The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-07 00:00:00

THE DREADFUL ACCIDENT AT
OLDHAM.

(Abridged from the Manchester Guardian of yesterday.)
In our last we gave such particulars as we could then
collect of this lamentable occurrence, by which the lives
of no fewer than twenty human beings have been lost.
It will be recoil( cted that at that time fourteen bodies
had been discovered, and sx others were then missing.
Of these, five were found during Friday night and Satur-
day, but that of Whitehead was not discovered until
Sunday morning, though it subsequently appeared that
the labourers employed in the search had repeatedly ap
proached within a brick or two of where the body MIS
lying;, outside the walls of the mill, and near the chimney
at the north-east corner. It is conjectured he had been
struck down by the falling building as he was crossing
the yard. We are sorry to learn that one of the
sur-
vivors, Hannah Taylor, who sustained a compound
fracture in one leg—the limb being broken in three
places—besides other severe injuries, is scarcely ex-
pected to recover. The others, we understand, are all
doing well. The local authorities convened a public
meeting, which it was intended at first to hold on Satur-
day evening, but was subsequently fixed for Monday
evening, to originate a subscription for the relief of the
many industrious families thus suddenly plunged into
great poverty and distress by their bereavement of their
natural protectors. The surplus of a fund raised for the
relief of the sufferers by the fire at the Union Mills
some time ago, and which we now learn amounts to about
2001. (and not 400/, as at first stated to us), is likely to
be appropriated to this kindred object. The greatest
sympathy and commiseration have been manifested by
the inhabitants generally towards the unfortunate suf-
ferers, and the melancholy event has cast a deep gloom
over the whole town.

The inquest was held on Saturday last, at two o'clock
in the afternoon, at the Black Swan Inn, Mumps, before
Mr. Molesworth, Deputy Coroner, and a respectable
jury. The inquiry was held on the bodies of Jo-
seph Tweedale, Robert Tweedale, James Tweedale,
Susannah Wright, George Taylor, Mary Ann Hussey,
James Ridgway, Ann Buckley, James Kershaw, Sarah
Watmough, William Mannock, John Kershaw, William
Butterworth, Edward Winpenny, Ann Ogden, Hannah
Slater, Ann Hula:Le, Elizabeth Smethurst, and Daniel
Dunkerley—in all nineteen, William Whitehead not
having been found. There was a report in Oldham on
Saturday that he had been found alive beneath an arch,
and that he had been supplied with a little wine, to re-
store his exhausted strength, till the excavators could
rescue him ; but we ascertained that there was no foun-
dation for this report. Immediately after being sworn,
the jury proceeded in an omnibus to view the several
bodies, at the various homes of the deceased ; and next
proceeded to the ruins of the fallen mill, and there in-
spected the construction of the building, with its prin-
cipal beams and cross-beams, cast-iron pillars, and brick
arches, as shown in the part of a bay left standing
throughout every floor, as if it were a model transverse
section. They also examined several of the beams, and
fragments of beams, lying in the yard, especially with
reference to the " luggs" or " ears" at the ends of the
beam, and the iron straps or " clips," put round them to
bind or grace the ends of two beams together around
the pillar. •
On the return of the jury, aft'r some conversation, it
was agreed to commence with evidence as to the identity
of the elder Tweedale's body.
A witness named William Mills, living in Pipe-row,
North Moor, being confined to his bed by his injuries,
his evidence was taken at his own dwelling, in the course
of the round taken by the coroner and jury. He stated
—I am a bricklayer, and was working at Lower House-
mill, Messrs. Samuel Radcliffe and Sons. One of the
arches in the flooring of the top story had given way
about five inches in the crown; and I pulled a third of
it out, and put it in again. This was on Tuesday last.
I took it out on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday it was
got ready for me, and I put one length (of a third part)
in on Wednesday night, and we just then had the middle
part out. It was flagged over the top, and the flags of
the next bay had given way, and I showed it to the mas-
ter (Mr. Wrigley), and one of the master's sons. One
of the ends of an iron beam had broken—l mean the ear
where the clip goes on, and I showed it to Mr. Samuel
Radcliffe, and he said it was a pity they bruke that way.
Ooze had broken before. The beam had only lost ore
ear, and had not lost all its bearing on the pillar. I had
but just pulled the middle length out when I saw the
gable end fall. Oae of the men working near the end
(Thomas Mellor) ran, and before he could reach it, it
went down and him with it. It went bay after bay, the
roof following the floor, beginning with the gable (west
end), and coming towards me, and I saw it going bay
after bay, for perhaps a minute, and when it came to me,
down I went with it. My head was badly cut, but I was
never insensible. My leg is badly bruised and swollen,
but not broken. The flags had not broken, but the
joints had sundered a little.

By a Juror—The joiner only said that the bedding of
the flagging had given way. It was about the fourth
bay from the gable end where the arch had given way.
1 think it was the pressure towards the gable, and to
resist such a pressure the gable should have had st:ong
buttresses. The gable was the only thing to keep it up.
The arch had only an inch rise per foot.
Mary Tweedale, of Lower House, widow of Joseph
Tweedalo, the ovcrlooker, stated, that ooe of the bodies
lying at her house was that of her husband ; he was
forty-four years of ago. Another body lying in her
house was that of Robert Tweedale, her son, aged seven-
teen
years, a twister-in ; and the third body lying there
was that of James Tweedale, a younger coo, aged twolve
years. He was a reacher-in. The poor woman sobbed,
and was quite overcome.
After some further evidence, the jury adjourned until
Monday.
Oa their re-assembling they were sworn in the case of
William Whitehead, the last, body missing, which hud
been found the preceding day. They then went to view
that body, and also to inspect the mill again. The fol-
lowing are the particulars as to William Whiteheal, of
Fouleach, engineer, who would have completed his 22d
year at Christmas next. He had b'en in the employ of
the firm twelve years. He was unmarried, and lived
with his mother, who has six surviving children, of
whom four are under twenty years of age ; namely, two
girls of eighteen and twelve years, and two boys of six-
teen and ten years. The deceased's body was found
about ten o'clock on Sunday morning outside the build-
hag, in the yard, near the chimney, under a heap of
bricks ; so that he had evidently been struck down,
crushed, and killed, while passing along the yard, endea-
vouring to escape.
On the return of the jury to the Black Swan, Mr.
Wiliam Fairbairn, C.E., and Mr. David Bellhouse,
builder, both of Manchester, were requested to be pre-
sent during the remainder of the inquiry. The Rev. T.
S. Mills, magistrate, was also present. The first witness
called (the inquiry being so far limited to the death of
the elder Tweedale) was—

Thomas Mellor, of Hey Side, in Roy ton, bricklayer.
who stated:—On Thursday I was at work on the arch
in the cockloft at Lower House Mill. We had taken
one length out, and keyed it, and had taken another
length out, and I had taken a springer out (the spring
course), and was talking to the man working with me
(William Mills), when I saw the beam in the bay snap
eat the collar, at the pillar; and I said," Billy, its aw'
going!" and I set off as fast as I could to the door. I
saw the arch next Greaves's factory drop in (the second
bay from the gable end). It was the centre beam of the
three principal beams between the second and third bays
that fell, dropping in. The different bays dropped as I
quitted them till I reached the last bay but one, next the
old factory, when it fell with me.
By Mr. Fairbairn—l can't tell where the bearers for
the scaffolding were. (The foreman said the joiner had
explained that point on Saturday.) I was never insen-
sible. One arm was fast, and with the other I got some
' stuff from my head, so as to breathe more freely, till I
was rescued.

By Mr. Fairbairn—When the beam fell I saw the
arch of the fifth bay from the old mill (the third from
the gable end) give way and drop. The stage we stocd
on dropped with it. I jumped off the stage, and ran
towards the old mill-. The beam did not spring at all,
but it snapped off at the collar, and fell straight doun.
I beard no previous noise. No arch had given way,
except that which we were repairing, and which had
previously dropped or sunk, just tour inches. The arches
had a rise of twelve inches.

By a juror—The men, it was said, had not put the
etches in close enough, and our master (Mr. Wrigley)
was blamed for their not being closely keyed.
By Mr. Fairbairn—The arch that had sunk or flat-
tened four inches, was keyed with brick, and " caulked"
with slate. Everywhere between the bricks the spaces
had been " caulked," or wedged in with pieces of slate.
Three of us took out the bricks from that arch, and there
were pieces of slate between the bricks.
By the Foreman—l cannot tell why the arch had
sunk four inches. I think something must have given
way, but I cannot say what. None of the tie•rods or
stays were broken.
After some further evidence of a similar character, the
inquiry was adjourned until this afternoon.

CLERKENWELL IMPROVEMENTS.—Yesterday 30
houses were sold by auction by Mr. Pullen, which are to
be taken down for the new street which is to be from
Farringdon-street to the back of the Sessions-house,
Clerkenwell, thus making nearly 150 houses which have
been disposed of, the sale taking place by direction of
the Clerkenwell Improvement Commissioners. There
was a very active competition for the property, which
fetched a high price, though many portions of it had been
built almost a century. The bricks alone produced
between 4501. and 500/. The whole went for above 700/
A Parliamentary grant of 25,0001, with 13,0001. leviable
from the parishes on the poor-rates, on the increased
value of the property, for thirty years, in addition to
70,0002. borrowed by the Commissioners, is the amount
obtained for the purchase of the property. A new sewer
is in the course of formation, which is constructed in an
entire circle of diameter of about 13 feet. It will be 600
feet in length, and is intended to turn off that distance of
the River Fleet, or what is called Fleet Ditch.