The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-09-24
A DISTRESSING CALAMITY
Granite Mills at Fall
Rsvey Burned.
40 Operatives Killed
and 80 Wounded.
HGaTFGIdiIg Scenes and Incidents He
role Deeds Of VagT and HGTOSn.
LOSS $4,000; FULLY COVERED
BY INSURANCE.

BY INSURANCE. i
.. - :: IT
BosroN, September i9.-A dispatch
from Fall river, Massachusetts,, to the
Boston journal, gives the following ac-
count Of a disastrous fire which occurred
in that place.
Mills No. and of the Granite
works had been running about twenty
minutes when the operatives in No. l.
were startled with the cry of fire and
the escape of smoke from the fourth
story. In this, next to the upper floor
was the mule warp spinning department
and there were nearly one hundred girls
at work under male overseer. On the
fifth floor about thirty girls were en-
ployed spooling and warping cotton.
These were the youngest of the opera
tives, With alarming speed the flames
seemed to leap to this attic, coming from
the windows below, and up the great
tower in the center of the building, in
which we're all the stairs communicating
with each story. abb.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire caught in the mule spinning
story, in the northwest end of the mill,
from friction in the mule head, and
spreading by means of oil on the floor
and about the machinery, with great
quickness rushed toward the center
tower,
THE ONLY MEANS OF ESCAPE
for those in the fourth and fifth stories,
beside four fire escapes, two on each
gable end. Once getting into the tower,
the flames ran up to and through the
single entrance to the fifth story and
then, springing to the roof timbers, filled
the two great rooms, 45o by 90 feet with
dense volumes of smoke and fame.
While the flames we're making such ter
rible headway, the operatives
BECAME FAIRLY WILD.
The overseers saw there was no way
possible to check the fire. and gave their
sole attention to those whom they had at
work. They called to them to save
themselves, and pointed out ways of es-
cape, principally fire ladders. The
overseer of the spooling room, who re-
mained till nearly suffocated, states that
the scene in his room, land it must have
been worse in the room below cannot
be depicted. Children ran about crying
and begging piteously to be saved, yet
wrenching themselves away when taken
forcibly to the tower while yet there was
some chance, or to the iron ladder, that
reached two scuttle windows of the
south end opening upon the roof of the
balcony at the head of the Twelfth
street fire ladders. 1t was impossible to
get the great majority TO take even this
method to save themselves, Some
wanted clothing, others something else.
As the fire frightened them away from
these ladders, they rushed to the win
dows at the south gable end, nearly sixty
feet from the ground, but dared not Jump
down. Cotton ropes we're put out for
them to slide down by, but no sooner
would the rope be lowered, than there
was rush for it from the second story.
Too many would take hold, when it
would break, and all clinging to itwould
come down in bunch.
Similar scenes were going on in the
mule spinning room. Flames had as
cended rapidly to the entrance of the
tower on the fourth story, thus cutting
off this means Of escape, but operatives
had two ladders of the south gable di-
rectly before them, and were urged by
the overseers and the citizens below to
take them. Some did, but others rushed
headlong upon the balcony, and drop
ped or threw themselves from their
guards. There was ample time for eve
ry one to have been saved had the girls
taken the course directed.
The superintendent, as soon as the
alarm was given, rushed to an upper
story, and with the overseers, did all
that was possible to save life. When
means provided for escape in the mill
were rendered unavailable by the heat,
flames and smoke, the people procured
beds and mattresses for the poor unfor-
tunates to jump upon, and many did
jump
FROM THE WINDOWS
to them. In almost every case, howev-
er, they received fatal or terrible inju-
ries. The fremen worked to keep the
flames ,out of the south end, whittier
many operatives had fed. The ladders
as long as at their command were used
to rescue the girls, and it is said four
6remen lost their lives while thus en-
gagged.
A BRAVE FIREMAN.
One fireman was lowered from the
roof by brother fireman into the build
ing, and remained so long trying to
drive the girls forth that he had to be let
go by those who held his rope, driven
away by the smoke. and he was lost
Morgues and hospitals we're speedily
improvised. the Mission Chapel being
taken for the latter. and as fast as girls
could be picked from underline windows
of the mill, stretchers were ready to
carry them to either the Chapel or Cen
trail Station. AT the latter place twenty
i've dead bodies were soon living. and