Page:Life, trial and execution, of Mary Thompson.pdf/7

7 excitement consequent on their situation, now that they were literally roasting alive, as one of the poor fellows expressed to me afterwards, joined to the sense of suffocation at this time experienced, it was sometime before any one of them could lay his hand on the key—but this done the poor fellow, in his maddened eagerness to get it turned, pulled it out of the lock, and it falling from his hand, protracted their sufferings, and made their situation still more perilous. But as God would have it (a few seconds or at most a very few minutes more, and all would have been over with them) the key was found, the door unlocked, and as many as could, rushed out, but some of them, I understand, had to return to drag out the remainder of the sufferers, who, having been overpowered by the flame and smoke, had fallen down. All got out, but so dreadfully burnt, chiefly about the head and limbs, as to present the most harrowing spectacle of human suffering that can be well conceived, the faces of most of them presenting one mass of broiled flesh, having a cinder like appearance. The owner, on getting out, cast himself on the ground, and rolled into a small stream of water which runs from the mill; and having thus extinguished the blaze in which he was, got out, and though fearfully burnt, struggled to reach that part of the dam where the water is let on to the mill, and contrived to turn off the wheel, which facilitated the efforts now made to stay the progress of the fire, in the mill, and which after some time, was completely subdued, but not before considerable damage had been done to the roof and the interior works of the mill. I should mention, that as the mill stands at some distance from any dwelling-house, the situation of the sufferers was quite unknown until after they had extricated themselves from the flames, when their cries being heard, assistance was promptly and speedily rendered by those drawn to the spot. They were conveyed as soon as possible to their respective homes, where immediate medical aid was rendered by Mr. R. N., the medical superintendent of our dispensary, Dr. Jones being engaged in some other quarter at the time, but who, on