The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-09-24
AN AWFUL HORROR.

running about twenty minutes when the
operatives in No. /, which is the old mill,
were startled with a cry of fire and the es-
cape of smoke from the fourth story. In
this next to the upper floor, which was the
mule warp spinning department, there were
nearly one hundred girls at work under a
male ovcrseer. On the upper floor, the
fifth, about thirty girls were employed
spooling and warping cotton. These were
the youngest Of the operatives With the
alarm the flames seemed to leap up to the
attic, coming from the windows below, and to
the terror of all, up the great tower III the
centre of the building in which were all the
stairs communicating with each story.
Th efre caught, as stated, III the mule
spinning room, in the northwest'end of the
mill, and, it is stated, from friction in
mule head, at once igniting the oil waste
about it, and spreading By means of oil on
the floor and about each piece Of machinery
directly, and with great quickness, toward
the centre tower, the only source Of escape
for those in the fourth and fifth stories, be
sides the four fire escapes, two on the sides
of each gable end. AS it rushed over the
flooring it instantly found sustenance in
the woodwork, and once getting into the
tower, ran up to and through the single
entrance to the fifth story, then springing
to the roof timbers and filing the two great
rooms (450 by 80 feet with deuse black
smoke and flame While the flames were
making such terrible headway, the opera
tiyes became fairly wild.
The oversecrs at q glance saw that there
was no way possible to check the ire, and
gave their sole attention to those they had
at work. They called to them to save
themselves, and pointed out ways Of escape
These were principally fire ladders, for the
timid creatures dared net run the fire
gauntlet Of the tower. The overscer of the
spooling room, who himself remained till
he was nearly sufocated in the smoke,
states that the scene in his room, and it
stairs, cannot be depicted. Children ran
about without any knowledge of what they
were doinff, crying and begging pitcously to
be saved, yet wrenching themselves away
when taken forcibly and carried to the
tower, while yet there was some chance, or
to the iron ladders to the two scuttla win
dows of the south end, which opened upon
| the roof balcony at the head of the Twelfth
street fire ladders.
1t was impossible to get great majority
to take even this method in order to save
| their lives. Some wanted clothing and
some this or that thing, they knew not
what As the fire frightened them away
| from their deliberation at the foot of the
roof ladders they rushed to the windows
at the south gable end, but they were near
ly sixty feet from the ground and dared
not jump down. Cotton ropes were put
out for them to slide down by, and some
took this means, but in the effort several
met with death or injury, for 10 sooner
would rope be lowered before there was
rush for it from the story below Too
many would take hold of the rope, which
would part, and all clinging to it would
come down in bunch. While such scenes
were being enacted here SINH lar ones were
going on in
THE MULE SPINNING ROOM
The flames had assembled with the quick
ness of thought to the entrance of the tow
er on the fourth floor, thereby cutting off
this means of escape but the operatives
had the fire ladders of the south gable
directly before them, and were urged by
the overseers and citizens below to take
them. Some did, but others, as if they
were mad, rushed upon the balcony and
dropped or threw themselves from the
guards, hardly looking at the iron ladders.
There was ample time for every one to
have been saved had the right course been
pursued, and it was not for want Of direc.
ton that the girls lost their lives.
The superintendent, as soon as the alarm
was given, rushed to the upper story, and,
with the overseers, did all that was possible
to save life, and when the means provided
Tor escape in the construction of the mill
were rendered unavailable by the heat,
flames and smoke, the people on the ground
procured beds and mattresses for the poor
untortunates to jump upon, and many did
throw themselves from the windows, in al
most every case to receive fatal or terrible
injuries, for the distance was nearly fifty
feet. The greatest consternarion was felt
by the people on the streets, who had as.
sembled IN immense numbers, and their
cries and acts did not help greatly to com
pose the mill hands, but the disciplined
fremen and policemen, as soon as they ar
rived IN sufficient numbers, worked with
VIII and to advantage. The fremen in
every way worked to stop the spread of
the IRE, and especially to keep it out ofthe
south end, whittier the operatives had fed
Ladders as long as they had at command
We're used In this and in the efforts to res
cue the girls. Some very brave acts were
performed, and it is said that several fire..
men-the number is given as four-gave