Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-09-21
FIRST EDITION.


l2O KILLED AND WOUNDED BY THE FIRE AT GRAN
ITE Mr1Ls-THE SACRIFICE OF LIFE FOR WANT
OF pREsENcE OF MIND.
The telegramS published in Saturdays COM
MERcIAL gave the main details OF the terrible
factory fire at Fall River. An estimate made late
in the day places the number Of killed at forty
and wounded ut eighty. The fire originated in
the mule spinning-room it is supposed from fric-
ton, and spread over the oil-soaked floor in an
instant. The building appears to have been well
provided with fire escapes, two at each end of
tho building as well AZ the central tower, in
which the main stairways were situated, but the
work-people became panic STRICKEN and seemed
to absolutely lose their senses.
THE OPERATIVES WILD WITH TERRon--A FRIGHT
Full SCENE.
While the flames were making such terrible
headway, the operatives became fairly Wild
The oyerseers at glance saw that 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 ways OF escape. These were prin-
cipally tireladders for the timid creatures dared
not run the fire gauntlet of the tower. The
oyerseer of the spooling-room, who himself
remained till he had nearly suffocated in the
smoke, states that the scene in his room
and it must have been worse in that next be-
low STAIRS = cannot be depicted. Children
ran about without any knowledge of what they
were doing crying and begging piteously to be
saved, yet wrenching themselves away when ta-
ken forcibly and carried to the tower while yet
there WAS some chance, or to the iron ladder
to the two scuttle-windows of the sonth end,
which opened upon the roof balcony at the head
of the Twelfth street iire-ladders. 1t was i'm
possible to get great majority to take even
this method in order to save their lives. Some
wanted clothing, and seme this or that thing,
they knew not what.
FRANTIC EFFORTS TO EsoAPE-LowERING THE
GIRLS by ROPES.
As the fire frightened them from their deliber-
ations at the foot of the roof-ladders, they
rushed to the windows at the south gable end.
but they were nearly 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 no sooner would a
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 a bunch.
SCENES IN THE MuLE-spINNINa RooM-THE GIRLS
>INsANE FROM TERROR.
While such scenes were being enacted here
similar ones were going on in the mule-spinnine
room. The flames had assembled with the quick
ness of thought to the entrance OF the tower on
the fourth floor, thereby cutting off this means
of escape, but the operatives had the two lad
ders 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 iror
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 direo-
ton that tho girls lost their lives The Superin
| tendent, AZ soon as the alarm was given, rushed
| to the upper story, and with the oyerseers did
all that was possible to save life, and when the
means provided for escape in the construction
of the mill were rendered unavailable by the
heat, hames and smoke the people on the
ground procured beds and mattresses for thu
| poor unfortunatea to jump upon, and many die
| throw themselves from the windows, to, in al
most every case, receive fatal or terrible inju
| ries, for the distance was nearly fifty feet.