Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-01-11
The Great Fire at Fail River, Hass.-FiVe
Hundred Persons Thrown out Of En-
pIOyment.

PlOyment
The Fall River News gives the par
ticulars of the great fire in that place.
1t says:
Before the ruins of the Globe Print
Works have ceased to smoke, Fall Riv-
err has suffered another calamity. which
will be felt in almost every family
throughout the city. The American
Print Works were discovered to be on
fire Sunday afternoon at about $50
o'clock, and at dark the larger part Of
the noble structure was In ruins. L Ie
fire was first discovered In the machine
room, and spread rapidly into the new
unoccupied main building, and after
bursting through the roof swept down
through the successive stories until
nothing was left of this part but black
ened walls and smOuldering rnins.
The flooring was of hard pine, and the
flames seemed to eat through them as
if they we're mere paper.
After the larger portion Of the build
ing had been wrapped in 8 TIRE mendOus
blaze, a fire crept into the tower, and
soon ran up into the belfry, and thence
to the roof, darting from every window
and leaping many yards into the air,
as long as there was any woodwork I'M
consumed. The fire ragged fercely
about four hours, and at the end of
that time nothing was left of the beau
tiful structure but sad pile of ruins.
The print works building was Justly
the pride of Fall River, and was prOba-
bly, the finest structure of its kind in
the country. 1t has been in course of
erection for nearly a year, and the
last of the windows we're put in but
week ago. The building presented an
unbroken front on Water street of tour
hundred and sixty feet long by sixty
feet wide, three stories high, sur
mounted by French roof The en-
tire work was of beautiful asher work,
with arched windows. A single gran
lite pillar, two and a half feet square
by ten and quarter feet high, with
cap and base; occupied the space be-
tween each window. There we're
thirty-nine of these pillars and thirty
eight windows.
In the rear of this main building
were four wings, varying in length from
about seventy five to one hundred and
forty feet each, and three stories high.
Three of these ellis were rooted the
same as the main building; the fourth
was In process of erection. The princi-
pal part of the old works were two stone
buildings, each about one hundred and
fifty feet long. The north one, contain
ing printing machines, was destroyed,
together with the new structure. The
works had six printing machines, and
turned out one thousand five hundred
pieces of calico, or about sixty-seven
Thousand yards, per day, employing
about five hundred hands. With the
mpletion of the new portion, the
would have contained
machines, printing some four
thousand two hundred and fifty pieces,
or about one hundred and ninety
thousand yards, per day, employing
some twelve hundred or fourteen hun
bred hands.
There were but two establishments as
large, and perhaps little larger, in the
country, Sprague'S at Oranston and
the Pacific at Lawrence, but neither of
these equaled the American In archi-
tectural beauty. A large amount OF
calico was in the building, and though |
some was saved, the greater portion
was more or less damaged by fire or
water. Besides the loss to the COM
pany, many of the carpenters employed |
upon the building lost their tools, and |
several engravers met with the same
A carpenter named Sullivan entered |
the building before the fire was well |
lnder way for the purpose of securing
his tool chest. Becoming nearly suffo- |
Gated by smoke, he managed to grope |
his way TO the ROOF. from whence he
finally made his escape by means of
adder put up from below. In spite of
the falling snow, every available place
n the vicinity of the fire was covered /
with men, women and children, all of
whom seemed saddened by the specta-
lie, and fulE of forebodings in regard |
% its effect upon the industry of the
city.
Two hundred persons were thrown |
put of employment by the late destruc.
ton of the Globe Print Works, and this /
asst calamity adds some five hundred /
more to the list. With such sad blows
20 its manufacturing life, at the begin
1Ing of winter, the future certainly
ooks gloomy enough to Fail River. 1t