The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-01-18
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ously thai INC HFe was burning ner
hair, but the flames soon after silenced
her cries.
The awful dea til which some died by
the fire was fearfully attested by their
baked and blackened forms when taken
ont, not in anything like those of hu-
man beings.
The mill, which was long brick
building 500 feet long by eighty four
feet wide, was yesterday in full opera
ton, when, in very few minutes after
five o'clock in the afternoon, it fell
with a sudden crash, and without
hardly moments warning, to the
ground burying in its ruins the vast
masses of machinery used at the mill,
and with the mass Of solid iron, and
mingled with the beams and brick of
the edifice, lay in mangled and CORY
layers the forms Of over four hundred
human beings
AS soon as those In the neighbor-
hood could recover from the Mortified
establishment into which they were
thrown by the disaster, the fire alarm
was at once sounded, and the depart
ment were soon on the spot. Their
services were not, however, required
to extinguish any flame, for at this
time no fi~e had broken out.
Without the horror Of fire, however,
the scene was fr.ghtfnl beyond descrip-
ton. The ruins-fay in one confused
| heap, covering an area of about two
acres and.piled up to height of about
thirty feet
From nearly every Role and crevice
IN this vast pile, from the top, from the
sides, and IN fact, from every assure
from whence voice from inside could
make its way, came shrieks for help
groans of anguish, prayers and moan
ings; aud in many very many eases,
the poor sufferers co4rld be distinctly
seen, talked to, and even reached by
the hand from the outside. Many
thus imprisoned were encouraged and
sustained by assurances of safety, and
]
in many cases cups of coffee could be,
and were passed down to those below.
who, alas after all this near approach
to safety, saw hour after hour pass
away, until, at last, the frightf1f cry
ef fire, and the greedy licking of the
flames as they approached with fear
full rapidity, cracking and kissing all
over the remains on the ground, told
them too plainly that all hope Of life
was gone The fall of the building
took place just as the mill was being
lighted up, and outside, of course, all
was dark.
To obviate this difficulty huge fires
were made to the leeward of the ruins,
and the light thus made lighted up the
horrible scene with inexpressible gran
deur.
The ATTEMPT At RESCUE. At this
| time-six o'cloak-ffteen hundred per-
sons gathered about the spot, and by
the light Of the fires the more daring
were on top, crawling under the ruins,
fixing ropes, and doing all in their pow
er to extricate those within. At the
outset their efforts were quite success
full. About seventy-fve persons, men,
women, and children, more or less
wounded, were taken out, and, if rec
ognised carried home, and if not, taken
to the City Hall, which had been con-
verified into temporary hospital At
ter the first hour however, the work
becomes much more dangerous. by
reason of the fall of timbers as displace-
ments are made, and often the rescued
and the rescuer are again in danger of
a fresh entombment. We do not learn
however, that any serious accident has
befallen any of those who rendered as
sistance from outside but still, the
danger of the attempt deferred many
from rendering any help, except by
standing alta distance and screaming
themselves hoarse in giving advice or
direction to the more caring spirits who
were hot at work.
WoMANs HERoIsM.-At one point
when rope had been fixed to pro-
jecting timber, a call was made to the
crowd to take hold and pull with will,
but for few minutes, such was the dan
ger of the attempt-for the beamin fall
ing might engulph allnear it-for a few
minutes, wesay, the call was unheeded.
Men shnddered and drew back-they
would risk much to aid those below, but
life was sweet, and the danger great
At this critical junctnre, woman rush
ed from amoug the crowd, and daring
the spectators to follow, seized the
rope and attempted to mount the pile
OF smouldering ruins to clear away with
her hands. The example was enough;
not a word was said, but strong hands
at once drew her back, and then there
was no lack Of hands to the rope. the
beam was drawn out, and, at least, two
sufferers released from the opeuing
thus made.
Besides those thus saved, large
number of operatives, mostly males,
who werei in the weaving room, which
is in the lower story, managed to es-
oanc hu ara ,.ls.,n. e IL