The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-01-20
THE LAWRENCE CALAMITY.
Day OF Fasting and Prayer---Continuati N
of the Inquest.


stricken city has to-day given expression to sense
of the late terrible calamity, BIZ every outward
manifestation of sorrow, by fasting, humiliation
and PRAYER. An air of Sabbath stiffness pervad-
ed the thrOughfares, and every face betrayed
the inward feeling of compassion for the suf-
ferers.
The churches all open for divine service;
prayer meetings were held in most of them this morn
ing, and at st. Marys (Catholic) Church, high
mass was celebrated for the repose of the souls of
the dead by Father O'Donnell, assisted by other
clergymen OF that denomination from Boston and
elsewhere. In the afternoon there preaching
in all the churches, attended by large congrega-
tions, every place of business being closed, and
even the work on the ruins being partially sus-
pended.
At about noon the body of John Hughes man
apparently about 80 years old, was found under
crushed out of their natural position. He was re-
cOgniZed by his wife. Between two and three
O'Clock, another body was foand in similar stu
alton; and this time it woman Her name
was Catharne Clark. 1t is supposed that these two
persons jumped from fourth.story window, and
were killed by the falling wall.
The search for the remainder of the missing
bodies is nearly completed. The officers who sus
perintended operations have explored the ruins in
the southwest corner Of the mill SITE consisting of
pile of floors and machinery some twenty feet
high, and untouched by the fire. They report no
additional discoveries.
THE INQUEST.
LAWRENCE, MASS, Jan. 1S.-At the inquest to-
Pemberton Mill, was the most important witness
He testified as follows: | cviengineer; was
formerly in the army with TIE rank of Captain
and constructed Fort Independence; graduated at
West Point in 1885; the nature of the arrangement
between the Essex Company and Pemberton Com
pany, was such as to leave the parties free so that
the Pemberton Company could make contracts and
employ forces; they did so in repeated instances
such as making contract for the glass. for all the
shafting and gearing of the mill and for the iron
columns; they also added forces to the carpenter
ing and other departments; | never saw any dspo-
sitiOn on the part of Mr.. Putnam to sacrifice the
strength Of a building to cheapness; on the other
hand, we tried to make the strongest structure we
could with regard to economy; | was much bur
dened with responsibility at the time, having to
construct the Pacific and Pemberton Mills simulta-
neOusy, and placed Benjamin Coolidge in immedi-
ate charge of the latter he superiutended the work
with diligence and fidelity that was untirng; the
contractors were-Wm. Sullivan for earthwork;
Isaac Fletcher for stonewOrk and foundations;
Dodge Knowles, for carpenterng and woodwork:
and futile Co. for mason work. think there was
not better foundation in Lawrence, so far as soil
was concerned; it was a water-bearing soil; there
was head on all the time except in warm wealth
er, when 1T dried up, as is usual in such SOIL the
foundations stones of the largest character our
quarries ever produce, and knew them to have been
put together well; they were large, square stones,
ofstrauhed granite, amply wide al the bottom-nine
feet, think; he examined the plans, and found
the south wall eight feet and the north six feet
thick on the bottom. The brick walls have been
stated as two walls with hollow space. This is an
error. 1t was one wall, with air tubes in it less
than two feet by four inches in horizontal area
There were four of these flues in every ten feet
from centre to centre of the windows There were
inches of the solid brick externally then inches
taxing cross section of the air ue, then inches
OF interior wall; so that where there were no fues
the walls were 20 inches of solid bricks. | think
part of the walls were solid without air tubes, but
don't remember what part; the thickness of the
walls was amply sufficient to bear any vertical
whi no in tb;
mill; the floors were constructed with beams, each
beam being made of two posts varying little from
l6 inches and making them when put in l6 inches
square; the timber was very good; no objection
that | am aware of was made when the mill was
built; they were put together in the best manner;
the pillars ten-fod stronger than was required
to sustain the weight which they held have no
doubt they were bought in absolute good faith by
Mr. Putnam; the only error can see, is in buying
them at so much per column, instead of so much
per pound; in regard to these pillars we acciden-
tally let one fall and it broke; the only test usually
applied to castings, is to find them externally per-
feet; we never mistrusted them to be in such con-
dition that blow from a naihammer would have
sunk through them; the specimens which | have
seen indicate the most careless manipulation in the
casting; have no doubt that the developments of
this accident have shown that there were defects in
the pillars, but these not visible when thev
came from the foundry; there is one circumstance
which points to the defects in the pillars as the
cause of the accident wooden pillars would have
= =
the walls or foundations they would have given
way more gradually; but the castings gave out
suddenly, giving no warning. Mr.. Bigeow CON
cluded his testimony by describing the mill as a
model one.
Elbridge Joslyn, a founder for SO years, testified
that he had examined the pillars at the Pember-
ton mill. The iron appeared good but the casting
was bad; considered this pintle no reliable support;
should think the core was not properly secured in
the middle of these pillars before the casting;
knew Albert Fuller, of the Eagle Iron Works |
where these were cast they were always underbd- |
ding others; told him they were making them too
cheap; they used to fail every year, but Fuller
ALWAYS the foreman.
John C. Headly, superintendent of the Lawrence
machine-shop for seven years. testified that he had
three of the pillars at the ruins which, if they
had been properly inspected, should have been re-
eced witness struck with the lack of stability
in the lines of support at the Pemberton MILL if one
pillar broke, it seemed that the whole must go |
down; the jar of the machinery would act like re- !
peated blows.
The inquest was adjourned till morning.
MAUDE, THE MURDERER.-On the post mortem ex-
animation of Maude, the New Jersey murderer, a
cartilaginous tumor about the size of pea was
found attached to the inner surface of the dura
mater, which indente6 into the brain where phre-
noioglsts place the organ of marvelousness, the |
perverted manifestation of which they say gives
belief IN Wlehcratt Maude thought the whole
world bewitched. His body has been inferred in
st. Johns Roman Catholic Cemetery. Bishop Bav-
ley having decided him to be WORTHY of Christian
burial in consecrated ground.
The MISUNDERSTANDING, of Savannah, has made
a formal demand for his yacht Wanderer, and in
'tructed his agent to ship crew and send her to
Matanzas, where he hopes to dispose of her. The
claimants are willing to give her up upon his
cutting bond to the amount of her value, condi-
toned for the payment of all sums that may be le-
yally recovered against her.
, Benton Penn, son of the late Judge Penn, of New
Orleans, was killed at Covington, La, on the 18th