Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-09-25
MASSACHUSETTS.
PARTICULARS or THE FAIL
RIVER CONFEDERATION.
THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT CEN
S Z Il E d.
THE DISASTER ATTRIBUTED TO
THE COWARDICE OF THE
WORKMAN.

BosToN, Sept. 2l-Noon-The Gran
lite mills have been for some time rum
ming full time, and turned out 5000
pieces of print cloth per week, and it
is suppose that 4 considerable amount
of stock is ruined either by the fire or
water and smoke. a large amount of
machinery is also rendered useless.
The loss Of life IS forty persons, most
of whom were young women
FALL RIVER, Sept. 21-Noon-It was
about 7 o'clock when the alarm was
struck, but the firemen were unable to
get the correct location, and it was ten
minutes later before they succeeded
in discovering it, during which time
the flames spread with such raDiditv
that they were pouring out OF the
fourth and fifth story windows of the
tower Of the mill where the only stl ir-
way was
Julia Galley states that she first
heard tie alarm of fire, and at tie
same instant heavy columns Of smoke
burst through the spool r0ull door !
crowd of little children surrounded
the oTerseer, and with him rushed for
the staircase, but they We're force i
back by the Il INES. Then ali made, for
the elevator, but it would not work.
At this juuctnre leaping from the win
d0ws commenced. 4 iiumbe- Of men
i'll this room began using a long rope
TO let the terror stricken operatives to
| the ground. Several were landed in
safety by this rope when it was burn
ed off twenty-five feet from the
grouud. The smoke had become so
dense that these who remained crowd
ed the windows for air, some leaping
headforenlost, their brains went flying
many feet. Others fell back and per-
ished in the flames
New YORK, Sept 20-Noun-A Fall
River despatch say 8: The feeling of
indignation at the way The fire was
managed is growing very bitter. Chief
Engineer Durfec is cenSured for inca
capacity by many, and accused OF los
ing all control over himself and lis
men. The mill owners are blamed
for inadequate means Of escape from
the building. There are two hook and
ladder companies here provided with
ladders thirty- five feet long, which
could have been spiiced so as to reach
the upper stories, the highest of which
is but sizty-three feet from the ground.
No attempt was made during the fire
to splice them and save the women
III lic loI Stol.t. Ihaut declare THIS
could have been done ana would, had
not the firemen and their chief been
paraliZed with fear The chief says
that box y, over quarter Of 1nlle
fire from the, was first struck,
and after that there was an interfer-
ence between the alarm from box y
and the box i'll the mill, SO that it was
Impossible to count. He believed the
disaster was due to the cowarilice Of
the workmen in the fifth story, who
knew they were to blame for not hay
ing the machinery oiled, and thought
to put ont the fire without alarm and
save themselves from cenSure. They
must have waited at least fifteen min
utes before sounding the alarm. He
was sure Of this, for he noticed that all
barrels of water had been emptied.-
The foreman of one fof the companies
declared that the cause of the loss of
life was keeping the operatives on the
sixth floor shut up too long. This
story was told from the first and cor
roborated by the dying statement of
the Galley girl this morning. who de-
clared that she begged and prayed
to have the door opened but It was re-
fused. These statements are somewhat |
at variance with those made by the |
Agent of the Granite Mill. He Said |
there was no lock or means OF fasten-
ing the door, and that no attempt was |
made to shut them up.