The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-05 00:00:00

FIRE AND WATER.

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INTERNAL ECONOMY OF AMERICAN'
MILLS.
It is said that cotton-mii!s in this country are yell
liable to take fire ; for which I cannot assign any parti-
cular cause, at least for such as are heated by steam ;
those heated with hot air may be more liable to such
accidents, especially when wood:is used for fuel. Some •
of the mills lately built at Lowell have iron shutters
outside the windows to prevent the communication
of fire from one mill to another ; and each mill has
expensive apparatus fitted up for extinguishing
fires—such as forcing-pumps for raising water to a
cistern at the top of the mill, from which pipes de-
scend into every apartment ; and these not only serve
to deluge the mill in case of fire, but also to supply each
room with water for washing, as every apartment has its
water-trough, or what is denominated a sink for the
workers to wash their hands and face in,—a most health,' ,
as well as cleanly operation, which is punctually attended
to before every meal, soap being supplied for this per'
pose by the proprietors. Besides these forcing pumps
and water-pipes inside, a considerable number of the •
large mills have platforms outside, with ladders extend'
ing right over the top of the building ; and in general
each factory (particularly in the Eastern district), is fur!.
niched with what is called a watch-clock, for tuc purpose
of keeping the night watchman always on the alert• ,
These clocks resemble a common time-piece with a cir
cular dial made to revolve ; and surrounding the dial,
about half an inch from the circumference,there are a num-
her of small pins, which the watchman is required to shift;
but the clock is so constructed that one pin only ean
be shifted at certain intervals of time, as, for example,
at the end of every half hour. The cluck also contains'
a certain number of springs, each one of which must .
be lifted before one pin can be shifted ; but as the clock
is all inclosed except the dial, there are wires connected
with these springs and with each room in the mill ; these
wires are also all enclosed, except at their extremities ill
the different apartments ; therefore, in order to shift one
pin, the watchman requires to go into every room
is the mill for the purpose of pulling each wire se-
parately ; and this lie must do at the end of ever,'
half hour, for, if the pins are not shifted at the proper
time, they cannot be shifted at all: and the super-4
intendent of the works carefully examines these
clocks every day, to ascertain whetUr all the PO
have been shifted ; by which means he can at once
know whon the watchman neglects his duty. Some
clocks are so constructed that one wire only can be'
drawn at the end of every five or six minutes, sa"!
that when the watchman draws the wire in ner
room he must wait some time before he can dratu
the next, by which means he is kept moving about all
the time. " It is somewhat remarkable, that, in general,*
no such provision is made in the cotton factories of
Great Britain for the prevention of fire. Except in 11
few instances, there are in that country neither forcing
pumps and water-pipes inside, nor platforms or ladders`'
outside the mills. Indeed, there are a number of
in country places in Scotland that have no night watt lam`
men either in winter or summer.—Montgomery's
ton Manufacture of America and Great Britain. (