Connecticut western news., 1874-09-25
Terrible Catastrophe im Fall River,

One of the great mills in Fall River, Mass. which gave employment to hundreds of operatives, was burnt last Saturday, ,and nearly one hundred men and women per ished in the flames or were crushed under the falling walls and machinery. The or igin of the disaster is not known, and we may never know precisely where 10 place the blame for the carelessness that wrought so terrible a ruin. It is too probable, how ever, that the means of escape from the burning building were-as is the case in most mills-wholly inadequate. And if this prove to be the case, the holocaust which must make the Granite Mill as grim ly famous as the Pemberton Mills lies at the door of the men whose greed refused to provide for such terrible contingency as fire occurring with the mill crowded with operatives. ...
 The year has been fruitful of calamities, but the floods of Mill River and Pittsburg are less terrible to contemplate than the fire at Fall River. To be whirled to death un- der the torrent of bursting reservoiris is far less appalling than to meet death shut up in burning factory. Will the time ever come when dam contractors and mill builders will be compelled to do their work honestly and to provide something better than Geath- traps for innocent people?
 FURTHER PARTICULARS.
 A later investigation seems to prove that the origin of the fire was in the mule room, having started from an unoiled mule-head which was in charge of young lad named Samuel Young. As soon as the flames were discovered by the young lad he shriek- ed out Fire ? and made hls escape, and the spinners in the room tried to check the spreadingaof the flames with boxes and sticks, which broke all the threads attached to the machine. An effort was made to subdue the fire, but Intellectually, and when it was at last found necessary to sound an alarm, the flames had gathered such strength that they were darting from the tower win dows. The upper story or attic, used as a spool room, was at that time occupied by sixty persons, and the first intimation they received of their danger was cloud of dense, binding, suffocating smoke, that swept up the stair case and forced them to seek safety in the northern section of the building. A young girl named Katie Smith states that her first announcement of the impending danger was received by the girls at the other end of the room rushing to- ward her, shrieking and crying. Many ol them were so terror-stricken that theil limbs became almost useless. Some were praying and others wildly laughing. Others were so possessed with fear that they stood in mute agony watching with half-crazeC brains the brave and heroic conduct of one man, who, utterly regardless of his oWr safety worked with heroic ardor, and D, means of a rope landed on the ground . number of the girls in safety.
 The frightened and terrified creatures with the roaring flames on the tower stair case, rushed in a body for the fire escape but the dense volumes of smoke that pour ed into the room and the biting flames forced them to the northeast end of tn apartment, at which end unfortunatel. there were no means of escape.
 It is certain that at least thirty CT fort, lives. nearly all girls, have been lost, whll the list of wounded is probably as great One man being completely cut off made hi
 exit to the roof by means of the scuttle an with rope lowered himself over the roo to the ground in safety. When he reache
 terra flrma he stated that companion wh was just behind him had fallen back suffo cated. Many of the girls became uncor : scious through fright ere the flames reache
 them, and some leaped from the vii ; dows, preferring rather to be crushed an :. maimed than burned to death, and th
 shocking, heartrending sights that met th , eye on all sides were agonizing. The wal = ing of mothers, brothers and sisters ovt ; their dead was terrible to hear. The Gral = lte Mills were incorporated in 1863. Mi .. No. had 36, ,648 spindles and s,4OO loon ;e and employed 425 males and females. .o Sheffield.
 in s, lot E.,