St.Johns Schoolhouse Fire Memorial -Peabody MA.: a Virtual Cemetery

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A Virtual Cemetery created by M. L. Bown

St.Johns Schoolhouse Fire Memorial -Peabody MA.

Saint Johns Church in Peabody,Essex,Massachusetts.Was also a Parochial School.The building caught fire on October 28,1915.Twenty One girls perished in the fire Including Mary McCarthy a child of a Great,Great Aunt of mine.Most of the girls were buried in the Saint Marys cemetery in Salem on October 30,1915.This is all of the girls who passed away that day.I included one other girl who did not die in the fire.However she was run over by an automobile during the panic.Her name was Alexandria Denault.I thought that it would be terrible to not remember her as she is an unknown victim of another tragic accident that day.--Mary Bown--------------------------------- According to the Boston Pilot and the New York Times,All of the girls had been trapped at the Main entrance doors. The doors were not equipped with what is called a "Panic Bar",Which are the bars on the door we push OUT on to open.The bars on this door to the school only pushed in. With great panic the girls all had tripped and trampled on each other at the door.Which resulted in the doors being now blocked. The school was completely engulfed if flames in a matter of minutes,they said. The Statue (above)of Jesus holding a little boy and girl,had been placed in a memorial garden where the new school now sits M.B.-----------------------------------------------One Service to be Held for Eighteen of Children Who Died in School.Peabody, Mass., Oct. 29.-The bodies of the twenty-one children who lost their lives in the fire which yesterday destroyed the St. John's Parochial School, will be buried tomorrow. One funeral service will be held for eighteen of the victims at St. John's Roman Catholic Church/Father Nicholas J. Murphy, pastor of the church, who has been nearly prostrated since the disaster, said today that he would celebrate the mass himself, if his condition permitted. "I am in doubt," he added, "whether I shall be able to say anything from the altar without breaking down."The funeral of three of the children will be held separately and privately, in accordance with the wish of their parents. All the interments will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Salem.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 constructed, it compiled with the essential requirements of the law.In the opinion of the State authorities the fire started 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 advanced as to the origin of the fire is that the box of sweepings contained a few match heads which were ignited in some way."The law requires," said Chief Neal, "that the State and local Building Inspectors 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 outside of the building. The St. John's Parochial School building was carefully examined and by computing the width of the exits it was found that they were sufficient to take care of the 680 children. Within the past few days the entire school, in a regular fire drill, was emptied in ninety seconds."The real fault in the building was the fact that all the stairs led toward the center of the building, and not toward the exits."The New York Times, New York, NY 30 Oct 1915

Saint Johns Church in Peabody,Essex,Massachusetts.Was also a Parochial School.The building caught fire on October 28,1915.Twenty One girls perished in the fire Including Mary McCarthy a child of a Great,Great Aunt of mine.Most of the girls were buried in the Saint Marys cemetery in Salem on October 30,1915.This is all of the girls who passed away that day.I included one other girl who did not die in the fire.However she was run over by an automobile during the panic.Her name was Alexandria Denault.I thought that it would be terrible to not remember her as she is an unknown victim of another tragic accident that day.--Mary Bown--------------------------------- According to the Boston Pilot and the New York Times,All of the girls had been trapped at the Main entrance doors.  The doors were not equipped with what is called a "Panic Bar",Which are the bars on the door we push OUT on to open.The bars on this door to the school only pushed in.  With great panic the girls all had tripped and trampled on each other at the door.Which  resulted in the doors being now blocked.  The school was completely engulfed if flames in a matter of minutes,they said. The Statue (above)of Jesus holding a little boy and girl,had been placed in a memorial garden where the new school now sits  M.B.-----------------------------------------------One Service to be Held for Eighteen of Children Who Died in School.Peabody, Mass., Oct. 29.-The bodies of the twenty-one children who lost their lives in the fire which yesterday destroyed the St. John's Parochial School, will be buried tomorrow. One funeral service will be held for eighteen of the victims at St. John's Roman Catholic Church/Father Nicholas J. Murphy, pastor of the church, who has been nearly prostrated since the disaster, said today that he would celebrate the mass himself, if his condition permitted. "I am in doubt," he added, "whether I shall be able to say anything from the altar without breaking down."The funeral of three of the children will be held separately and privately, in accordance with the wish of their parents. All the interments will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Salem.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 constructed, it compiled with the essential requirements of the law.In the opinion of the State authorities the fire started 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 advanced as to the origin of the fire is that the box of sweepings contained a few match heads which were ignited in some way."The law requires," said Chief Neal, "that the State and local Building Inspectors 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 outside of the building. The St. John's Parochial School building was carefully examined and by computing the width of the exits it was found that they were sufficient to take care of the 680 children. Within the past few days the entire school, in a regular fire drill, was emptied in ninety seconds."The real fault in the building was the fact that all the stairs led toward the center of the building, and not toward the exits."The New York Times, New York, NY 30 Oct 1915

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St.Johns Schoolhouse Fire Memorial -Peabody MA.

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Agnes Ahearn Flowers have been left.

Mabel Theresa Beauchamp Flowers have been left.

Helen Theresa Bresnahan Flowers have been left.

Florence Burke Flowers have been left.

Nellie Elizabeth Carty-Burns Flowers have been left.

Patronia Chebator Flowers have been left.

Elizabeth Marie Comeau Flowers have been left.

Catherine M. Compiano Flowers have been left.

Ann Daleski Flowers have been left.

Florence Doherty Flowers have been left.

Ida Mary Essiambre Flowers have been left.

Mildred Fay Flowers have been left.

Marion Hayes Flowers have been left.

Annie Jones Flowers have been left.

Helen Keefe Flowers have been left.

Annie L. Kenney Flowers have been left.

Mary Elizabeth McCarthy Flowers have been left.

Mary Meade Flowers have been left.

St. John's Parochial School Fire Memorial Flowers have been left.Monument

Elizabeth Nolan Flowers have been left.

St. John's Parochial School Fire Memorial Flowers have been left.