Little Children Lose Lives When School Building in Peabcdf, Mass., Burns p
HARRISBURG flfSSik TELEGRAPH
LXXXIV— No. 253
SCORE OF LITTLE
CHILDREN DIE IN
FIRE WHEN THEIR
SCHOOL IS BURNED
Blaze Sweeps St. John's Paro
chial School in Peabody,
Mass., Where 600 Students
Were Gathered
BOILER EXPLOSION MAY
HAVE CAUSED BIG FIRE
Large Percentage of Young
sters Were of Irish and
Italian Descent and Were
in Charge of 16 Sisters
By slssociatrd Press
Peabody. Mass.. Oct. 28. Fire
swept through the three-story brick
building occupied by the St. John's
Parochial School to-day, burning or
driving to death in the panic that fol
lowed the alarm, probably thirty of
the 600 boys and girls, who a few
minutes before had assembled for their
dally lessons.
At eleven o'clock twenty bodies bad
been removed from the vestibule
where the jam of terrified little ones
bad resulted In the greatest loss of
life. The police had estimated the
dead as high as fifty. Many others
were injured In their flight down the
stairways and a few Jumped from the
windows of the third floor.
The students who ranged in years
from 7 to 13, were in charge of six
teen sisters. When the fire broke the
sisters marshalled their charges as for
a tire drill and started them from the
building. The processions were order
ly until those from the third floor
Joined others pouring from the class
looms on the second floor.
Fear Starts Panic
Suddenly there was a cry of fear
from one of the throng. It was taken
up by a hundred others and panic
ensued. The sisters made frantic ef
forts to stop the pushing, struggling
F" [Continued on Page o.]
Claims the Riverton
Water Co. Has Failed
to Keep Agreement
Complaint was filed at the office of
the Public Service Commission to-day
against the Riverton Consolidated
Water Company by Edward N. Cooper,
head of E. N. Cooper & Co., iron
founders of this city, and a resident of
Damp Hill, in which it is charged that
the company has not given the service
which it is declared to have promised
and which the law requires of a public
utility company.
Mr. Cooper charges in his complaint
that he is opening a tract of land and
that when he laid out the lots he ar
ranged with an officer of the com
pany to secure water service, provided
at least four houses were erected. He
states that the houses have been put
up and side walks and curbs laid, but
that the company has repeatedly re
fused to extend Its mains.
Searches For Gas Leak
With Lamp; Poof!
F. E. Ellicker, 1192 Bailey street,
this morning searched for a gas leak
in his cellar. He carried with him a
lighted lamp, placing the latter near
the gas meter. When Ellicker re
moved a cap from the gas pipe there
was an explosion, followed by a blaze
In a pile of rubbish. Someone saw the
smoke coming from the cellar and
sent in an alarm from Box 3 32, Wal
nut and Balm streets. There was no
fire when the firemen arrived, as Mr.
Ellicker had been busy with several
buckets of water. No damage re
sulted.
COUSIN OF ?IRS. GALT DIES
By Associated Press
Bristol, Va., Oct. 28. Mrs. Char
lotte Payne Winston, a cousin of Mrs.
Norman Gait, who is soon to become
the wife of President Wilson, and a
grand-niece of Dolly Madison, wife of
President Madison, is dead here at
the age of 85. She was also a great
granddaughter of Alexander Spotts
wood, Colonel Governor of Virginia.
SUFFRAGE RAM/V IX SQUARE
Miss Emma MacAlarnev will be the
principal speaker at a big suffrage
mass meeting to be held in Market
Sq.iare to-morrow evening at 7:30
o'clock.
THE WEATHER
ilarrlnbiirar and Vicinity) Fair
to-night ond Friday, warmer to
night.
I'taatern I'ennnyl vnnlii : Fair nnrl
warmer to-night, Friday fair.
Moderate Mind* becoming noutber
niVKlt
The SuNquehaniia river and all
Mm trlhutarlex ivlll fall alowly. 1
"t»«f of about 4.0 feet In Indicated
for Hnrrtsburg Friday morning.
UEJiKHAI, CONDITIONS
I'rraNiire la low nlong the north
ern boundary rrom the tireat l.nkea
wratwnrd. It la hlghext over the
Paelfle alope and moderately high
over the Middle and North Atlantic
Statoa and south and eaat of the
Ohio river except Florida.
It I la cooler In the Middle and
/North Atlantic Ktntes and In Haat
orn Tennenaee and Wentern North
Carolina and In the Rocky Mnun
' talna.
Temperature—B n. m., SS.
Sani Itlaea, 7.»2 a. m.; Seta, 4.4 a
p. m.
Moon: New Moon, November 7,
J a. m.
Itlver Stage: 4.1 feet above low
water mark.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER
llluhcxt tempernture, «4.
t.oweat temperature. 46.
Mean temperature, SB.
Normal temperature, 19,
I GLANCE AT OFFICIAL RECORDS SHOW WHAT EACH j
| OF FIVE COMMISSIONERS HAS DONE FOR CITY 8
1® City records speak for themselves and a £lanca at the councilmanic journals and ordinance books for the last two years will show conclusively what the five ®
members of City Council have done in the way of constructive and improvement legislation. City Commissioner William 11. Lynch heads the list with 117 ordin- (||
gE ances, Commissioner H. F. Bowman has sixty-one to his credit, and Commissioner M. Harvey Taylor, fifty-two.
§39 Mayor John K. Royal offered eighteen and Commissioner W. L. Gorgas twenty-four. Most of Royal's and Gorgas' were salary raisers or routine appropri- gg
ation measures. , ®
gf WILI lAM H. LYNCH HARRY F. BOWMAN M. HARVEY TAYLOR WILLIAM L. GORGAS MAYOR JOHN K. ROYAL HS
Superintendent of Streets and Superintendent of Public Safety Superintendent of Parks and Superintendent of Finance ami Superintendent of Public Affairs
Public Improvement Public Property Accounts _ (§£
SH Nine-mill city tax rate. * Appropriating salary of Mayor ttS
(Ffl Ordinance authorizing ex- Retaining Board of Health as Submitting $«0,000 fire loan to Fixing salary of clerk to su- and City Councilmcn. * »§
penditure of $88,500 for sewers. Bureau of Health and Sanita- people. perintendent of iluance and ac- Authorizing appointment of
y3j Kquitable reduction hi paving foil. Placing lights on river front counts. secretary to the Mayor and Hx- H5-
corner and irregular lots. Reducing water rates and wall. Appropriation of portion of ing his salary.
SH Defining official opening, grad- costs of meters. Purchasing land in Paxtang gem-ral water fund toward re- Fixing salaries of chief of po- !?»
ing. paving and curbing rcgu- Ap|>ointing city bacteriologist for parkway purposes. demption of water bonds iu tic- lice, captain and detectives. ®
latlons. and chemist. Constructing parkway road Appointing additional police
VS3 Opening and grading Mne- Placing sixteen adcUtloiial Cameron Extension to Reservoir Bowman s suggestion. constables. WV
teenth street. Chestnut to Mul- cluster electric standards. _ Park. Requiring coupon holders of Fixing salaries of Mayor, City
KB Ijerrv; Twentieth, Market to Placing ornamental electric Construction of new formal 'onus to show certificates Councilmcn and City Controller
Mi Chcstnnt: Mulberry. Eighteen til lights in Second street from Lo- entrance to Reservoir Park. .. . .1 .. for 1916. E
Bw to Nineteenth, and Chestnut, cust to State. Condemning almshouse land redemption ac- Curfew ordinance (by re
fS Eighteenth to Nineteenth. Opening and grading Summit f or park purposes. ... . . quest). UC
Regulation construction of street to provide easier access Obtaining by gift or purchase . Riquirin„ hucksters to wear Other measures, totaling just foS
sidewalks, curbs and gutters from Market street by means of i and to cast or titJ j or con - na "£\f- . „ eighteen in nil, included such flk
SQ along highways. concrete steps. tiiiuation of parkway. , ° r "inance andap- items as appropriations for light-
Paving and curbing Dcrry Changing water mains at State Creating department of City poiiitmcnt or license officer. ing Mayor's office, buying type
street from Twenty-second to street by lowering thertl under Planning Commission. , totaling writers and cabinets for Mayor s
Twenty-third streets. Paxton creek . invert and in- Creating department of city ~ „„! U., „!„ ~ ' K the office and ofliee of City Scaler, fs*
BS Creating police captain and stallation of great valve. forestry. usual routine measures trans- prohibiting youngsters from at- n§
Kg increasing force. Collecting ashes in Thirteenth Authorizing tioating of 1»13 villi depart " tending "movies," widening
Purchase of street sprinklers ward and other AuUylng dls- 5300.000 pubUc improvement w "•J®"" 1 ' '. J, ? a^ se '?. s " Briggs street, providing money L&
and sweepers. trk ts. loan. ments. appointing assistant city for Mr. Lynch'snew street signs,
fig Building bridge across Jones- Appropriations to pay paving Obtaining lands in Susque- ' P i ,lK ' nt , regulating sale of red lire. ¥$
SS town road at Walnut street. assessments against St. Mat- han,m township for park pur- Zmnriation and ™ n r.ST^ 1 8§
<<2, Changing names of highways thew's Lutheran and Immanuel poses. appropriation and mill rate ordi- -<a
gS in city. Presbyterian Churches. Raising pay of lire drivers. nances. , JjV
Sr) Opening and grading of Mar- To secure purity of milk and Purchasing tract at Sycamore ySp
fis? ket street from Twenty-first to cream. and Fourteenth streets for city fift
As* eastern city line. Opening Front street from playground. Yfo
fo?) Paving and curbing l)erry South to Liberty, Harris to Ma- Purchasing tract at Fifth and fe
Eo street from Twenty-third to clay. Emerald for city playground. £Z§
Sy eastern city line. Appropriation to pay water Purchasing motor-driven lire Fg
(8? Constructing liridges across assessment for Christ Lutheran apparatus (seven pieces).
Vf2 Paxton creek at Mulberry. Rcily, Church. Opening Front street, Hcrr to yYr;
Walnut and Cumberland streets. PermltUng construction of Calder. MS*
)fp. Specifying amount of bonds great frame Stough tabernacle Appropriation for Memorial
rS-'j and checks required of con- in tire district. l>a.v.
tractors. Leasing portion of island to Purchasing fire hose. N
on Authorizing construction of Pennsylvania Exlilbltlon Com- Rttlldiiig Royal Fire Com- v.;
fiz*! asphalt rejtair plant. pany for baseball. pany's new house in Thirteenth
New sewer system in Market Placing Taylor Boulevard and ward. ftc
street ami Market Square. Berkeley Place on city map. Installation of ornamental fsj
Zgp Regulating traffic in subways Amending license tax ordi- standards in River Park south
So? and on bridge approaches. nance to reduce fee from $5 of Paxton street and In Twelfth
fig Turning into city asphalt re- to $4. street playgrounds.
Yfcl pair fund all sums heretofore Ordinances for placing of two Regulations for planting of Cjc
jSi appropriated for payment of pri- < sewers and thirteen water pipes; dty trees. fis
rS> vatc repair contractor. additional electric lights, Inchid- Regulations for automobiles WS?
Authorizing sewers in the fol- ing cluster standard at Cherry parking in Market Square.
lowing streets: Fifth, Twentieth, and Front streets opposite liar- Providing funds for skating on fK
59 Swatara, Klttatinny, Shamokin, rishnrg Hospital. Wi Id wood Lake.
Kg River. Cumberland, Barker. Other measures totaling sixty- Other measures totaling tlfty- , fe*
Clicstnut. Maclay, Seventeenth. one in all, including the ordi- two, including the ordinance A
Herr, Maclay street from east nance "abolishing the positions stipulating how the various city . fK*
side of Paxton street, Mifflin, of chief clerk and assistant chief departments shall be superin- n>
Sixteenth. Bock and Seven- clerk" in City Treasurer O. M. tended by the live members of Cvf
teenth, tieiger. Third, Berry, Copelin's department. Council. (K
Carlisle, Monroe, Boas, Florence jfc
® alley, Cameron, Berry, Market s
gf street (Hill section). Green, Ma- jS
fjQ hantongo and a score of smaller >^c«rtvnn(TiJOS<TT?i<TP^
rtC; Authorizing paving of these ' r
sections of streets: Seventh, W
Rhoadcs alley, Emerald, Aprl- Hg
cot. Wengert, Whistler alleys,
Nineteenth, Primrose, Howard, yul
Ethel, Market. Cumberland,
Brown. Atlas. Said, Clover, Zar- 2R
MS ker. Chestnut, Cream and Snow JSj
® alleys. May and several streets ' > OH
©i in Bellevuc Park.
eg Other measures totaling 117
JERSEY CENTRAL J
MUST DISPOSE OF
COAL INTERESTS
Decree Filed Today by U. S. j
District Court Result of
Government's Suit
By Associated Press
Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 28. Tlio
United States District Court to-day
decreed that the ownership of the
Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Com
pany by the Central Railroad Com
pany of New Jersey is a combination
in restraint of trade and that the j
Central Company must dispose of Its
interest in that concern.
The decree filed to-day is on the
decision of the court last June In the
government's antitrust suit against the
Reading Company, Jersey Central and :
others. The court at that time sug
gested that the Lehigh and Wilkes-1
Barro Company be divorced from the
[Continued on Pago 9.]
Former Harrisburg
Woman's Life Reads
Like a Movie Story
York, Pa., Oct. 28.—A1l of the ele
ments of a novel down to a happy
ending arc contained in the life his
tory of Mrs. Emma Franks, who has
been located here and informed of an
inheritance of $2,000 through the
death of her father.
As a child of 2 years Mrs. Franks,
then Emma Bennett, was kidnaped
from her home in West Elizabeth, Pa.,
twenty-nine years ago, by Mr. and
Mrs. Oeorge Brindley, a childless
couple. The Brindleys, she says, toolt
her to Cleveland, and only when she
was 16 years old Imparted to her
knowledge of her real parents. Shortly
afterward the Brindleys removed to
Harrisburg, and Emma, going with
them, there met and fell In love with
Frank B. Franks, a young railroad
engineer.
The pair had not been wedded long
when Franks, in Pittsburgh, met a
Civil War veteran, who told him of a
missing daughter, displaying her pho
tograph in a locket. When Franks
displayed its duplicate, father and
daughter were reunited.
Two years ago John Bennett visited
his daughter in Harrisburg and that
was the last time she saw him. Since
that time her husband was killed in a
railway wreck. Two of their children
had previously died and four remain- 1
ing ones succumbed to diphtheria. In
reduced circumstances, Mrs. Franks
was for the lirst time In her life forced
to seek employment and caine here as
a domestic.
HARRISBURG, PA., THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 28, 1915.
BIG CONFERENCE
FOR WELFARE OF
WORKERS IN NOV.
Industrial Conference Will Be
Attended by Leading Engi
neers of Country
.
Workmen's compensation, educa
tion in its relation to industrial effi
ciency and what the Commonwealth
is doing to promote safety and bring
about better living conditions will
form the chief themes of the third an
nual Industrial welfare and efficiency
j conference which will be held at the
■ State Capitol November 16, 17, 18 and
[Continued on Page 11]
PREMIER VIVIANI
QUITS HIS POST
As Result New Cabinet Is
Now Being Formed in
France
France's war cabinet is in process
of Premier Vlvlani
is to retire, It Is understood, his suc
cessor being Arlstide, Briand, former
premier, who Is likely also to take the
foreign ministry, while M. Vlvlani will
remain in the cabinet as minister of
justice. Other important changes in
the cabinet are likewise indicated.
Jules Cambon. as general secretary of
the foreign office, will probably be re
[ Continued on Page o.]
Russians Make Attack
on Black Sea Coast
By Associated Press
Rome. Oct. 28, via London, 2.26
P. M.—A Bucharest dispatch to the
Stofani News Agency filed yesterday
says that the Russians have begun an
attack on the Black Sea coast of Bui- ■
garia. <
"A Russian fleet arrived at 4 o'clcok i
i this morning off the Bulgarian coast," '
th? correspondent wires, "and Imme
diately began a bombardment of I
Varna. Shelling was still proceeding
at 11 o'clock. Considerable damage I
has been done to the town." <
SUFFRAGE UP IN
THREE OF THE 13
ORIGINAL STATES
Pennsylvania Workers Feel
Confident That Amendment
Will Be Adopted
Next Tuesday the fate of long cam
paigns in favor of woman suffrage will
be decided in three of the thirteen
original States—Pennsylvania, New
York and Massachusetts.
In Pennsylvania the advocates of
suffrage close their efforts with a feel
ing of quite confidence that the
amendment to the constitution will be
[Continued on Page 3.]
SCENES OF WAR
IN TRAVELOGUES
Robeson Declares Kitchener Is
Right About Length of
the Conflict
With hundreds of beautifully col
ored views and thousands of feet of
new motion picture flbn. much of it
obtained from Europe within the past
five weeks. Frank R. Roberson, world
wide traveler and famous traveloguer,
will commence on the first of his
screen-tours to the interesting places
of the world to-night at the Chestnut
Street Auditorium.
Germany will be the first land o'er
[Continued on Page 6.]
Nothing Known of Woman
Sentenced to Be Shot
By Associated Press
Amsterdam, via London. Oct 28.
The Telegraaf hears from Liege,
Belgium that two more persons have
been sentenced to dsath there by court
martial. Their names are Franz
L&qiiay and Andreas Garot. Three
others. Orial 3inion, Amandeus Hesse
and Constunt Herick, already have
been shot at Liege.
Nothing is known concerning the
fate of Anna Benazet, of Vorviers,
Belgium, who was sentenced to death
by a German court martial on Mon
day. i
BOWMAN EARNED
$84,000 SURPLUS
FOR TAXPAYERS
Royal, Copelin and Gorgas
Lose SI,OOO For City by
Failure to Invest
City Commissioner Harry F. Bow
man said this morning:
"I desire to clear up some mis
understandings and unintentional mis
statements and at the same time pre
sent a clean statement, to the tax
payers of Harrisburg with relation to
certain financial transactions In the
conduct of the water department:
"An article in a recent issue of
The Patriot misquoted me, setting
forth that I was trying to- compel
Mr. Royal and Mr. Copelin to Invest
SIIO,OOO of the surnlus of the water
department on hand when I took
office. This SIIO,OOO was not invested
[Continued on rage 3]
ARMAMKNT TH ANSFKRRED !
By s!s.'ccialid Press
Pans, Oct. 28.—-The entire arroa
fate of Anna Uenaaet. of Vervier*.
ferrod to Tchatalja and Adrianoplc
while the Turkish garrison has been
sent to the Bulgarian frontier. The
Havas correspondent at Athens wires,
that he has '.his news from reliable'
sourceH in Constantinople.
I TELEGRAPH jj
:! TRAVELOGUE::
COUPON
■. This coupon and 10c • .
J ) , will admit holder to J J
< • The Roberson Travelogue ''
i! "GERMANY":
I Thurs. Eve., Oct. 28th ■
;; Chestnut St. Auditorium ;;
•i < i
| ' One-half the houae only avail- J J
! ! able for coupon admission. ! !
I+H 1 1111 11 ***** 1111111 ti4
j
j - Ambassador Gerard's reccr.t I
) confcrenc is ca, I
| g stated to- I
1 day th sador had not been directed to visit the '
I emperor and that no report of the conference had been I
I ceived. (
RUSSIAN ATTACKS REPULSED 1
I Berlin, Oct. 28.—8y Wireless to Sayvilie.—Repulse of I
I Russian attacks in the Dvinsk region and near the cent, I
part of the line in the east as well as a success for General f
Von Linsingen's troops in the southern sector are recorded I
in to-day's official statement by German army headquarters. \
EVIDENCE IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL (
Joliet, 111., Oct. 28.—Joseph Campbell, nc&ro convict ac- I
cused of the murder on June 20th, last of Mrs. Maizie Odette j
Allen, wife of Edmund M. Allen then warden of the State 1
Penitentiary, here, was placed on trial to-day. Questions 1
asked the first veoii emen 'were taken to indicate the evidence jj
! against the negro is circumstantial. |l
New York, Oct. 28.—Testimony disclosing that the late I
General Charles R. Brayton, "the blind boss a£ Rhode 1
Island" was employed by the New York Haven and Hart- 1
ford Railroad to block the passaged bills in the Rhode C
Island Legislature authorizing the construction of trolley J
lines which would compete with the New Haven, caused a 5
sensation at the trial of the eleven former directors of the J
New Haven to-day. j
Peabody, Mass., Oct. 28. Angus McDonald, of the 1
State police, believes the fire in St. John's School originated 1
in a closet near the stairway and was caused by a hot air J
explosion. It was believed late to-day that the death list 1
will reach twenty-five..
Reading, Pa., O ct - 28.—Allen Adkirns, 56 years old, an 1
orderly in the Homeopathic Hospital was arrested here to- J
day as an arson suspect. ■He was recently employed and J
since then three fires broke out in the institution. »
Harrisburg.—Dave-George, a foreigner empoyed at the J
Paxtang atone quarries sustained a badly lacerated foot this J
afternoon when it was caught in tke mackimery. F
MARRIAGE LICENSES )
Kdvvard William Hewitt anil Bnnle May Holtsman, l.laflritonß.
POSTSCRIPT— FINAL
16 PAGES
NEW BRIDGE LOAN
BACKERS EXPLAIN
THEIR POSITIONS
Walnut Street Viaduct Associa
tion Issues Statement to
People
URGE ENDORSEM EN T
Question of $300,000 Debt In
crease Will Be Decided
on Tuesday
In a voluminous and comprehen
sive statement issued to the public to
day the Walnut Street Viaduct Asso
ciation explains why it is boosting the
$300,000 loan for the construction of
the new bridge over the Pennsy tracks
at Walnut street.
The question will be decided by the
people Tuesday at the polls as to
whether Harrisburg shall increase its
bonded indebtedness to construct the
bridge and the Hill Association pre
sents its statement in order to con
vince the voters why it believes the
loan should be passed. Following is
the statement:
The Allison Hill Association favor
ing the $300,000 loan for the erection
of a Walnut Street Viaduct desires to
present concisely to the citizens of
Harrisburg the views of its member
ship in regard to the imperative neces
[Coiitiiiucd on Page 7.]
Mayor Attacks Hospital
Where Nurse's Mistake
Caused Woman's Death
By Associated Press
Atlantic City, N. J., Oct. 28.—Mayor
William Riddle to-day called upon the
Board of Governors of the City Hos
pital to confirm or deny charges that,
they attempted to suppress news of
the mistake of a pupil nurse, which
resulted in the death of a patient in
the hospital from poison.
EDISON'S LIFE THREATENED
By Associated Press
San Francisco, Oct. 28. Annoy
mous letters, threatening the life of
Thomas A. Edison, because he bus
been named as a member of the Na
tional Defense Board by President
Wilson, have been received by the In
ventor during his visit here.