The Express.
London, England, 1854-01-04 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE AT'

ROCHDALE.

A fire broke out yesterday morning, at Rochdale,
by which nearly the whole of the extensive woollen mill of
Mews. Robert Ralson and Brother was destroyed, and by
which also two females lost their lives, whilst a camber of
other operatives have escaped only with broken limbs sad
other injuries. The mill of Messrs. Kelsall is situate in
Smith-street, in Rochdale, on the right bask of the river
Roach, and extends from Duncan-street to Penn street. It
was a good substantial building, erected 1111 years ago, about
9C feet long by 72 wide, end vitrified of four storeys and
an attic. The manufacture carried on is chiefly in flannels,
and the whole of the first, second, and fourth storeys and attic
were filled with machinery belong ingte Messrs. Keleall,whibt
the greater part of the third floor was let off as a carding
room to Mr. Thomas Stott. About 160 bands were em-
ployed
in the concern, of whom 24 belonged to Mr. Stott..
At the Doncanotrest end of the mill, over the engine
house, Mr. Stott had a machine called a "devil." It is a
machine which answers much the same purpose in
woollen mill that a " willow" dose in a cotton factory,
tearing, cleaning, and separating the fibres of the wool.
This "devil" is separated from the rest of the machinery
oa the third floor only by a wooden partition. About an
hour after the aria commeneed running yesterday morning,
or about eaves o'clock, whilst l3runnel Stott Ow of the

owees of the meetilte) and another MR were at
work at the devil," the flames of a gaslight rad-
ical; ignited some " film," or light portion of the
material flying about In the wind from the machine, and
the fire communicated quickly with the wool in the ma-
chine itself. There is • bucket usually kept over thir
shies, and a pipe from a cistern of water was agar, h~loslol
be woe in ease el doe, het On this ommies the bushel ma
mi of place, angled to be sought baba stain. Soars time
wakes owing ge lab balm water web be thrown ea the
tomes and meat ague winoble Ems owing to en abortive
attempt to @stigma& do ion by them memo ere the polio*
sad the fire brignienntil M ellmthailani with. The fire
brigade meshed nits about a guar* pi 7, and win
quickly as fire eget, bat mask ibis WO again
lest, sobs to Me river beteg bum ever, as
well es be water ia the street plugs, by sa lailama frost on
be percullag night, .ad for some days provisaig. By the
Dm be be engine. were is fall play, the fire we. bursting
Item um* all the beat windows la Smith-item, is the
Ytl Mom The egurativee on the third story had to paw
MINN Dm& the are to reach the stamen, and were
ommerball saisimil is the effort, bet those below raped
yam tor muse reason those in the fourth
ON OM lift skier neglected until too late this mode of
senalie, or had remained in ignorance of the danger. The
result was that a rush was made to the windows of the
Mewed fronts of the MESS en the Earth floor and attic
lathe mid the farstory by the operatives, chiefly oonsistiag
of Mime wad girls, and a most appabing spectacle soon pre-
Winfled itself to those outside, as the poor creatures
efiihied mod bald oat their bends for succour above, the
IMMO bra from the windows below. There were but
Immo magnel them, but three of them, Henry Ree-
. Mimi Daskworth, and Thomas Taylor, ere
MlNlCiljahlfrecalei most hero cally in braving the brat
if illro ft IWO Is lowering the women end mai
rep mils
NM bOla the upper storeys before they do.
romiallibussims llnfortenstely the alarm of NOM elf
die berabs ireereense every firebug of danger, sad they re-
selnall wpm as desperate sk or a One of them
walbolsolls oreatures, Hanisrih Amber, lisped from the to,
of lie mill late Smith-street, and was takes up in
a Oft gi insensibility. She dWd boon afterwards,
Amin broken ism beck. Margaret Seca was cloying.,
•Op bar the met of the building, by which aa all
use made ft lower Ist, sad unfortumady let go her bead
reglic =l2 •be Mt She tell is Yean-street, end
wee jumped fres Ile fourth storey
into ram llma la as* Ilatie hope le es-
' tortoise* of borgulaimg. glib mimes sow dengurato
leap, led di mil nib& music sly Mare merge sober
eyes, wilds aiti r
_bona by the lime. Of them feyfeyhad to
be
mobil Is sk brass with fractured limb eml other
WWI% the hillowles Is a list him Kershaw,
throuasairave. Dareareregib, ilia Kan, Mori
Ameitage,Mary liarimma, Itealres
Heywood, sad Emma Slott.
wee get osier with greet ~slim by 10 o'clock,
stow SW= by idiom WIS, hat act till the whets
~11 11119 Irk 01000 the I.olll.4otase lied bees
dit wow pert of dm liest wall faller late
fr-it Tim Wire Wee aseinimod by lateen. Kigali
sad 00. le eilmoled at 12,11.1., a mmiderablo pun of
wilds is beim& lo be mimed by himmullON_kasi Mos
ho* sollhosa Me emesst 1,01111.,0 Mich so genies
Indlinftwaniy is Wand.
As Id& bay is missing, nod is eggpseed to be buried
osier ors.

PUITTOGIIAPHIC floctenr.—The council of this
misty have °posed a photographic ozhibition, open to
exhibitors frogs all porta of the WOW* Let the rupees of
Wizen Update' photographs ea paper sod glass, bath
negative and positive; daguerreotypes, plain sad coloured,
sad stereoscopic pictures, for the inspectica of amateurs
sad ths public. This szhibition war opened last night by
a soira at *a rooms of the Society of British Artists in
Suffolk-street. ,The stteindaus of a largo number of the
asrabers and their friends showed the interest which la
tam is this rapidly sdraneing art. A very large and
interesting eolisstios of photographic objects was collated.