The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-09-25
MILL DISASTER.
Seven Hundred People Enclosed by
Flames.
Burning of a Mill at Fall River
Massachusetts,.
Terrible Loss of Life by Burning and
Jumping from the Windows.


Terrible Loss of Life by Burning and
Jumping from the Windows.
FALL. RIVER, Mass, Sept. l9-l0:35
\. M.-Granite Mills No. l, iE this place
burned this morning just after the oper
atives began work. The fire was con-
fined TO Granite Mill No. l, which is
total loss. The property is insured for
S40O, ,00U. The fire is still burning, but
is under control. The hands went to
work as usual, when shortly afterward
the fire burst forth with lightning quick
ness, cutting off the fre-alarm and all
egress from the building, which contain
ed some seven hundred men, women and
children. Many perished with the flames
others jumped from the upper windows
and were killed instantly. The cries of
the women and children are heartrend-
ing.
Providence, Sept. I9.-James Tur-
ner is among the killed. The body o
Ellen Sane Hunter was identified by
fragments of her dress. The head was
burned off. Insurance in Providence on
the Granite Mill is as follows: Firemen's
$50, 700; Manufacturers, $4,000; Rhode
Island, $4,000; State, $4,000 Black
stone, $4,000.
Boston, Sept 19.-The following ac-
count of the fire in Fall River to- day is
taken from a dispatch to the Boston
Journal:
The mills Nos. one and two of the
Granite works had been running about
twenty minutes, when operatives in No.
one were startled with the cry of "fre''
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 overseers. On the
upper floor, or fifth, about thirty girls
we're employed, spooIing and warping
cotton. These were the youngest Of the
operatives.
With the alarm the flames seemed to
dows below and up the great tower in
the center Of the building, in which were
all the stairs communicating with each
story. The fire caught in the mule spin
ming room, in the northwest end of the
mill, from friction in the mule-heads,
and spreading by means of oil on the
| floor and about the machinery with great
| quickness, rushed toward the center tow
er, 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 en-
trance to the fifth story, then springing
to the roof timbers filed the two great
rooms-450 by 80 feet-with a dense,
black smoke and flame
While the flames were making such
terrible 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 the
ways of escape, principally fire ladders.
The overseer of the spooling-room, re-
naming until nearly snfocated, states
that the scene in his room-and it must
have been worse in the room below-can-
not be depicted. Children ran about cry
ing and begging piteously to be saved
yet wrenching themselves away when
taken forcibly to the tower while yet
there was some chance for escape, or to
the iron ladder that reached the two
scuttle windows of the south end, open
ing upon the roof Of the balcony at the
head of the Twelfth Street fre-ladders.
1t was impossible to get the great ma
jority to take even this method save their
lives. Some wanted clothing, others
something else.
As the fire frightened them away from
these ladders they rushed to the windows
at the south gable end, nearly sixty feet
from the ground, but dared not jump
down. Cotton ropes were put out for
them ito slide down by, but no sooner
would rope be lowered than there was
rush for it from the story below. Too
many would take hold, when 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
ascended rapidly to the entrance of the
tower on the fourth floor, cutting off this
means of escape; but the operatives had
the two ladders of the south gable direct
ly before them, and were urged by the
overseers and citizens below to take them.
Some did, but others rushed headlong
upon the balconies, and dropped or threw
themselves from the gaurds. There was
ample time for every one to have been
saved, had the girls taken the course di-
rected.
The Superintendent, as soon as the
alarm was given, rushed to the upper
story, and with the overseers did all he
could possibly do to save life.
When the means provided for escape
in the mill were rendered unavailable by
heat, flames and smoke, the people pro-
cured beds and mattresses for the poor
unfortunates to jump upon, and many
did throw themselves from the windows,
to, in almost everp case, receive fatal or
terrible injuries.
The fremen worked to keep the flames
cut of the south end, whittier many of
the operatives had fed. Ladders as long
as were at command were used to secue
the girls, and it is said four fremen lost
their lives while thus engaged. One fire.
man was lowered from the roof by his
brother fremen into the building, 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 smoke
and he was lost.
Morgues and hospitals were speedily