Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-01-17
l. ATE N EW S.
The Lawrence Calamity.
% Killsd-lO1 Aisisg-slewounded
STATEMENTS. ETC.


james PsttersOn Who vas buried With The
been there bus short time Ny place vas on
the ground floor. at the south end. was talk.
Ing when the accident occurred with Mr.. Ad.
ans. near column on the vsterly side. Il
was the last pillar but one towards the south
end. There was no pillar between me and The
east eide. Mr.. Adams vas on nv LEFT side. I
threw up my head little to the north end Of
the mill. ] said, what. THAR" and tbats All.
jumped Tor the daor; got my hand on the
latch and could get no further The timbers
came rushing: and when they ceased 1 was
down nst; Between the time my attention
vas called and when ell was down il vas n.r.
h.Ps minute: perceived when first look.
ed up. something wss craking in the center
between the lines Of the columns. There va:
no giving way from beneath. Ny idea vas
that something falling through the ceiling and
] was to get away frcm under. There we're Z
girls leaving. the looms directly under They
sat down and were saved by the iron work.
have seen them since. The single glancs
tNat east up gave me the impression that not
the whole floor wrs coming down. but that
something was coming through the ceiling. /
ran to the eastsrly eide to the door which was
ten feet from me. This vas quick - thought.
MIR. Adams vas covered in the ruins abort ave
ieet from me. The instant l saw the break 10
the ceiling sprang. The whole ceiling fell
quick as got my hand on the latch Whether
raised the latch or not | can't tell. The room
overhead was Mr.. Winslow's. Two iines Of
pillars run the length Of the building in eyerv
story. and It was midway between these lines.
aud not lar from the south end that the break.
ing came through the ceiling / was not stun-
ned or hurt ] found myself pr ostrate on nv
lace. ! could not reach the wall The brick.
in the wall must have fallen-not out. The
rubbish was caught against the wall near ne.
had just room to lay. and that was all. Mr..
Adams wac just five teet from me bat the rub
iish was piled solid between US when the tall
come. did not feel any sinking under my
feet. II ~ any time. there had been sinking
Of the south wall an inch. il would have dis.
arranged the grading imm. .diaiely. There
were not more than loo gaslights lighted at
that the door was jsmmsd when | touched the
latch. 80 that l could not open il.
Samuel W, Jackson was overseer of the
spinning in the Pemberton mill. occupying the
third and half OF tho fourth floor Was in the
third story at the time OF the accident. vas
west OF the west row Of pillars, shout 80 or 100
feet from the south end. | was looking TO the
north. Twas starting up a frame head A
crash came, looked up and turned round to
the south and cav the two lower. rowe Of the
spinning frames gong down There are twelve
| III . row. the rows running crosswise Of the
mill The two rows with the alley made .
little more than forty feet. The frames dissp-
peared before .he floors above started. /
vaought they seemed to fall together. both the
side and the middle. l started towards tho
north. and the floor gave wny under me, while
The floor above shut me in. / saw nothing
falling from above when the frames were
-oing down. was facing westward together
with NJ. Stuckley he was acting there ~
carpenter. The first thing / noticed was
the settling II the floor. and then l heard
- dreadful crash. ] was facing towards the
vest wall The set ling was behind me.
notice no disarrangen, ,'ot Of the macn.nerv
1t ibe time. don't think .'tepped step. In
moment al vac dark. The va 70 we're stand
Ing ~ that time did not seq the ,-aiis fan AZ
all. Something from above struck me on the
shoulder and knocked me down. might have
been twenty or twenty. five feet from the wall
when the crash came did not see ony light
for the space Of . minute. Fonnd distractions
IN the way OF getting out. There was board
in the way which broke and got out Under
me was the floor unbroken but Inclined. Above
me vas stack Of section beams Where I
crawled out there was no space above or be-
low me between the floors The aperture
which era wlsd through was in the floor above
me know nothing Of the disappearance Of
the machinery. l had been moving four fv.
frames that day from the east side Of the
mill towards the west iThsre we're ranged
from 20 to lC0 feet, from the southerly end
OF the wall. We were not moving them at
the time Of the accident. / should think ths
machines weighed $500 pounds apiece. The
machines were moved by lifting them up on
the shoes by means Of bars and a tackle
They were not moved by attaching the tackle
10 the pillars. The timbers rested merely on
four timbers