, 1876-07-29

A Terrible Human Holocaust in England.
London Telegraph.

A few more horrible catastrophes, in so
far as the sacrifice of human life is CON.
ccrncl has ever cen reported than that
which took place at Ayr. The facts of
the case are simple enough. In one por.
ton Of series ot buildings which con.
stilutcd large carpet manuinctory and
wool works fire broke out suddenly
while the mill hands were in their places.
it spread rapidly, yet not so quickly as
the panic to wh'th it gave rise, and in
the confusion nenr'y Thirty persons have
perished ; either burnt alive, crushed in
the ruins, or Killed by lcaping from II
great height to the ground. 1t is stat
ed that the origin ofthc fire was in the
second floor OF one of the buildings
where machine used for testing" the
wool in the rough state was ut work
Extinguishcrs had been kept in readiness
as, indeed they generally are in factories
where intlnmable materials are accumu.
lated, and are constantly passing through
stages of inilamable preparation; but
the flames appear to have shot up so
fat as Ia unnerve the spectators; and
not only WAS the fire not checked, but
those who might in time have escaped
ran hcOdong into, instead Of from DIM
yer. Above the floor where it began
men and girls were buSily a, work.
The foreman and thirty women were on
the fourth story, and the subforeman,
Barr, one of the victims, was in the gar.
ret above with twenty-five more women.
Many of these tiity.seven persons must
have rushed down stairs through the
binding smoke and jets of flame, and
thus have reached safety. One or two
flung themselves from the windows and
preserved their lives, though seriously
MANNED. Others, however, secm in the
panlc and confusion, TO have run up
stairs into the garret, and there, shut off
from all hope Of rescue, they must either
have been soon suffocatcd, or have fallen
with the crashing ruin into pit of fire
beneath, where their bodies were speed.
ily reduced TO the tiny heap Of indistin-
gushab'e ashes that are now the only
mcmentocs OF this terrible holocaust.
The fact that none of the victims had
passed into middle age, and that nearly
all were young girls between fourteen
and twenty, adds touch Of pathos to
the tragedy. Existence could not be
learer to them than to Others; but the
shought of so much youthful and bloom
ing life suddenly extinguished is infinite.
lyssd 20 those who contemplate the pos
Sibilities before each at the moment when
the friction of u little wheel kindled the
the conhagration which insananeously
shut out the world and annihilated their
earthly future.
1t is not likely that much light will
now he thrown on the causes of this dire
calamity; but it is safe to assume that
some precautions had been neglected, and
that inexperience Of danger had bred in.
difference among those exposed to it.
This is the story Of all occupations, par
siculsrly in great hives of industry, and
nothing seems to act OF warning, either
To be on the guarl against chances OF
danger, or to study the duty OF selfpres'
Tvation when the danger is upon us.
In the case of lofty factories, however,
there is one obvious safeguard which
should be brought universally in use, and
that is the provision of fire escapes or
adders high enough to reach TO the top
Istory of building, and so guarded as to
Encourage frightened men, women. or
kyen children to dccend them with alac-
Pity. Each factory should have one or
fwo of these. BY law the owners of
mincs are bound to study the safety of
bf their workers lives; why not also the
Hwners of factories II is, indeed, the
pbyous interest of the latter to DO so,
md is astonishing that they should ever
Iequirc to be prompted.