The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-02-01
FOUR BOYS KILLED
Result of Fire Which Destroyed
Cocheco Mills
DELAY IN GIVING ALARM

Plenty OF Tine to Escape, as
They Were Informed That~Fire
Was Not of Importance
Dover, N. H, Jan. 2S.-That only
four lives were lost in the fire which
DESTROYED No. 1 mill of the Cocheco
Manufacturing company's plant mere
was established when it was learned
that all of the employees of the mill eX
cept four had been accounted for. -Four
charred bodies were taken from the
ruins and it is believed that these were
the bodies of the four missing en-
ployes, all of whom were boys.
The fire broke out afresh Saturday
night and burned throughout yesterday.
From midnight until o'clock Sunday
morning the tiremen worked in tenn
perature varying from 2 to IA degrees
Lelow zero. and cases of frosthite and
frozen eXtremities were numerous.
Medical Examiner Neal Of Rochester
came here and viewed the odies of the
victims. One of the bodies was identi-
fled as that of John Coskeren, aged 10,
who was employed as a filing carrier
in the weave room of the mill. 1t was
impossible to identify the other bodies,
but they are believed to be those of AL
fred Barron, Constantine Gleopuplos
N and John NicOlopulos.
The injured are reported as out of
anger and on the road to recovery.
'he fire yesterday burned down
through the third, second and first
4 floors into the basement.
4 Mill No. of the Cocheco plant, which
manufactures cotton goods, was erected
IL 1877. 1t was the largest of several
mills constituting the company's plant
here. The mill and contents were in
sured for between 100000 and $780,
QUO. Charles H. Fish, the local agent
for the company, says that the work of
rebuilding the mill will start at once.
Responsibility for the tragedy cannot
be definitely placed at the present time,
hut it will come up to the man who,
when a Pickering fame was first no.
ticed about a gigantic belt box on the
third floor, announced thae it was moth
Ing serious, and, like dozens of fires
which frequently happen in mills almost
everywhere in the country, would soon
be eXtinguished.
So $50 employees leisurely continued
about their work and gave little heed to
the gradual spread of the flames, while
the fire continued to play unchecked
about the big box.
When big cloud of smoke suddenly
pulled forth from the belt Enclosure and
h settled in bank of darkness over the
~-eN1fe apartment, there were screams
of alarm and a frenzled rush for the
doors Then in an excited few minutes
panic ensued which cut off several
from escape and led to a failure to warn
the men working on the fifth floor III
time to enable them to escape.
All those who lost their lives are
thought to have been at work on the
fifth floor, where the mule spnners'
apartment is located. These had plenty
of time to escape if they had received
warning in time But the word which
came to them was like that which went
the rounds below: 1.-The fire is not a Sc
rous one and soon will be extin-
guished."
So. as they worked barefooted and in
cveralls and shirts, they took their time
In DOMINIC shoes and heavier clothing
rather than risk exposure to the zero
temperature outside.
This was the fatal mistake and the
] slowness in action led to the deaths of
he unfortunate ones, injuries to many
and narrow est )es for dozens.
4 In spite of the stress and turmoil
those on the first four floors were
eventually successful in reaching the
streets in safety, although not few
had to be led down by the firemen and
some took terrifying leaps from the
third and fourth stories to the ground.
But the men on the fifth floor were
compelled to slide down ropes the EN-
tire distance or hung perilously in
mid-air between the topmOst rounds Of
the longest ladder in the fire depart
ment and the lower sill of fifth
floor window, until poles and ropes
were pushed up to them.
Had the alarm been sounded when
the fire was first seen about the big
belt compartment on the third floor
there is no reason to doubt that every
man, woman and boy in the building
would have been able to emerge in
safety.
Regarding as only a slight blaze the
lick rs OF fame which flashed occa-
Elonally on the outside of the box but
roared in mighty volume on the inside
is directly responsible for the fatal
ties and the great loss.
Had the extent of the flames been
appreciated or had an investigation
been made Immediately after, the truth
! would have been apparent in plenty of
time to save all the lives and much of
the property. When realization did
come. however, it was too late to do eff
fcctual work and the appalling record
was the result.
The cause of the fire is supposed to
have been The great heat generated by
the power belt which runs from the en-
CINE room to the fifth floor. Another
belt goes from the engine to the weav- /
Ing room. These were enclosed by
wooden boxes. and il was about the
longer one that the flames were first
discovered breaking into the carding
room