Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-10-21
4 DISASTROUS FIRE.


Burning Oh huhFs huA AT hisihk
sun-Mnny Persons Thrown Out OF
Empioyment-Loss About $4,000.
The time to quit WORK at Hunts cotton
mill, on the Brandywine, was drawing
| nigh Wednesday night week, when mar
named James Buckley, employed there,
| In lighting a lamp started a IRE which in
| the COURSE OF an hour left little but
cLarred walls behind The working day
closed at g. 10 p. M. A few minutes before
6 o'clock it became necessary to light up.
Mr. Buckley struck match to light the
lamps in the mule room the match broke
of IN the striking and the blazing bead
| flew across this room aud into pile of
cotton waste. In moment the waste was
| in blaze.
The cry of fire was raised and young
man named August Schooner sprang to
the bell tower TO ring the alarm. The
bell rope broke twice in his hands but he
did his work and, when the alarm had
been taken up and WAS being telephoned
to the city from the mills below, Schooner
turned to descend. Then he saw that the
| flames mad made such headway that o
descent by the stairs would be freught
with danger. Only one other route WAS
open, to jump-and Schooner did 20,
allghting OH the tarred roof of the spin
ming rooms, 20 feet below, In safety.
The employees, who were chiefly women
and children, were thrown INTO STATE OF
excitement and confusion by the sudden
breaking our and swift progress OF the
fire, but, as soon as it could be done, a
line of men was formed to pass buckets
of waller from the tank which was fnil'
but useless in the emergency, because
there was no hose at hand, and the httle
water that could be thrown on the lire
from buckets mad no effect whatever
There was hose III the lower story OF the
mill but none III the upper part, where
the fire occurred. The mill was owned by
the powder manufacturing nrm OF h. l.
DUPONT, de Nemours u Co., who also own
nearly all the mills and other buildings Tor
halt mile or more above and below, yet
there !s not even hand IRE
engine or hose carriage or any
available means of hehhug u tlre, nearer
thau Wilmington, The thriving village
OF Rising SIM, on the opposite side of the
creek from the burned MIL, which is also
chiefly owned by this firm, is utterly
defenseess against ire, except for the
engines OF Wilmington, People OF hislne
sun, who gathered on the banks during
the hight OF the tire anxious for the safety
of then homes threatened by Tying spark
said that the lluPonts' had never paid any
attention TO requests 70 provide som'
kind Of engine on fire eXtinguishlug appa'
ratus.
The fHpidBS, men, boys and girl
worked like beavers TO save something
from the burning mill, gathering up bli
; ermtuls Of raw cotton and hurrying witt
, it TO place of safety Six bales o
cotton Just placed in the mill yesterds.
: were saved from the fire but damaged
: considerably by mud and water. Blu
little manufactured stock, muslin an
cotton warp, was on hand, it being shippe
almost daily.
The mill is situated on the north side o
: the Brandy wine, Mt the first dam Rbov
DuPouts bridge, about three miles froI
Wilmington. 1t Is a long iamblin
8 structure, with heavy walls of Brandywin
e granite The main building is abo,
;, 300 feet long by 40 or 30 fe'
! wide two stories in hight in son
tluces and three stories in others. The
,, was much valuable machinery in the mil
particularly in the spinning rooms at II
eastern end, which portion being Il
r, farthest from where the fire broke GU
was saved by the concentrated efforts
j! the Wilmington firemen who arrived
time TO do this much but too late to {
s. anything for the main building.
The alarm reached this city fe
q minutes after 6 o'clock and, though it W
very long run, the Delaware and Frlen
D ship engines and Phoenix and Wat
Witch hose carriages were hurried to Il
scene aud arrived III time not only to So
er the eastern end of the burning mill but
le prevent the destruction of neighbour
n. | builAippg