The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-09-22
AWFUL.DI >AorER.
Cotton Factory ut Fall
River Destroyed by
Fire.
Lives of More than Forty
Operatives Lost.
TERRlBlE INCIDENTS OF
THE CONF 7AGRA--
TON.
Factory Girls leaping From Lofty
Windows,
ESCAPiNG FIRE TO BE CRUSHED
TO DEATH.
Loss 10 The Mill Owners over Half
IA Million.
Factory Girls leaping From Lofty
Windows,
ESCAPING FIRE TO BE CRUSHED
TO DEATH.
Loss 10 The Mill Owners over Half
Million.
FALL RIVER, Mass, Sept. 10.
GREAT FIRE AT FALL RIVER.

The Granite mills No. IN this
place burned this morning just after
the operatives began work. The oper-
atives Ia the spooliug room in the fifth
story we're panic stricken and jumped
iiom he windows or we're suff)cated.
About thirty persons we're killed and
injured, aud The dying, in number, il,
many more. At 1Z:3U N. eighteen
cbdrred bodies Of killed and number
OF wounded have been recovered.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
BosToN,.. Sept. 10. The Herald has
the following special dispatch from
Fall River: About o'clock A. NJ. an
alarm Of fire was sounded, but the local
ity could not be properly understood,
consequently the iiremen did not reach
Granite mill, No. en- Twelfth and
Bedford streets, until the flames had
made fearful Roadway. Finding them
selves unable to cope with the flames,
second alarm was struck and the re-
mainder OF the department brought to
the stop. Meantime the results had
become threatening in the extreme.
AS far as can be learned, under the
present excitement and turmoil, the
hre originated at the tower, in the
fourth story, and an attempt was made
to extiDguiSh it with pals of water,
but Intellectually. During this en-
deavor the door leading to the spool
room, which opens on the tower stair
case, was closed, to keep help back
and prevent panic, but when the
flames had gained such strength
that it was found impossible to quench
them, the escape OF the girls had been
cut off. The terrified creatures, with
the roaring flames on the lower stair
case, rushed IN body for the fire es-
cape, but dense volumes OF smoke that
poured into the room and biting flames
forced them back to the northeast end
Of the apart meut, at which end unfortu.
nately there we're no means OF escape.
Many in the meantime had become suf-
located, and others preferring death by
falling to the ground sprang recklessly
from the windows, and were picked up
maugled, bleeding, dead and dying.
The excitement was terrible, every
mill nearly emptying its contents to
swell the sympathizing crowd, All
the medical men in the city were
promptly GU hand. Mattresses, wagons,
stretchcrs and all the paraphernalia OF
the hospiatl were promptly furnished
and the dead and dying aud suffering
attended TO. 1t is certain that nearly
thirty or forty lives, nearly all girls,
have been lost while the list of wounded
is probably as great. The Granite
mills were incorporated in 1853, aud
mill No. l had thirty six thousand
six hundred and forty eight spindles
aud eight thousand four hundred looms
aud employed about 425 male and fe-
male operatives. The directors are WIN
VIM. Ma.on,J P.Slade, Edmund Chase.
j. 5. Brayton aud Ira NJ, Smith.
Later Investigation seems to prove
that the fire originated in the mule
'"'ii he''hS o'uiAtu III ispm uHuScu
mule heads in charge of a boy named
Samuel Yodng. As soon as the flames
were discovered by the lad, he shrieked
out, fire, and made his escape. The
spinners in the room tried TO check
the spread Of the flames with boxes and
sticks, which broke all the threads at
tached TO the machine, Efforts were
made to subdue the fire but inetfoct-
ually, and when it was found necessary
TO send an alarm the flames had gath
cred such strength that they were dart
ing from the lower windows. The
upper story or attic used as a spool
room was at the time occupied by sixty
persons, aud the first iDtimation they
received ct thsir danger was cloud Of |
dense bin ling aad suffoeatiug smoke
hat swept up the staircase and forced
hem to seek safety in the northern |