Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-10-01
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TERRIBLE CALAMITY.

A Misunderstanding Horror i'm Fall River.
Mass.-A Cotton Mill Burned, with a
Large Number of Observation-Disclosures
lars of the Disaster.
One of the most appalling catastrophes OF
recent occurrence took place at Fall River,
Mass, on the 10th of September Shortly
after the operatives had gone to work in one
of the cotton mills there the alarm of fire
was given, and the mill was discovered to be
or fire in one Of the upper stories. So rapidly
did the flames spread that several hundred
operatives were hemmed in before they had
time to escape. Some managed to escape by
leaping from windows, and others by climbing
on the roofs of adjoining buildings but
Notwithstanding that every effort was msde
about twenty, mostly girls, were burned to
death or suffocated. The following account
of the heartrending disaster is furnished by
the Western Associated Press
Mills Nos. and 2 of the Granite Works,
had been running about twenty minutes when
the operatives in No. / were startled with
cry of fire and the escape of smoke from the
fourth story. In this, next to the upper
floor, was the mule-warp spinning department,
aud there were nearly 100 girls at work under
male overseer. On the upper floor, the
fifth, about thirty girls were employed. spool
lag and warping cotton. These were the
Youngest of the operatives. With the alarm
the flames seemed to leap to this attic, COM
ing from the windows below aud up the great
tower in the center of the building in which
were all the stairs communicating with each
story. The fire caught in the mule spinning
ROOM in the northwest end of the mill, from
friction In a mule-head, and spreading, by
means of oil on the floor and about the ma
chinery, with great quickness. rushed toward
the center tower. the only means of escape for
those in the fourth and fifth stories. besides
four fre-escapes, two on each gable-end.
Once getting into the tower, the flames ran
up to and through the single entrance to the
fifth story. then springinS TO thereof timbers,
filed the two great rooms 450x90 feet, with
dense black smoke and flame. While the
flames were making such terrible Roadway
the operatives became fairly wild. The over
seers saw 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, principally fire-ladders. The overseer
of the spooling- room, who remained till near
iy 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 and begging piteously to be
saved, yet wrenchingl themselves away
when taken forcibly to the tower while
yet there was some chance, or to the
iron ladder that reached two of the scuttle
+,
roof of the balcony at the head of the Twelfth
street fire-iadders. 1t was impossible to get
the great majority to take this method to save
their lives. Some wanted 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 rope
be lowered than there was q rush for 1t from
below. Too many would take hold, when it
would break, and all clinging to il would come
down iii bunch. Similar scenes were going
On in the mule spinningaoom. The flames
had assembled rapidly to the entrance
of the tower on the fourth floor, cutting off
their means of escape, but the operatives
had two ladders of the south gable directly
before them, and were urged by the overseers
and citizens below to take them. Some did,
but others rushed headlong upon the balcony
and dropped or threw themselves from the
guards. There was ample time for every one
to have been saved had the girls taken the
course directed. ~ -.
The Superintendent, rs soon as the alarm
was given, rushed to the upper story, and,
with the overeeers did all possible to save life.
When the means provided for escape in the
mill were rendered unavailable by heat flames
and smoke, the people procured beds and mat
tresses for the poor unfortunates to jump
upon, any many did throw themselves from
windows to- in almost every case, receive fatal
or terrible injuries.
The fremen worked to keep the flames out
of the south end, whittier many operatives had
fed. Ladders, long as at command, we're
used to rescue the girls, and it is said that
four fremen lost their lives while thus en-
gagged. One fireman was lowered from the
roof by brother firemen into the building, and
remained so long trying to drive girls forth
that he had to be let go by those vino held his
rope, driven away by the smoke. and he was
lost. Morgues and hospitals were speedily
improvised, the Mission Chapel being taken
for the latter, and as fast as the girls could
be picked from under the windows OF the mill,
stretchers were ready to carry them to either
Chapel or Central Station. At the latter place
twenty-five bodies were lying, and other I'M
fortunates had been taken. TO stations or to
homes. In q number of instances bodies
could not be recognized-they were so disfg-
ured, begrimed and dirt-covered. In Mis-
sion Chapel were many Of the wounded, whose
sufferings were intense.
The Granite Mills were incorporated in
1863 with capital of 81, 000 600, and employed
about 440 males and females in this-No. L
mill. Insurance, $3.50, 900; distributed among
Boston, Providence and other Eastern COM
panies. The insurance agents estimate the
loss at 60 per cent of the amount, and that
the value Of the portion of the mill not burnt
is S159 600. $685., asnx
Latest dispatches place the total Of killed at
20; wounded. Sc, OF which number are fatally
injured, and 81 will recover; missing, 8.