The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-01-16
THE LAWRENCE CALAMITY.
The Coroner's mquest-The Cause of The
Fire.
THE LATEST DETAILS.

Fire.
THE LATEST DETAILS.
LAWRENCE, January l3.-Three more bodies
were taken from the ruins to-day. They were all
oauly mutllated, two OF them so much so that they
could not be identified. The third was discovered
by fragments of clothing to be that ofMrs. Augusta
An Ashworth. She was IS years of age, and was
married in March last. Her husband is shoe
maker, and works at North Salem Her BODY was
nearly consumed.
The body taken out at ten o'clock last night, has
been identified as that of Mrs. Margaret Turner
| CONTINUATION OF THE CoRoNER's INoUEsT-rEsTTMoNy
OF STEPHEN WALLACE.
am mason, and worked upon the brickwork
OF the Pemberton Mill all the time that it was in
construction; never examined the foundation par
ticularly; there was water running throunb the
foundation constantly, and it brought out white
sand, such as we call quicksand; it was talked
| ABOUT among the the workmen; We thought the
foundation might be undermined by the water; if
the foundation has settled the stones will be found
displaced; the walls whatwe call twenty-inc
wall, or two walls OF eight inches each and spsce
between of four inches, tied together at various
places; the corners were made solid at each corner
| two feet each way; think the building was well
ted but the walls were thin never worked
| on large mill thin; the tmbers for the
| upper stories cut the same length as in the
| lower stories, and they found too short for
the upper stories, because the pilasters had baen
dispensed with above the second story; there was a
small crack in the chimney before we finished the
| mill the chimney was the west of the
mill; there was also a crack in the large arch at
the entrance of the counting room; the arch remains
now; the mortar used was good; the bricks were
| hard but rough; the walls would have been stronp-
| er had the piasters been carried up to the upuer
storles did not consider the walls strong enough
| for such building, and expressed that oninion to
several persons: rbatI to1l NJ,
| Coolidge so if the piasters had been carried
through the third, fourth and fifth stories should
still have considered the walls too weak; the Merri-
| mac mill at Lowell, is built with vaulted walls.
! these walls twenty eight inches in the frat
! layer and the inner sides are plastered over and
washed with cement, and think the timbers 90
| through the space into the outer wall within four
inches of the outside and were fastened with irons
| turned up the open space in the Pembertun mill
| was left rough.
TESTIMONY OF NORRIS KNOWLES
| am a carpenter; | worked on the Pemberton
MILL did the work partially bv a written contract
before the contract was made | saw specification
for the mill; think it was for tve-story building:
the timbers were laid ten inches on the plaster and
wall; in the third story the tmbers wei laid on the
wall four six inches; don't think the projections
built under the tmbers added much strengths the
| fourth and fifth stories had timbers cut LONGER:
have worked on twenty thirty mills; never
| worked on one so wide this; its great width
would render the walls stronger than a narrow one.
walls as thick as these; never knew piasters to be
built to support timbers; they are generally made
| use OF to strengthen the wall; thought at the
| time that the snoring of the floor was insuffi-
cient; the pillars had caps too small each
timber was in three pieces, supported under
the joints by pillars the piers under the first
| floor were brick, built upon large stones; they
were first made sixteen inches square and after the
tmbers were put on at my suggestion they were
| enlarged to twenty-four inches; think never saw
mill so much cut up with windows; this would
weaken the walls never noticed any jar in the
mill; noticed the cracks between the chimney and
wall, about halfway from the top of the buiIding
there was crack each side; don't think they weak
ened the building materially; before the machinery
was put in the timbers sprang, and | was employed
| to put trusses under them; think the building
| might have been more secure if the anchor irons
at the ends OF the timbers had passed through the
outside walls, secured with washers; put some
sheating on the easterly side of the chimney over
the crack; the crack was through the outer wall;
did not consider it dangerous defect; covered up
crack on the inside of the spinning-room on the
third story the chimney; the width othe brick
between each window about six feet; some four
| or hve years ago was called to examine one of
the pillars which had broken off from the fange of
the pintle which it rested on; some the pillars
examined yesterday were of irregular thickness
| and some had large blow-holes; the agent was
about the mill during its construction; can't give
decided opinion as to the cause of the fall until
more thorough examination has been made; think
from present appearances that the pillars gave way
| first
AFTERNOON SESSION
The inquest recommended at two O'Clock when
the examination of Mr.. Benjamin Coolidge, Civil
Engineer, was resumed
Question.-Wa as the original plan of the building
in any altered?
Answer can't tell; it is not the custom of the
chief engineer to consult with his subordnates in
regard TO his plans the plans can be found with the
| Essex Company; the plans first in nv hands were
for five stories; don't know whether the mason had
working plan the carpenter resorted to the Office
from time to time and took such notes as he want
ed; think it intended in the original plan that
the pilasters should be carried up three stores do
| not know why the plan was altered; my duty was
| simply to carry out the orders given me bv Capt
Bigeow; consider the projections which the tim
bers rested in the upper stories strong and safe
| enough; if the floors fell in, no walls could resist
! them; II the walls had been two feet thick they
would have been prostrated quickly as these: the
brick was hard but rough it was difficult to get n
full supply of brick; the wOIk was done in the most
| thorough manner; the brick was laid il the most
| careful way; the projections laid in cement
the cornlce was laid in cement, and large masses of
1t are now lying the spot hard almost as gran
| lite; the walls banded between the window
! caps and sills; the banding done thoroughly:
Mr. W allace was very faithful man, and Mr.. Tut
tie performed his work in the most satisfactory man
| ner; the mortar was good; my opinion is that the
walls were strong enough for the service of that
mill for a thousand years, if the foundation and
| floor should not give out.
Question.-Is it your opinion that the mill as
WHOLE when it was completed, was safe and secure
| for the business of mill? Answer had some
| objections to the pillars being hurried by Mr.
hnowles, the carpenter; for the pillars | made re-
| QUESTION upon Capt. Bigelow and some pillars
were sent from Boston by the owners; they were
not according to our plan, which was like those
with clasps such in other mills the first
! load that came discovered to be made of poor
| iron, and made complaintto Mr. Bigelow, who
said he would write about it to Mr.. Putnam; Mr.
Putnam can explain where the pillars were made
! and who furnished them; witness explained that
the cracks in the wood were caused by the swaying
of the wind; this proved by the mortar wall at
chimney from the top down till they disappear
| ed; Mr.. Bigelow said, that to fasten the chimney
would shake the mill; as it would swing at any
rate, he let it swing that corner of the mill was of
course not strong as it would have been, if the
! chimney had not cracked away; the building as
| whole, regarded a perfect structure except
perhaps the iron pillars having discovered the de-
feet in one of them, was somewhat suspicious of
| them, but never anticipated such a result as has
| happened.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN P. PUTNAM.
Witness resides in Boston; owned one hundred
shares in the Pemberton mill-one-eighth part; the
mill was contracted for with the Essex Companv.
small mill was contracted for by MIR John A
Lowell, in which was to take smaller share. II
was afterwards decided to build larger and admit
| new parties; Mr. Lowell owned two hundred shares
and was largely interested in its success: the Essex
| Company contracted to build the mill at cost on
| credit OF hive years; the iron pillars were made
by MIR. ). z. Woods, who was reputed to be good