The lack of effective government regulation led to unsafe and unhealthy work environments at the mill. In the late nineteenth century, more industrial accidents occurred in the United States than in any other industrial country. Working conditions were difficult and exposed employees to many risks and dangers, including cramped work areas with poor ventilation, loud noises, cold and hot environments, trauma from machinery, and toxic exposures to heavy metals, dust, and solvents.
Workers in the mills developed medical problems, too. The pollution and dust that were constantly in the air led to the illness known as mill fever. It was a dreaded disease, and it took many lives.
Below are just a few examples of the mill’s grisly past:
Saturday night, March 9, 1889, a North Wilbraham man, Patrick Carney, an employee of the paper mill, fell into a tank of boiling water and was scalded. Carney was tending one of the great vats in which paper trimmings intended for stock are boiled. The tank was half-covered, and as Carney was standing on the edge, poking and stirring the boiling mass of water and pulp, his stick broke and he fell in. He caught hold of the cover and held on until two companions named Fogerty and Dennis Powers drew him out. His body was frightfully scalded from his feet to his neck, and the skin came off in spots when his clothing was removed. Dr. Hannum of Ludlow and Holbrook of Palmer was called but he died Sunday night around 8:00 pm. He was about 50 years old and left a widow and three sons, the oldest of whom, Thomas, 23, was once a pitcher for the Springfield Nine. The youngest son is 13 years old.
William Dempsey was killed in a horrific accident at the mill on January 9, 1891. Mr. Dempsey was running a duster machine along with another man. The duster became overloaded with rags which caused the machine’s belt to run off the pulley above. While attempting to put the belt back on the pulley, the belt ended up getting caught up in the shafting, counter shafting, hangers, and pulleys. One of the hangers fell striking down Mr. Dempsey to the floor. While on the floor, the rest of the mechanism above fell on top of him, crushing his head and breaking both legs. He died about thirty-six hours later. He worked on that machine for about two years.
Sunday afternoon, November 4, 1894, John Shepard, 53, a carpenter at the paper mill was instantly killed around 3:00 pm. He was engaged in putting a belt upon one of the large wheels, but the wheel was set in motion to allow him to do the work. He slipped and was caught, dragged through the gear and his neck broke. He died instantly leaving a widow and three children, two boys, and a girl.
Maurice Murphy, the eight-year-old son of P. J. Murphy, met a strange death at the paper mill on January 15, 1903, at approximately 4:00 pm. He was sliding down a sharp hill starting at the freight house, which still stands today, the course 520’, ending on a footbridge across the canal to the mill. The young boy lost control of his sled, struck the side rail of the bridge, and fell into open water on the canal, from which the current carried him under the ice. The paper mill was shut down at once and the water was drawn from the canal before he could be taken out. Every effort was made to “restore” the boy, but it was of no avail. He had been in the water for 30 minutes. He leaves his parents, sister, and brother.
James Fitzgerald, 28 years old was found dead in bed at the Collins Manufacturing Company’s boarding house on the morning of January 20, 1906. He had been working and was apparently in good spirits and health the night before his death. When his boarding mistress, Mrs. E Cronin, prepared breakfast the following morning, she missed him at the table, and thinking he was not feeling well, would take his breakfast to his room. She went to his door at about 7:15 and rapped, without receiving any response, and then she called him, with the same result. The door, which was bolted on the inside, was then sprung in, and his lifeless body was found in bed. Dr. A. L. Damon was then called; interned called Medical Examiner Bates of Springfield, who pronounced the cause of death to be acute congestion of the lungs. The body was taken to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Mary.
James Powers, who was employed at the paper mill, had his foot badly crushed on the afternoon of August 13, 1906. He was riding in the freight elevator in the mill where he had one foot up against the side, where it got caught. Dr. A. L. Damon was called and dressed the foot. He then ordered him to be sent to Mercy Hospital in the City of Springfield to have an X-ray done to see if there was a fracture.
Curiosity cost Ureo Brackiniski the tip of two fingers on January 15, 1913. He was working in the rag room at the paper mill when he discovered an object in the rags. At the time he did not know what this object was so he decided to open it up with his knife. An explosion occurred which blew off the first joint of his thumb and the first two joints of his index finger on his right hand. He was given first aid treatment and taken immediately to Springfield Hospital. It was determined that the object he was prying open was a dynamite cartridge.
April 2, 1913, Gus Cameron, a paper hanger in the loft, of the paper mill, met with a painful accident. He was pulling a load of paper in the machine room when he dislodged a large machine knife which struck his hand in falling. A gash three inches long was opened in the back of his left hand. The laceration was very deep requiring eight stitches to close it.
Brian Fallon was killed at the paper mill on December 17, 1914, by one of the machines. He was putting up storm windows in the mill when he slipped and fell into one of the machines, being caught by the gear and badly mangled. He had been an employee in the mill for the past 23 years and for some time had been employed as a watchman. He leaves three daughters and three sons, all of North Wilbraham. The body was taken to Holyoke where the funeral will be held at the Dillon Undertaken Rooms the next morning. He is buried in Palmer at St. Thomas Cemetery.
So do you believe in GHOSTS? This old paper mill is believed to be haunted. An incident that happened around 2010 was relayed to me by the property manager of the mill a few years ago. One day Doug was tending the boilers in the old boiler room when he turned around and saw a full apparition of his old boss, Max, who owned the mill before his death two years prior. Max never liked Doug being in the boiler room for some unknown reason, so he believes Max was checking on him. Doug also stated he would hear footsteps and creaking of the floorboards of the floors above when he knew no one else was in the building.
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