history, it is feared that tomorrow will reveal more victims.
 There were 700 children in the ,,three stories of the brick and wooden building when the fire started in the basement from an unknown origin, In less than five minutes the flames swept through the entire structure, and 19 little tots were burned or crushed to death attempting to es- cape. TWO others died later at hospitals, among them Mildred Mead, aged 16.
 No Fire Escapes Outside. { Mother Superior Aldgeon, who was in charge of the pupils, heard an ex- plosion, and detecting smoke, sounded the alarm. There were no fire escapes on the building, but wide stairways at both ends of the interior led down to the front exit Under fire drill discipline the little ones were marched through constantly thickening clouds of smoke to the ground flcor. Then the leaders lost their heads.
 Instead of passing out the rear exit, according to rule. they made dash for the front door and became jam- med in the vestibuls. Meantime the fire had eaten it's way upward from directly under the front entrance and the vsstibuie crowded with pupils presently was enveloped in flames. Many reached the open and others were dropped from second and third story windows or dragged out of the windows on the ground floor. Sister Caremella was one of the last to leave the building She stood at the head of the stairs on the sec end floor directing the children. Catherine M O'Ccnnell, aged 13 was among the first to escape, but when she got outside and found that her two little brothers were missing.
 she broke away from the crowd and ran back into the building. The brothers were afterwards reported safe, but no trace of Catherine could be found after the fire had burned itself out.
 Little Survivor Describes Disaster. l Genevieve Phelps, one of those who escaped, said:
 l Everything went all right until we came to a point about half way down
 the stairs between the first and sec
 ond floors. Looking down, we saw the younger children from the first floor
 piled up in front of the doorway. Tha sisters were doing thair best to get. 1 the children through the doors.
 Many of the little ones were cry Ing at tHe top OI tnelr lungs some
 bad tainted and were being dragged
 along in the crush A few had fallen
 to the floor. The sisters were trylng
 to rescue those who had fallen, but it
 was almost hopeless.
 "A little smoke was driftin4 through the doorway over the mass of
 bodies. and it seemed to be coming from the basement doorway. Many of. | us got around the side of the jam at 1.-the door and into the schoolroom at
 the side of the first floor hallway,
 then we jumped to the ground"
 II The 700 students, who ranged In years from to 13, were in charge of 16 nuns. When the fire broke out the sisters marshaled their charges for q.
 fConunued on paxe 6.l