Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-30

Peabody, Mass, Oct. 29.-The~21 chill
dren who persisted . in the destruction
by fire Of St. Johns parochfal school
yesterday will be buried tomorrow
while the town pauses in its activities
to mourn. One funeral service will be
held for IS Of the girl victims at st.
Johns Catholic church with which the
school was connected.
Interments in Salem
Rev. Nicholas v. Murphy, pastor of
the church, who has been nearly pros
trated since the disaster, said today that
he would celebrate the mass himself If
his condition permitted. Il am IN
doubt" he added, whether l shall be
able to say anything from the altar
without breaking down. Sunday If am
little stronger, l shall try to say
few words"
Three of the children will be buried
separately and pDivately in accordance
with the wish of their parents, but all
the interments will be at st. Mary's
cemetery in Salem. The last of the
bodies Of the fire victims remaining at
the morgue were identified today.
state police officials closed their in
vestigation Of the disaster by state
ment by Acting Chief George c. Neal
that no one was crimnally responsible,
that the building was equipped in COM
pliance with every requirement for fire
protection, although it might have been
greatly improved with little expense.
and that the cause of the fire was still
not definitely determined. Indications,
he said, were that the e blaze started
from spontaneous combustion in a sup
ply closet where rubbish was kept.
Those Identified Friday
These bodies were identified today:
Anna Kenney. 10.
Catherine Compiano, II.
Anna Jones, 10.
Catherine O'Connell, IL.
While Investigation has not fully es-
tablished the origin of the fire, Acting
Chief Neal of the state police, after an
investigation today announced that he
had found no one criminally responsible.
The search for possible additional bod
les was renewed at dawn under the di-
rection of Michael H. Grady. chief Of po-
lice of the town. George c. Neal. act
ing chief of the state police. assisted
by three inspectors, conducted the inves-
tigation of the circumstances surround
ing the start of the fire.
The only fact that could be estab-
lished early in the day in this connec-
ton was that the flames originated in
a small storeroom in the basement. The
door of this room was locked. Chief
Neal himself broke it open just after
the fire had been subdued. All that he
could see in it was a part of one bar
io,,1o RI ri this room
that he directed his efforts today. With
the inspectors he made minute exam
ination of the debris on the floor in the
hope of learning what had been Kept IN
the room.
1t is known that it was customary to
place waste paper and other sweepings
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
end of the room there was gas jet.
No One Responsible
Acting Chief Neal. who concluded his
Investigations today announced that no
one had been found criminally RESPONSE
BILE for the fire. He said that while the
building was badly constructed. it COM
piled with the requirements of the law.
In the opinion of the state authorities,
the fire started in small closet under
a stairway in the middle of the building.
| This closet contained school supplies, a
small box of sweepings and the gas me-
ter. One of the many theories advanced
as to the origin of the fire is that the
box of sweepings contained some match
| heads, which had been dropped on the
| floor by boys.
1.-THE law requires said Chief Neal,
that the state and local building in
spectors shall consult and determine the
proper means Of egress from buildings
and il they are not sufficient to order
fire escapes installed on the outside of
the building. The ST. Johns parochial
school building was carefully examined
and by computing the width of the ex-
its it was found that they were efficient