The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-27
Panic Ensues and Employees
Jump from Windows
MANY NEARLY SUFFOCATED
500 Workers In cocheco Manufacturing
Co.'S Plant at Dover, NJ H., Which
Is Totally Destroyed and
Loss Is $5oo,ooo.

Dover, N H., January 26.-Dover's
most disastrous fire which occurred to-
day, cost the lives of four and prob
ably i've young mill operatives and
property loss of half million dol
lars. The fire destroyed mill No. of
the Cocheco Manufacturing Co. The
bodies of four boys, charred beyond
hope of Identification, were found this
afternoon In the smoking ruins, and
as five boys are known to be miss
ing 1t is believed that another body
will be discovered. TIE missing boys
are: Charles Cosgrove, aged 16, Con-
stantine Elopulos aged 16; John
Nicholopulos, aged 16; -- Redden,
aged 10; Hester, aged Is. The
fire broke out in the mill not long
after the 500 or more operatives had
assembled for their days work. The
exits soon became blocked by a strug
were obliged to jump from the win
dows. The financial loss is 100000,
covered by insurance.
Several of the worlSmen and women
jumped from the windows, sustaining
injuries. Others were taken from win
dows in the upper stories. Persons
thus rescued reported that some had
been overcome by smoke in the burn
ing building and the firemen immedi-
ately began search which was without
result until the flames drove them out
side the walls. Meanwhile officials of
the mill were busy trying to locate all
employees.
The lives of from 800 to 500 employees in
the large five-story No. l mill of the Co
checo Manufacturing company were inn
perilled by fire that swept through the
structure With great raiidity shortly aftei
all the hands were at their places to-
iay Many were hurt by jumping from
the fourth story windors.
Jumping From Windows.
One man. who with four others, was
carried down an extension ladder from
the fifth floor reported that as he groped
his way to the window he stumbled over
several PROSTATE forms. The mill build
ing seemed doomed at $3.50 o'clock, but
the firemen We're confident of preventing
the spread of flames to adjoining struc-
lures.
Two of the men who jumped from the
fourth story were taken to the hospital
seriously hurt, and a dozen others were
treated for hurts of a less serious nature.
The seriously injured:
william Turner, mule spinner, broken
hip.
James Ashton, mule spinner, both legs
broken
The fire started from hot box in the
spool room, and before the frightened
employees could make any effort to extin-
| guish it the fire spread to the spinning
room and swept through the big mill.
! There were no fire escapes in the place,
and the panic stricken employees made a
wild rush for the exits.
| Those on the lower floors, generally,
managed to get out through the doors
or the windows, but those on the fourth
and fifth floors were not SO fortunate.
Employees on the fifth floor rushed TO
the fourth in large numbers and finding
that smoke and flames cut off their exit
down the stairways, many leaped from
| the windows to the street ON the frozen
! ground Some cool-headed ones remem-
| bering there were rope in the rooms,
| placed there for emergency, and attach
| ing these to the window frames, slid
down rapidly. burning the skin off their
hands in so doing
Gasped for Air.
| While the fremen were busy getting
| their forces into an advantageous posi-
| ton for fighting the flames and helping
| out the people on the lower stories. -four
men crouched at an open window on the
upper floor gaspng for air for nearly
| two hours before they were discovered
| An extension ladder was raised but the
| imprisoned men were nearly unconscious
| from the smoke when rescued. James
| Corners, one OF these men stated that he
| had stumbled over what he believed tc
| be unconscious persons