, 1874-09-20

They Refuse to Avail Themselves Of Sev.
eral Fire-E5capos.
And, Rushing About Wildly, Are Over.
come By SufTocauon.
History Of the Cotton Manufacture ct
Fall River.
Number and Character Of the Opera
tiVes.

t1VeSs
Spee1dt Di&patch to The Chicago Tribune.
FALL RIVER Mass, Sept. 19.-Again is New
England called On to mourn, in coucett with
one Of her noble clties. Fall River is bowed in
sorrow. Fire in busy mill, On the upper story.
crowded with operatives; all chance of escape
cut of before tho danger fully known :;
death by sufocation. falling titnbers. aud from
fngbt an awful holocaust, il the stor; III
brief OF this mournful morning in the city's
history. Shortly before o'clock this morning
an alarm from Pleasant street brought
tie Fire Department to Granite Mill No. l,
owned by tho Granite .1llls Corporation,
which WAS on fire il the upper sEooling-roon, at
tho north end. A fresh breeze blew eouthward,
helping tie fearful fame along. Way up in the
attics were crowd Of
GIRLS AND BOYS, YET IN THEIR TEENS
totally UNAWARE for few moments Of the disas-
ter then begun. They had arrived bright aud
carly, as was their wont. greeting each other
with the same familiar nod and bappy-heartcd
smile as on other Saturday mornings
III months that aTe past. They the
weary wlnncrs OF o weeks wages, came
with lighter heart for the thought that their
Cares would coon have l1ier end in q Satba:1s
rest. Little reckcd they OF the closc-comins
death. The busy looms sarg their song Of in-
dustEy, and iu it's refrain all thouSlts save idle
chatting passed from mind. Scalce had they b.
gun their daily toll in earnest when q terrible
cry startled them with pa,alyzing force.
''F1nE!"
slrieked through the room above the noise OF
looms in toueB Of mingled fear aud agony. The
first bush gave nay to wild alarm, and. as
that wall Of death smoto Oh the appalled,
ea,s OF those poor girls, the quietly
cu1led smoke Goated tll,cdly upward, telling how
true WAS that awful cry. Thea came scene too
erca. in lts awful fear to be described in Norls.
LIS te11iblencss never be known save to these
who were its witnesses. In tina. awful craze Of
mind. consequent on the knowledge that all c.
cspo WIS gone and death must soon be met, the
poor victims know not what they did tia:
smothering, choking srnuke. driving out
tho sunlight. lit only BIZ ftful flashes
Of q death-nAmo 1hirlcd in raven gusts upon q
friehtful ecene. Prayers, eoLbcd out from
throats that grew more pa1ched in the utte1auce
OF each eacrcd void, were mingled with wild
yells from znaniacs from that hour, while here
and there mute form showed oaly its life bv
the trem blinSs-
Rushing to the single staircase they were
MET AND BEATEN BACK DT LIVING HE'LL or T1nE-
Cropping to their only window. the bare arms
outstretched through tue pancs spoke for help
voice ever did before. 6hud-
dering at the dizzy height. they
turned again only to SEQ their death. the bot
blast drove them again to tie windows, from
where they leaped downwa1ds only to rise no
more. With the loud alarm from bells that
always tell OF terror went tho news, and the
brazen baze from the metal tongues found
convulHive echo in the heart OF many mother,
to whom tue news waa death-summons. TEey
hastencd to the sceae with hagga1d eyes. from
which fell tea1s OF doubt ald despair; press
ing forward, receiving no comfort from
:he rudo ttrong tLat hurried aloug
beside, and when at the mill they
we're but kept away from that grandlv awful fife
by curious crowds that seemed SO thoroughly
heartless and Implying i'll their ignorance, each
stupid stare cutting, As the keenest knifethrust.
the g1ief-strichen queatiouec. Many foaDd their
fears without foundation. Pity it could not have
been SO for MI. Yet the 1nang:ed corpse in whose
death went OFT the life-hght OF many aa humble
home was taken up as teaderlE Az only moth
er's loving hands could do. Some arrived e1e
their calld died; others ca;no
ONLY TO FIND 4 CuAEnED CORPSE,
and as the bodies were borae at Intervals to
neehborin3 mission chapel, loag Inca OF faces
scanned the cor:ege. Ere the afternoon
over, most OF the bodies welo rcco7ezed, and
the fire WAS over. As daylight darkened tho
mauv OF which were daEaeued oy the events OF
tie dar. The dripping ruins, gray md black
ened along the upper walls. wece sill so2@h: bJ
some " lo came to Kaze nsain at the disaster:
the hour Of >. dar3nc=s had envelopee
the dismal WaLS and silently yeiled tho city aud