Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-02-25
THIRTEEN ARE DEAD
Terrible Accident in Cleeken-
ham, England.
gwELvn sRRIoUsLY INJURnD.
An Enormous Chimney Falls and brushes
Mills Like Eggshells

All the Dead and Injured Have Been Re
OF Men Heard Above the Din of the
Falling SIass-AIany OF the People PrIs-
oners In the Demolished Mills and Had
to be Rescued by Means of Ladders and
Fire Escapes-A Pathetic Incident.
LONDON, Feb. 25.-The immense Chin
ney of Thornton's mills, located at
Cleckenham, Yorkshire, fell yesterday.
The chimney was 100 feet high, and
almost completely demolished the mills.
Thirteen persons were killed outright
and twelve were serio usly injured.
The dead and injured have all been
removed from the ruins.
The survivors say that they heard q
terrible, rumbling sound, which seemed
to come from the chimney. The great
stack quivered and swayed, and then
toppled over from the top, at first almost
keeping the chimney form and then
bursting into an avalanche of brick and
mortar and dust, which fell with terrific
force upon the mills.
All the employees heard the warning
sound, and although they did not know
what was the matter, they stopped work
Immediately, and many made rush for
the exits.
Then came the vast mass of material,
crushing the mills like an egRshell, and
everything was hidden by the cloud Of
dust that arose. dense and suffocatinR,
from where the chimney and factory had
stood
The shrieks Of women and cries Of men
could be heard by those who rushed to
hn EhATA
wounded person made an appearance,
with hating step seeking to escape from
the scene of the fatality.
Women dashed forth with dishevelled
hair, some of them white and silent,
others uttering cries OF terror and Of
pain.
A strong man, with arm helpless and
score buried there" he cried. 'tDig
quickly, If you wish to save any of
them" Then he rose and started for
kome.
The rescuers went to work with a
will.
1t was found, as the cloud of dust
cleared away, that portions of the mills
remained standing, but that the occu-
pants could not escape except by the
windows, other means of exit having
been cut of.
Ladders and fre-escapes were raised
and the employees were helped to the
ground.
1t was dangerous work, for the patches
of wall seemed to reel and shake and
threatened every moment to fall be-
meath the weight of the rescuers and
rescued.
One poor widow woman stood at
window, whilo her little children, four in
number, and not one Of them over eight
years of age, were in the crowd below,
looking up at their mother and crying as
II their hearts would break. She was
safely carried down.
Apparently miraculous was the exper-
fence of the men who had been at work
repairing the chimney. Only few min
utes before the disaster they desisted
from work for lack Of material and left
the chimney Just before the catastro-
phe.
An investigation is to be held as to the
canse of the accident. It In thought
that the foundation Of the chimney was
not sufficiently strong, and the structure
gradually settled out Of plumb, until the
fall was inevitable.
1t is also said that misgivings as to the
security of the chimney have been enter
tanned for some time, but that no steps
had been taken to look out for the safety
Of the employees.