Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-22
All Rights Reserved

nit, and in each storey panic TOOK
possession of the women and younger
workers of both sexes.
To effect an escape from the cellar and
the first and second stories of the mill,
where the throstle and card rooms were
situated, was only a tribe more perilous
than the flight from the weaving shed
had been; but to escape from the higher
portion of the factory was matter preg-
nant with the utmost danger.
From out the sixth, fifth, fourth and
third stories the terrified women and
children came rushing, each eager to be
first in the race for life. Out of their
rooms they darted at the first whisper of
that dreaded word ''Firel'' and heed
less of clogs, stockings, shawls, cans,
baskets everything made for the stair
cases.
In vain the men shouted that there
was no danger. A panic had seized
them, and they were deaf to shouts, en-
treaties, curses, prayers, which were
meant to keep them still when there was
fire near.
Out they rushed, bare-footed, bare
legged, bare armed, bare breasted; old
white haired women, whose age stricken
limbs were quickened and strengthened
in a miraculous way by a great fear;
young, strong women, whose lusty arms
swept the weaker ones out of the way; a
man, or two men also here and there,
whose craven hearts had rushed away with
their shivering bodies; young lads and
lasses of all ages between twelve and six
teen; away they tore towards the mar
row, steep and dangerous stone stair
ways.
What frightful picture those stairs
presented at that moment! Upon them
some hundreds of human beings strug-
gled, fought, shouted, with blazing
eyes, disheveIed hair, bruised feet and
torn garments.
Those who were in front were in great
peril of being knocked down and
trampled to death by the Infatuated
crowd who pressed them forward: those
in the midst were being squeezed most
desperately, and almost smothered by
the frantic struggles of themselves and
those near them; and those who were
hindmost, seeing the fire so near, pushed
all the harder in order to escape.
Now and again a pltiful scream of
direst terror Tung out above the confused
roar of tongues, when some poor creature
slipped upon the. steps, sank from the
surface Of that hurrying human steam
and was .rod underfoot.
And once down on those perilous stairs
there was no rising again until the next
landing was reached. Many there were
who never touched a step in their de-
scent, being lifted off their feet by the
down-rushing tide of humanity, and
wedged in so tightly among the crowd
that they were carried onward and
downward as helpless as tiny straws are
in the midst OF great whirlpool.
At length the bottom of the last flight
of steps was reached, and the surging
wave of women and children was shot
out into the open air, where it spread
itself as a river does when it rushes from
its mouth and joins the sea.
On and on out of that narrow door
way they came, lighting and screaming
until the threshold was gained, and
safety was assured TO them. And last
of all came those who falling in the
struggle had to creep out manned and
bleeding when the rush was past.
What tales those bruised and half
smothered people had to tell one an
other when the wide space of the fac
tory yard was gained, and they could
stand erect and breathe in peace and
safety once more. To all of them it
appeared as if they had just been de-
livered from he'll.
And what a sorry sight those opera
tives presented as they stood there in the
dim light of the fading day examining
their personal injuries and counting their
losses.
The scant clothing of many of the
women and girls were torn to tatters;
their hands, feet, and faces were bleed
ing in many places: one or two had been
severely injured by being trampled upon,
and several had only escaped with
bruised limbs. And yet they all seemed
to wonder that they had been able
to escape with their lives.
Had the women been only a little less
panic-strioken than they were, the crush
upon the stairs could have been entirely
avoided, for the workers in the two up
permost storeys could have effected their
escape by means of the fire escape. which
ran up the side of the mill, past the win
dows, and ended upon the roof.
But TO the affrighted females 1t ap-
peared that the easiest way OF escape lay
through the open doors of their respeo-
tive rooms, and down the staircase be-
yond. So they chose that way rather
than climb through the windows, and
feel their way down q long iron ladder,
poised perpendicularly against the mill
side.
Nellie Henderson was standing in the
factory yard, chatting with one or two of
her fellow weaVers a few minutes after
that swift rush from the weaving shed |
had been made, when she noticed an
of hers, standing amid
group of those who had only little while |
before escaped from the upper stories of |
the burning mill.
This was a bright faced girl of fourteen |
named Peggy Unsworth, and as she |
worked in the topmost story she had had |
10 run the terrible gauntlet of descend |
ing each of the five staircases and had |
got considerably crushed and battered in |
the mad rush.
''I see, Peggy said Nellie. as she |
went TO the girl, Fthat you've getten |
eawt a rect. -
ga rect, am ah?" the wench moaned |
as she scanned her rent garment, naked |
feet, arms and bruises. "Ah IN nearly |
ieend, Nellie she continued. "Ah |
Zeet knocked deawn on t steps was trod- |
len on, hawve smothert, an ali thowt it |
was e DER wi me, that ali did. An
ave lost my clogs an stockings an
ev rhythm -
"Where IS Annie Farrimond, Peggy"
Nellie next asked with some eagerness.