The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-10-28
Cry of Fear from One of Throng:
of 600 Children Starts a
Panic in the Hall.
MANY TOTS ARE TRAMPLED|
VestibuIe So JammedWithsLiv.I
ing and Dead That Police
Can Not Force Entrance.
%, A..e !. ,.s..,

PEABODY. Mass. oct. 2s.Fire
swept through the three story brick
building occupied by the ST. Johns
parochial school today, burning or
driving to death In the panic that fol.
lowed the alarm probably thirty OF
the 600 boys and girls. who q few
minutes before had assemble for their
daily lessons.
An hour later twelve bodies bad
been removed from the vestibule
where the jam Of terrified little ones
had resulted in. the greatest loss Of
life. The police had estimated the dead
las high as fifty. Many others were
injured In their fight down the stair
ways and a few jumped from the wine
dows Of the third floor.
Resort to Fire Drill.
The students who ranged in years
from to- 10 were in charge Of sixteen
sisters. When the fire broke out the
sisters marshalled their charges as
for fire drill and started them from
the building. The professions were
orderly until those from the third door
Joined others pouring from the class:
rooms on the second floor.
Suddenly there was q cry OF fear
from one of the throng. twas taken
up by q hundred others and panic en-
sued. The sisters made frantic eff
forts to stop the pushing, struggling
mass. but to no purpose. The smaller
children fell under the feet Of those
behind them and soon the vestibule;
was 80 damned with living and dead:
that the firemen could not force an
entrance. n
Sisters All Escape. *,
The sixteen sisters escaped. l
The flames, It is supposed, started
in the basement and, according to-
some. were caused by the explosion
of steam boiler. from which the
building was heated. There Ia
doubt, however, as TO the exact ORR
gin Of the fire. p Y
A large percentage of the pupils
were children OF foreign parentage.
In the number were many Of Irish
and Italian descent,
Meanwhile the flames had reached
the stairways and caught the strug-
Cling children. Within FIVE minutes
flames were shooting from all the
exits. The local ffremen summoned
aid from Salem, Danvers and Marble
head, but this came too late.
Pull Children Out.
Policemen and firemen spent their
energy chiefly in pulling children
from doors and windows. The mother
superior dropped TWENTY-FIVE of her.
charges from window on the second
floor and they were caught In over
nd lilo af., ,srxl,{UaN A.,..
nets. I.
Two hours after the fire started
twenty bodies had been taken from;
the ruins and others were being
sought.
There were no fire escapes on the;
outside of the building. s
Deeds Of heroism were not want,
ing. Among such incidents was the
act OF Maurice Harris. age ten years
who carried his one-legged chum,
Thomas O'Shea, eight years old. on
his back down the smoke-choked
stairway to safety. ~
Distracted Mothers.
The first alarm Drought hundred
distracted mothers to the school ward
where soon they were joined BY other:
relatives Of the pupils until the builds
ing was surrounded by great crowd
Of hysterical men and women. who
rushed the police lines in wild ef-
fort to reach their children. The po-
lice were powerless to stop the rush,
but what they failed to do was aczs
complfshed presently by the flames,
which shooting from the windows OF.
the building held back the unhappy
.
Continued on maya Al