Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-09-29
FIRE AT FALL RIVER, MASS.
Heavy Loss Of Life and Property

heavy Loss OF Life and Property
BosroN. September 19:-The following
account of the ire in Fall River to-day is
taken from dispatch to the Boston Journal /:
Mills numbers one and two had been run
ming about twenty minutes, when the opera
ttves IN number one 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 depart-
ment, and there were nearly q hundred girls
at work under male overseer. On the
upper floor, the fifth story, about thirty girls
were employed spooling and warping cotton.
These We're the youngest of the operatives.
With the alarm, the flames seemed to leap
to this attic, coming from the windows below
and up the building, in which were all the
stairs communicating with each story. The
FIRE caught in t mule spinning story in the
northwest end of the mill, from friction in
the mule head, and spreading by means of
the oil on the floor and about the machinery
with great auickness, rushed to- Ids the
centre tower, the only means of escape for
those in the fourth and fifth stories, besides
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 then sp-ineing to the roof tim
bers, filled the two reat rooms, $50 by 80
feet, with dense black smoke and fame.
While the flames were maxine such terrible
Roadway the operatives became fairly wild.
The overseers saw there was no way possible
to cheek the fire, and gave their sole atten-
ton to those whom they had at work. They
called to them to save themselves, and pointed
out the way of escape. The oyerseer the spool
room, who remained until nearly suffocated,
states that the scene in his room-and il must
have been worse in the rooms 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 were some chance to
get to the iron ladder, which sached to the
schultz windows of the south end, opening
upon the roof of the balcony. At the foot Of
Twelfth street there were FIRE ladders, but
there was an imposibility to get great ms-
jority to take even this method to save their
lives. As the fire frightened them away from
the ladders, they RI he'd 60 the windows at
the south gable end, nearly sixty feet from
the ground, but dared not jump down. Cot
ton ropes were put out for them to slip down
by, but no sooner would the rope he lowered
than there was rush for it from story below.
Too many would take hold, WREN it would
break and all clinging to it would come down
in bunch. Similar scenes were going on in
the mule spinning room. The flames had
assembled rapidly to the entrance of the tower
on the fourth floor cutting off this means of
escape, but the operatives had the two lad
ders of the south gable directly before them,
and urged by the overseers and the citizens
below to take them. Some did, but others
rushed headlong upon the balcony add threw
themselves from the guards. There was
ample time for every one to have been saved
had girls taken The course directed. The
superintendent a" soon as The alarm was Civ
en-. rushed to the upper story, and with the
overseers, did all possible to save life. Wren
the means provided for escape in the mill
were rendered unavailable by the heat, flames
and smoke, the people procured beds and
mattresses tor the poor uufortuuates to jump
upon, and many did throw themselves from
he windows to, ii almost every case. receive
fatal or terrible injuries. The fremen worked
to keep the flames out of the south end,
whittier many operatives had fed. Ladders
as long as at command were used to rescue
the girls; and it is said four fremen lost
their lives while thus engaged. One fireman
was lowered from the roof by other fremen,
into the building, and remained so long try
ing to drive the girls forth that he had to be
let go by those who held his rope, and being
driven away by the smoke he was lost.
Morsues and hospitals were speedily impro-
vised, the Mission Chapel being taken for
the latter, and as fast as the girls could be
picked up from under the windows of the mill
stretchers were ready to carry them 70 either
the Chapel or the Central Station. At the
latter place twenty-five bodies were soon lying
and other unfortunates had been taken to the
stations or to their homes. In number of
instances the bodies could not be recognized
they were SO disfgured, begrimed and dirt
covered. In the Mission Chapel were those
whose suferings were intense. Every doctor in
the city was summoned at the earliest mo-
ment It is not too high to place the num-
Der of killed at forty and the Injured at twice
that number. The fire was under control
shortly before half past eight. Then the
etire roof had not fallen nor had the wells
erumbled much below the caves of The north
side. The flames had been kept almost
wholly out. of the building south of the tower
and so a portion of the fourth ard fifth floors
were left The roof north of the tower fell
4 a4dtoqk vii ii the. tops of the gable end
1n he door and some of.
IL. 1e,,Z4