Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-01-13
LAwRENcH. January IL

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the vast smouldering hecafomb which now covers
the site where stood the Pemberton Mill.
When the alarm from the disaster was first
given In Lawrence, it was supposed to be caused
by the explosion Of boiler at the mill; then that
the structure was in flames. After the true cause
became known. the alarm which before existed
was intensified into panic fearful to contemplate.
Eye witnesses of the scene say it would be hard to
conceive its parallel. To-day. general gloom ap-
pears to have settled over the community One Of
the largest schools in the city, numbering several
hundred scholars, was convened this morning but
dismissed. as half the usual number of pupils
We're not i'm attendance
The Sabbath School Convention, which was 10
have been held i'm Lawrence to-day, was post
trophe.
Persons who were at the scene Of this calamity
through the night say that language utterly fails
to convey an adequate idea OF the melancholy
spectacle the ruins presented. Conversations Were
carried on with many of the victims and refresh
mentS were passed to some of them by their anx-
ious friends hoping that they would survive until
they could he extrcated. Ii Is thought that ire
was communicated to the cotton materials by par
ties removing the light from their lanterns, and
holding 1t at arms length in the ruins in search
ing for missing friends and relatives.
When the disaster occurred, nearly all the mills
were Immediately stopped. The Pacific mills,
however, were kept running until the usual hour
FOR closing In consequence, 1t is said, of the alb
who had authority to order the stopping of the
engines; and thus the operatives were kept fer
some time in painful suspense
THE SCENE OF THK CATASTROPHE.
The PembertOn Mill was built some seven years
since, and the principal owners at that time were
}. A. Lowell, r. e. Lowell, ). r. Putnan and
Lawrence, Stone & Co.
The main building was in the form Of a paral-
telegram and immediately adjacent to the store
houses Of the Washington Mills. Ii was built Of
brick, five stories high, and has always been con-
sidercd one Of the fines, mills in Lawrence Ii
had a flat roof, like the Pacific Mills. with an
tn rha
appearance, with very large windows extending
through two stories.
The spinning rooms Were high studded long
and narrow, without partitions and crowded
with looms. 1t is supposed the strength Of the
mill has been severely tried by the recent intro
ducticn of heavy fancy looms The goods manu-
featured We're principally ticks, denms. stripes
and fancy cottons, and have always taken the
highest rank for superiority and worth The
orders for goods have FREQ uently exceeded the
supply. The goods We're sold in this city by
David Nevins Co mostly from samples, and
ordered from the mill in the quantities desired
They have recently produced several new fancy
and double twist cOttonades, and were taking
orders for spring deliveries.
1t was originally intended that the mill should
cost s. so 900 to $500 CO., but the plans were en-
larged, until finally the total cost was fully
SS'OU0. There was in the outset trouble witt,
the foundation, as qutcksands are common the
banks of the river at that place, and this may have
tended to gradually undermi ne the building
1t is stated, however, that with the present in
Grease Of manufacturing business, the mac hinery
and operatives of tie mill have been lately IN
creased.
The Pemberton Mill was chartered IN 1853, and
the factory was erected soon ofterwaId John A
Lowell and Samuel Lawrence were the leading
owners. Its size may be inferred from the fact
thai it contained 600 looms and 80 900 spindlcs
1t was 3OO feet long by 81 wide. The mill was
involved in the failure of Lawrence, Stone d Co
and was sold by auction late in 1857. Ii was pur-
chased by Mess.s David Nevins and George Howe
for $500 goo. The original cost was SSOu 0uO The
present owners have run ii about two years
There is considerable insurance upon the prop
erty destroyed, but whether the policies will no i'd
good except for the loss by fire after the building
fell is for the future to determine.
The operatives were mostly girls; great MANY
of them were Of Scotch origin, and were regarded
as the most skilfu and faithful oper att YES in Law
renee
DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT
The building fell the different parts almost
slmultaneously-at five minutes before O'Clock
portion OF the operatives had left but il is prob
able that about six hundred 1.-THE minimum calcu-
latlon) were in the building at the time
The building seemed to crumble first near the
east end and fell in towards the east being pressed
III that direction by the workshops chimney &
Oh the west side The l. remaining standiny for
an honr or two, and portion Of it is still up but
In an Instant the main building was living a heap
Of fragments. and the screams and 2 roans of the
wounded could be heard issuing from the ruins
Some CT the statements OF the operatives who
were rescued are OF an interesting character
John Ward, operative in the cardipJroom
which was situated on the second story who was
mraculously saved with lis wife who worked
near him, describes their escape as follows:
was in the carding room with the second over
seer, lighting up; it was then five or ten minutes
before hVe O'Clock; we had few burners lighted
when suddenly heard loud, laundering crash
overhead, and, on looking up, | saw the shaftimg
coming down upon us, all over the room; terri.
fled, | stood nailed to the spot, although | knew
the building was coming down on me; then |
nea1o me overseer shout; tried to jump out of
nj SIR
when | came to found myself in the rubbish
covered with blood from wounds on nv face:
finally l crawled up and got TO the top of the
rubbish; found lot Of ruins hanging over me-
which / feared would take my life bnt / suc-
ceedrd in getting ont; | passed a dead girl and
TWO nanal>d lodies; when first knocked down
l fell under large grinding stone, which was
too heavy to give way to the wrig ht above
MIR. W. found his wife # the CITY Hail
The following is one of the many hsart-rrndinc
incidents:
the ruins and carried TO the hospital THIS ,cas
her tTst days rcork at Ms mills. Her devoted
mother attended her. and when she asked what
INJURIES her daughter had received. the latter re-
pied, my arm is broken, mother ;,
And her head is broken, and oh. my Lord, >,
ana mere the woman burst into tears. ''My poor
darling Is all broken :,
The unfortunate girl died to-day She was the
main support OF her mother and four Children
BREAKING Our OF THE FIRE.
ABOUT y O'Clock, fire broke out from the on
glhe-room at the south end of the building and
soon spread over the whole ruin The scene now
was notwithstanding, according to every descrip.
uoh Conscious of the tor:urous death which
awaited the unfortunatrs whose suff.rinos had
not peen ended by death, the by-standers w-r.
uhaDie 70 afford them any relief
Few more bodies were got ont Int onIv
lew, after the flames had begun to rage.
An alarm was sounded the tremsn pro,nntIv
manned the machines and made every ffoIrt IN
e&Unsulsh the flames. But the copious streams NJ
water dashing over the hidden ruins could only
prolong the miseres OF those beneath Though
confined within solid brick walls assistance had
nearly reached them when the fire broke ont
In one case, one Of those persons was helped IN
glass OF water 10y parties who were endeayorine1
10 efIlcate them She said that near her xepa
rated only bv single beams, Were six men. unin
Jlred. Alas, they We're all consumed in tn
names, which spread with great rapidity How
many were thus buried there is no data for es,i
mating A person who was at the fire from It's
beginning became cognizant of three parties of
REORGANIZATION four to six in number-who
thus persisted
IHE SCENE AT TIM CITY HALL
The hall Of the city government building was
used as hospital for such Of tie wounded az n
WAS deemed necessary to convey thither Mat
trasSes lined the hall on three of its sides and on
1hein Were stretched manged bodies, and Others
NOR ~ L.