Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-09-25
The Fail River Disaster.
BURNING OF The GRANITE MILLS GREAT Los
OF LIFE

BURNING OF The GRANITE Mills --GEEAT Loss
or LIFE.
The Granite Mills. Fall River. Mass, con-
sist Of two buildings, one built in 1864 and
the other in ISL. No mil tas 36,64T
spindles and $40 looms; No. > mill has
4I.64s spindles and ,OOs looms, employing
together SIS operatives About o. clock
Saturday morning the operatives IN No l.
the old mill situated on 18th street, with
ends on Pleasant and Bedford streets, were
startled with a cry of fire and the escape OF
smoke from the fourth story. In This, next
TO the upper room, which was the mule
warp spinning department, there were
nearly a hundred girls at WORK under
male overseer. On the upper floor, the
fifth, about 25 or 80 girls were employed,
spooling. warping and slashing. and these
were the youngest Of all the operatives
With the alarm, flames seemed 70 leap up
to this attic. coming from the windows be-
low, and up the great tower IN the centre OF
the building, in which were ali the stairs
TuE TIRE CAUGHT
as stated. in the mule spinning room II the
northwest end Of the mill. and II Is said
from friction in a mule head. at once ig-
hitting the oil waste about it and spreading
BY means ofthe oil on tie floor and about
each piece Of the machinery directly and
with great quickness toward the centre
tower, the only source Of escape for those
on the 4th and 5th stories, besides the four
fire escapes. two on the sides Of each gable
end.
As II rushed over the flooring 1t instantly
found substance in the wood work. and
once getting into the tower ran up 10 and
through the single entrance 10 the fifth
story. then springing 70 the root tImbers
and filing the two great rooms ij0z95 feet J
with dense black smoke and flame
While the flames were making such ter
rible Roadway, the operatives became fairly
wild. The overseers at glance saw there
was no way possible TO check the FIRE, and
gave their sole attention u those at woik
They called 10 them 10 save themselves, and
pointed out
IHE WAYS or EscATE-
These were principally the IRE ladders, for
they dared not run the FIRE gauntlet OF the
tower The overseer OF the spoOiIng room
who himself remained until be had nearly
suffocated In the smoke states that the scene
in ms room. and 1t must have been worse in
that next below staIrs. cannot be depicted
Children ran about without any knowledge
OF what they were doing. crying and beg
n.
themselves away when taken iorcibly AMI
carried to the tower while Yet there Was
some chance, 10 the iron ladder, or Il the
two scutile windows OF the south end,
which opened upon the roof balcony ~ the
head Of the Twelfth street IRE ladde- $
Il was impossible . get the great MAJ .ri-y
u take even this method IN order I'D -lvs
their lives. Some wanted clothing. and
others this or that thing tb1v knew na,
what As the fire frIghteIed them away
iron their deliberations al the foor OF r5e
roof ladders, they rushed % tho windows
two at the south gable end They were
nearly sixty feet from tae ground and dared
not jump cotton ropes were put cut Tor
them to slide down by ami some took this
means But IN the effort several net with
death, or injury to body aud limbs. Tor
hardly would rope be lowered before
Others would try TO get on from the story
below, and this would cause a swapping of
the strands and the parting Of the rope
sending all down together
TERRIBLE SCENES.
While such scenes were being enacted
here, similar ones were going on IN the
muie-spInnlng loom. The flames had
assembled with the quickness Of thought and
with like rapidity did they work for the
entrance Of the tower 10 the fourth floor.
where the filing spinning was done, there
oY cutting OF this means OF escape But
they had the two ladders OF the south gable
directly before them, and were urged hy the
oyerseers and the populace on the ground
below 10 take them Some did, Others
rushed up0a the balconies and dropped or
threw them themselves from the ba .eouy
guards with hardly look at the iron lao
ders- There was plenty OF time icE every
one TO be saved. had the nigh. course In
each instance been observed, AID il Is D .,
from lack OF direction that the girls Ios,
their llves- The superin tendent, a. s,or, =,
the alarm was given, rushed - the /, 60,
story, and with the overseers, did ri H..
was possible.
"nen the means provided in the con-
structlon oil the mill were rendered mn.
available through the heat. flames and
SMOKE, people on the ground provided beds
ana mattresses Tor the poor uafo-tp ua.as
TO Jump upon, and many did throw tbem-
ssives IRON the windows. Il N almost
every instance. receive fatal or Terrible
injuries, for the distance was nearly sftv
ieet to the paysmenss.
Inc greatest CONSERVATION was felt by the
people on the streets, who had assembled in
immense numbers. and their cries and acts
li1 no. help greatly to compose the mil
hands. but the disciplined fremeu ana be-
iieemen. as soon as they arrived in sufficient
numbers, worked with will and to adj
vantage The nFenen 10 every way worked
TO stop tAe spread of the fre. and especial
y to keep 1t out of the south end. whittier
The operatives had fed. Some very brsve
acts were performed, and 1t i said that sev-
eral hremen. the number is given as four
gave their lives in their humane endeayo1
BRAVE ACT
was that OF the superintendent. and other
officers OF the corporation, whO went u
the upper siories, and by word and example
Iold the people how to save themselves H.,
one is related of fireman who was
lowered from the r.af by hrutber
tremen into the building, and remaias,
so long .t5ing to drive the last
;asse that ne had to be let go hF y ones
had hold OF his rope; they hs.F .ose whe
line as long as they could > beld TO hi.
sufocated, were driyss -av. and nearl,
W escape was " 1own. His only way
end, but he co. "a window az the eabi,
me snt;k -Jtless had worked 50 long II
hiii1ass' -.oke for others he could not aid
xoRGUEs AND HOSPITALS
were speedily improvIsed. The Mission
Chapel near By was taken for one of the
| latter, and as fast as one would ne picked
from under the windows Of the mill
srretchers were ready to carry her to eithel
the chapel or the central station. AT TIN
latter place twenty-five dead bodies wer,
cold in death, and other uniortunates haC
| been taken to other stations OF TO their homes
In q rumber of instances bodies were rOl
recognized. partly from the fact that the,
were so disfgured. begrimed and dirt GOV
cred, and partly from the fact that theil
friends or relatives were looking elsewhere
IN THE MISSION cHAPEL
were those whose sufferings were intense
The injuries were various, but of cours,
largely to the limbs Of the individual. Ever,
doctor In the city was summoned at tn,
earliest moment Forty killed is not tot
high, and the ratio of casualties. beside,
those to firemen and the police, is, as nigh
be expected in such calamity, about two
! to one.
Somerset balloted CO times for town repre-
sentative at the late election, and. after all