The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-10 00:00:00

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TERRIBLE CALAMITY IN AMERICA.

The New York journals bring particulars of a shock-
ing calamity at Fall River, Massachusetts. A fire
broke out in the fourth floor of a woollen mill, and the
flames, fed by oiled cottons and other combustibles,
spread with such rapidity that the escape of sixty
operatives on the sixth floor was cut off. Many of
these operatives were women, and at last they were
forced to jump from the windows to the ground,
seventy feet below. Some fell upon straw and mat-
tresses that had been hastily collected, and were not
severely injured; others, however, were instantly
killed by the fall, or were fatally wounded. Some
who dared not leap were suffocated before the eyes of
their relatives. In all twenty persons were killed out-
right, or have since died of their injuries: three are
missing and supposed to be dead, and thirty-six are on
the list of wounded, making a total of fifty-nine killed
and wounded. Six of the killed, who were mangled
and burned so badly as to be unrecognisable, were
buried by the police authorities without funeral cere-
monies,

The following te,...ount of the melancholy catas-
trophe is given by the American correspondent of
The Times :
One of the saddest calamities which has ever occurred in
this country happened at Fall River, Massachusetts, on the
morning of the 19th of September It was the burning of a
large mill in which from 400 to SOO operatives, chiefly women
and girls, were employed. The escape of about onethird
was cut ott by the flames, so that about 25 were either burnt
to ,loath or killed by jumping or falling from the building,
and 30 others were in a similar way seriously injured, many
of them fatally. Fall River is one of the leading
New England cotton manufacturing towns, there being
Boole 40 cotton mills there, devoted chiefly to making print
cloths. The " Granite Mills" Corporation owns two large
factories built of granite, and in their oldest or " No. 1" miff
the calruity occurred. It was a long structure of four stories
surmounted by an attic, there being a tower hi the centre in
which the stairways were located, while at the gable ends
were fire escapes and ladders. There were 30,000 spindles
La the mill, and it was running on full time and with a full
complement of bands, work beginning at 7 am. and 5,000
yards of cotton cloth being made per week.
A few moments after the machinery was put-in motion in
the morning the friction of an unoiled inule-head on the
fourth floor began the tire, which [prickly communicated to
cotton waste lying about, and, foiled all efforts to subdue it,
spread among the combustibles which were on all sides, so
that in an instant almost it had reached the central tower,
and, tilling it with dense smoke and flame, cut off all escape
by the stairway from the fourth anti fifth stories. There were
nearly 100 girls at work on the fourth floor, and from 30
to 40 younger girls in the attic, there being but three or
four male overseers in these parts of the building. The
flames drove them all to the sonthern end of the mill, the
wind being from the north-ss rat, and the panic is indescriba-
ble. The stairways permitted egress for those in the stories
below, but for these the only means of escape was the frail
and dangerous fire ladders hung on the walls upon which
the children anti girls were afraid to venture, The few
male overseers were courageous and did what they could
to Quiet the panic, but it was unavailing, for scarcely
any of the girls would the as they were told. They were
crazed with fear and leaped from the windows some going
out headforemost ; some were lowered by ropes, which
broke or were burnt and they fell to the ground. There
were ample time mid means for 'everyone to be saved
hail the right course been pursued, but the panic was
fatal. When the firemen got on the ground they put up
their fire ladders and this did good, and a number went into
the building in brave attempts at rescue, their courage re-
sulting in four cases hi their own death. A large portion of
the roof fell in, crushing dos n both the attic and the story
below, and this added to the shocking loss of life. In a little
over an hour after the fire began the flames were gut under
control, and were kept away from the south end of the mill,
so that It could be entered and a partial search safely made;
but by that time the agony was ever. Of the 140 unfortu-
nate operatives who had been penned up, in the furnace over
01.1 have paid the penalty either of death or wounds.
A large crowd, in a state of great excitement, surrounded
the building during the fire, and their startling cries and
acts added to the dismay of the mill operatives. When the
firemen and police got to work, however, there was good
service done, and many acts of heroism were performed.
The edtlre town was out in an hour, work being stopped in
the neighbouring factories, and all nil that human kindness
could give was provided for the suffering. Dead-houses and
hospitals were improvised carriages were lent for am-
bulances all the available physicians of the city came to the
scene; and the dead and wounded were speedily cared for.
Most of the dead who were taken out of the build-
ing were unrecognizable, while of the injured a large
number will die. Broken limbs and severe burns are the
chief Injuries. In nearly every case the same story is told.
The poor sufferer remained at a window until the intolerable
heat forced her out, and she then jumped down 50 or CO feet
to the ground. Mattresses and bedding were brought for
them to jump on in several cases, but it did little good.
The sickening details of this calamity become more horrible
with every fresh instalment, and they have fallen upon the
country with most painful results. To-day the coroner
began an investigation, and it is probable that legislation
will follow in Massachusetts to compel the adoption of better
means of securing the safety of life when such calamities
occur in future.