The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-09-24
Awful Calamity!
Burning of Granite Mills at
Fall River, Mass.
TERRIBLEL LOSS OF LIFE.

= ~-0s---Ao
bic fire which occurred at Fall River,
Mass, ON the morning of Saturday
last:
Mills Nos. and 2 of the Granite
Works had been running about tWen-
! ty minutes when the operatives in No.
l were startled with the cry of FIRE and
the escape of smoke from the fourth
story. I'm this, next to the upper floor
was the mule. warp, and spinning
department and there were nearly one
hundred at work oyer male oVerseer.
On the upper floor, the fifth, about
thirty girls were employed spoOling
and waFping cotton. These were the
youngest OF the operatives. With the
alarm 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 were
all the stairs communicating to each
story. The fire caught in the mule
spinning room In the northwest end
OF the mill, from friction in mule
heads, and spreading by means of oil
on the floor and about the machinery
with great Quickness, rushed towards
the center tower, the only means of
escape for those in the fourth and fifth
stories besides the four fire escapes,
two on each gable end. Once getting
Tito the tower, the flames ran up to
and through the single entrance to the
| fifth story. Then springiBg to the
roof the tlmbers filled the two great
rooms, sS5X90 feet, with dense black
smoke and flame. While the flames
were making such terrible headway
the operatives became fairly wild. The
0verseefs saw there was no possible
way TO check the fire gave their sole
attention to those whom they had at
work. They called to them to save
themselves, pointing out ways of es-
cape, principally FIRE ladders. The
ovefseer of the spooling room, who
remained till nearly suffocated, states
that the scene in his room, (and it
must have been worse in the room
below cannot be depicted. Children
ran about crying piteousIy and beg
Eging piteously to be saved, yet wrench
ing themselves away when taken
foPeibly to the tower while vet there
was some chance, or to tie iron lad
deFs that reached two scuttIe windows
of the south end, opening upon the
roof balcony at the head of the & welth
street fire ladders, 1t was impossible
10 get a great majority to take eYen
this method to save their lives some
wanting 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 to slide down
by, but no sooner would a rope be
lowered than there was a rush for it
from below too many would take
/ hold when it would be broke and all
elinging to it would come down in a
buneh. Similar scenes were going on
in the mule spinning room. The
flames had aseended rapidly to the en-
trance of the tower on the fourth floor
cutting off this means of escape, but
the operatives had the two ladders at
the south gable directly before them
and were urged by the overseers and
citizens below to take them. Some
/ did, but others rushed headIong upon
the balcony and dropped or threw
themselves from the guards. There
was ample time for everyone to have
been saved had the girls. taken the
course directed. The superintendent,
as soon as the alarm was given, rushed
to the upper story, and with the over
seers, did all possible TO save life.
When the means provided for escape
in he mill were made unavailable by
the heat, flames and smoke, the people
procured beds and mattresses for the
poor unfortunates to jump upon, and
many did throw themselves from the
windows to, in almost every case, re-
eeive fatal or terrible injuries.
| ixa i,
flames out of the south end, whittier
many operatives haG fed. Ladders
as long as at command were used to
rescue the girls, and it is said four
firemen lost their lives while thus en-
gagged. One fireman was Lowered
from the roof by brother fifemen 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. q i3f- tsa
MorgHes and hospitals were speed
lily improvised, the Mission Chapel
taken for the latter, and as fast as a
girl could be picked from under the
windows of the mill .stretchers were
feadyto carry her TO 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 their homes.
I In number of instances the bodies
could not be recognized, they were SO
disfigured, begrimed and dirt covered.
| In Mission Chapel were those whose
sufferings were intense. Every doctor
| in the city was summohed at the ear
| Hest moEneHt.
1t is not too high to place the num-
Der of killed atjf0rty, and injured at
twice that number. The fire was un-
der control shortly before half-past
eight Then the entire roof had not
fallen in, nor had the walls cfumbled
much below the caves of the north
side. The fumes had been kept al
most entirely of of the building
south of the tower, and portions of
the fourth and fifth floors were left.
The roof north of the tower fell in
and took with it the tops of the gable
I end wall, a portion of the fifth floor
and some of the side walls, crashing
through to the third story The card
ing and two weaving rooms remained
intact. - gag Isfi
The Granite Mills have been for
some time running on full time and
turn out five thousand pieces of print
cloth per week, and it is supposed
that considerable amount of stock is
ruined either by fire, water or smoke.
1 a large amount of machinery is also
rendered useless. principally. however,
that in the upper stories. The most
| expensive is still good and the engines
and boilers are uninjnred. The in
sHrance, it is therefore expected, will
cover all loss to the property. 1t is
reported however, that the walls will
have TO be taken down, as the granite
of which the building is constructed
is cracked by the heat.
Work in other mills was suspended
that the operatives might assist in the
rescue of their co-laborers. Two and
three members of one family are in
several Instances among the now in
complete lists of killed, wounded and