The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-09-22

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stecion of the building. A young girl
named Katie NTH states that her first
annou cement of danger was received
by the girls from the other end ot the
room rushing towards her shriekipg
and crying, many of them SO terror.
stricken that their limbs became almost
useless. Some Of the girls were pray
ing and lamenting their situation,
while others we're SO possessed with
fear that they stood in mute agony
watching the brave conduct OF one
man who regardless of his own
safety worked with heroic ardor, and
by means Of rope landed on the
ground number of girls. One man,
being completely cut of, made his exit
to the roof by means OF the scuttle,
and with d rope lowered himself over
the roof and to the ground in safety.
lie stated that companion, who was
lust behind him, had fallen back suf-
located. Many of the girls became
unconscious from fright ere the flames
reached them, and though the number
of the lost at this writing is unknown,
it cannot be but great. Some leaped
from the windows, preferring to be
crushed and manned than burned, and
the shocking, heart. rending sights
that met the eye on all sides wore ago
nizipg. The wailing Of mothers, broth
ers and sisters over their dead was ter
rible to hear
The loss of life by Gre at Fall River
as far as known is twenty nine. The
loss on property $500, 900.
LATER ACCOUNT.
The following account of the FIRE in
Fall River to day is taken from a dis
patch to the Boston journal; Mills
numbering | and 2 Of the Granite
works had been running about twenty
minutes, when the operatives in No. !
we're startled with a cry Of FIRE, and
the escape of smoke came from the
fourth story. In this next to the
upper floor was the mule warp spinnine
department, and there we're nearly loo
girls at work under male overseers
On the upper floor, or fifth, about &c
girls were employed spooling and
warpiug cotton. These we're til,
youngest of the operatives. With the
alarm the names seemed to leap to this
attic, coming from the windows below
aud up the great tower in the centre OF
the building IN which we're all the
-tairs COMMUNICATING with each story
The fire caught in the mule spin
uing room in the northwest end OF Tho
mill, from friction in the mule heads
aud spreading by means Of oil on The
floor and about the machinery will
great oulckness rushed towards the cen
tire tower the only means of escape FOL
those in the fourth aud fifth storie >
besides four fire escapes, two at eaci
gable end. Once getting into the
| lower the flames ran up to and through
the single entrance to the fifth story
then springing to the root timberi
filed the two great rooms 45O by 80
ieet with dense black smoke aud flames
While the flames were making sucf
terrible Roadway the operatives became
fairly wild. The overseer saw there
was no way possible to check the fire
and called to them to save themselves
and pointed out ways Of escape, Princip'
ally bv fire ladders. The overseer Of
the spooliug- room who remained until
nearly suifocated, states that The scene
in his room, and 1t must have beer
worse than IN the room below, cannot
be described Children ran about cry
ing and begging piteously to be saved
vet wrenching themselves away wher
forcibly taken to be lowered. There
was yet some chance for escape
through the iron ladder that reached
to the two scuttle windows Of the south
end, opening at the head Of Twelfth
street. 1t was impossible to get great
majority to take even this method
to save their lives. Some wanted
clothing others something else.
As the fire frig htened them away
from their ladders they rushed to the
windows at the south gable end, nearly
60 feet from the ground, but dared not
jump down. Cotton ropes were put
out for them 10 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,
and it would break, and all clinging to
| it would come down in bunch. Sim
liar scenes we're going on in the mule
spinning room. The flames had as
cended rapidly to the entrance of the
tower on the fourth floor, cutting off
this means of escape; but the opera
tives had two ladders Of the south
gable directly before them, and were
urged by the citizens and overseers be-
low to take them. Some did; but
Others rushed headlong upon the bal
cony and dropped or threw themselves
from them. There was ample time tor
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 oyerseers did all he
could possible to save life. When
the means provided for escape
in the mill were rendered
unavailable BY the heat, flames and
smoke, the people procured beds and
mattresses for the poor uniortunates to
jump upon, and many did throw them
selves from the windows to the ground
but in almost every case received fatal
or terrible injuries. The firemen
worked to keep the flames out of the