The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-01-20

some of them near the crack. thou:h' t"e
building was weak and that the walls were
weak, but apprehended no trouble. DID mol
think the building was as strong as such
buildings usually are.
John f. Chase. agent Of the mill since thu
start, thought that the crack was caused b!
the swaying Of the chimney on that side, tn.
chimney having broken away from the build
ing. Iron had been placed around TO strength
en- it, but not because there was an! fear Of
the building itself. There had been no new
cracks for the last two years. All through
the building the flooring settled somewhat
when We put in the machinery trusses were
at once put in and We considered the build
Ing better than before the ,russes were pu,
in on account Of the settling of The beams
the pillars rtmaired firm. think the TIM
Der was pu: into the walls in the usual mall
ner. There was less motion in this building
than in Others and considered it safe. es-
pecially as it had stood six years. Before
the pens,ock was completed at the building
OF the mill The water rushed into the mill
and washed ont some Of the UNDERMINING OF
the river building but did no, affect the bull
dirg DESTROYED; some time afterwards an
ether leakage washed out some tuft and
loose cir, but did not start the foundations.
John Patterson. Overseer of the weaving
room in the basement. was rescued from the
ruins. Mr. Corlss of Pro, idence, who put
in the shat,ing, told me the building was not
safe. and said the two upright shafts would
in time shake the end Of the building out. l
never saw anything My self that led me to
think the building insecure. Didn't think
tina, more than forty persons out Of 800 en-
plo, ed in this room were killed.
John Pindar, employed in the Washington
mill, was in the ward when the Pemberton
TELL All can say about the falling is that
heard noise, looked again and saw a va
carey. Assisted in rescning persons Saw
some persons with lanterns, and said "For
Gods sake take care Of those lanterns,there' S
cotton all round here" Saw four men 90
into hole with two lanterns and come out
with only one. and a moment after saw the
flames. Don't know who the men were.
was within six feet Of where the fire broke
out near me was dead body. Could hear
voice below the ruins and very near the
FIRE.
Richard II. Pummer was in the ruins
when the fire broke out We found some
machinery jammed together and beneath it
some persons we wished to get out. Eari-
Gus men set to work to clear away while two
men held lanterns. One of the lanterns
broke and fell. and when the flames struck
the cotton the fire at once sprung up.
William Barber was employed in laying
the foundations of the mill; foundations ex-
tended below the top soil from three to five
feet. Soil at the bottom was like that at the
top, a scottish loan. sand, etc. Witness
thought it Was different foundation from
what he WAS used to constructing, and that
it was insufficient. The foundation of the
Bay State mills was laid something like twen-
,y-6ve feet deep. tina: Of the Pacific mills
about five feet and that of the Atlantic the
same. There was water in the excavation
all the time the foundation wss being laid.
At the south end towards the river the
ground was quicksand, AMI >pongy. The
south end was lower, and the foundation was
stepped up along the higher ground. The
wall was about six feet wide at the bottom
and four and half at the top. Witness said
it could undoubtedly be- told whether the
building fell from the foundation giving way
when the rubbish is cleared off, Thought
The brick walls were too thin al the time;
the windows were so large there was INSULT
Gent support between them. The brick pill
asters to supper, the floor timhers were car
rled up OILY two stories, and in the higher
stories projections were thrown out IT the
wall. The walls were double, eigh. inches
thick, with vault Letween them. Tie wall
at the south triver) end was not as thick as
the rest. think it was about enc foot
William Sullivan also worked on the exca-
valions The wheel pit was dug to hard pan.
From this as we stepped up on the higher
ground We came to sand and gravel and
some strcaks Of clay. The water leaked in
10 tine trench from the canal. When We
were digging we thought the foundation
deep enough. Has worked on the founda-
ton for other mills on the river, and thinks
the P.mherton had better foundation than
the Atlantic. although in the middle of the
Atlantic the foundotion was in some places
ten or fifteen fee, deep.
John Is. futile If Lowell was one Of the
firm that ru. up the brick work for the Penn
btrton. Had nothing to do with the founda-
'ions. While we were building the mill We
Got oar water to drink from the foot of the
foundation wall Thought a, the time the
water came from the canal, hut have had
some doubts about it since. as in about two
months there was drouth and the water
dried up. Thiuk it must have been a spring.
The pl!aSters in the fourth story were proitc.
ted on, eight inches, and in the second story
they We're dropped to four inches. OrGers
then came from MIR. Bigelow (the engineer
"t the corporation) to dispense with the pill
asters altogether. When the ,imbers for the
upper stories came they were too short, and
We were ordered to put projections upon the
walls to rest the ,imbers upon. EXPRESSED
my opinlnn at the time and many times, and
have never changed il. that the walls were
too weak for such building. told Mr.. !
Bigelow so when we were building it--told
Mr.. Putnam, one of he owners so in Boston |
told many others the same Don't know
Of any other large mill with walls SC weak as
the Pemberton. and never wait to Eea- Of
one. The building was much cut up with
which weakened it. We had or |
ders every day from Capt. Bigelow and Ben
jamin Coolidge. the engineers We gene
rally have built mills twenty.eiyht inches in
Guiding space of four inches on the frs,
story, dropping to six inches at the top.
Witness expressed some doubt about finding
gu: from the appearance Of the foundation
now. if it should be cleared. whether the
foundation gave way or rot. The usual
width Of mills is forty eight feet. There were
irons on the end of the floor timbers turned
up. but they did not connect with the outer
walls. 1t would nave added strength to the
building had they been screwed through III.
cross wall. The steam chimney formed one
Corner OF the building. and if that chimney