Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-01-16
THE pEMBERToN MILL DISASTER

whole number of killed, missing and wound
ed, was 514, as follows Dead bodies reeox
ed SO, missing (some of whom may be alive
Seven more bodies were recovered on Satur
day, some of them so disfgurea by the Ere a;
to make identification impossible, save where
some remnant of clothing was recognized
The work of exploring the ruins has proceeded
night and day. Volunteer companies of oien
from Lowell and Waltham have assisted a
Gordon is drawn around the ruins, and thu
work proceeds in the most systematic and eff
fective manner possible We find the follow.
ing in the Herald of Saturday evening"
eve noticed in the northeast corner ef tho
ruins, in the basement story, which was used
as the weaving room, two l0Oas entirely dnini
iured and cloth upon them untouched by fire.
At this point, the flooring above the looIas is
unbreken; two timbers which came down on
either side of the looms operated as braces and
held up the mass above. 1t IS curious TO see
these perfect and uninJured pieces OF machine
nv in the midst of so much dissolution.
Persons from distance are still arriving
and besicging the City Hall with inquiries as
TO their friends and relatives One elderly
lady, who came in with eager hope pictured III
her face received the information which she
dreaded and yet was anxious to hear, and sank
upon the stair case in an agony OF tears. She
had lost cherished daughter.
The wounded are progressing favoFably-
that portion of them who are not claSsed as
very dangerously wounded; while the others
are made as comfortable as medical skill and
untiring devotion can make them, as they lam
guish to their death, which in a few instances
| will come as an angel OF mercy.
The following communication from the
Mayor of Lawrence, shows why pecuniary aid
is wanted -
LAWRENCE, Jan. 10, 1850.
M Dear Strive as yet know but little of
the heart-rending agony that is crushing our
people Instances are hourly brought to my
notice which make me long for time to weep.
I have steeled my nerves, yet they almost
| break, There are many cases which call for
special aid AMI sympathy-900 people, upon
whom 5000 at least were dependent for sup
| port, are out of employment. Young chill
dren have lost their parents brothers and sis
| tiers, dependent upon each other, are separated;
aged and infrm parents, dependent upon their
children, are now childless. One terrible case
| came under my personal observation. A little
! girl, about fifteen years of age, who supported
her younger orphan brothers and sisters, was
nearly extricated her-ten minutes more, and
| she would have been saved but the flames
came. You must imagine the rest / cannot
| write it out Oh, how fervently our prayers
Joined with hers to God There are many
very sad cases. l cannot write more it un-
nerves me. Yours truly,
D. SAUNDERS, Jr., Mayor,
Hon. Nathan Appleton, Boston, Chairman Com.
The Philadelphia Corn Exchange have vot-
ed to contribute $500 to aid the sufferers. The
Boston Corn Exchange contribute an equal
amount. The following letters speak for them
selves =
New YORK, Jan. IL.
Hon. d. Saunders, Jr., Mayor, &cy-Dear
Sir: Wishing to assure you of our heartfelt
sympathy for all those who are suffering by
the late terrible calamity which has befallen
your city, we herewith send you three hun
dred dollars, being the contributions of our
selves and those in our employment. Will
you be kind enough to distribute the same
| where it is most needed.
Respectfully yours,
LATHRoP, LUDINGToN, & Co.
WooNsocKET, r. l., Jan. 13. :.
To the Mayor of Laurence, MaSs.-My Dear
Sir: enclose my check on the Shoe and
Leather Bank, New York, for one hundred
y
visable among those poor sufferers, and oblige
your friend, EDWARD HARRIS
The Coroner's Inquest Proceedings Saturday.
CHARLES S. sToRRow's TESTIMONY.
Am treasurer of the Essex Company, having
been so since their incorporation In 1852 the
| company sold land and water power to the
| Pemberton corporation, the contract being
made to Mr. Lowell. The terms of the CON
tract provided that the Essex Company would
erect a building for the purchasers, according
to their plans and directions, together with
| machinery, if so requested, and at cost, on a
credit OF five years. 1t was not supposed at
the time that building would be required
more than half as large as was eventually
erected. The Essex Company had no pecuni-
airy interest in sighting the work, since it was
undertaken by them at the cost. AT various
| times, Mr.. Lowell expressed to me his anxious
desire to have everything done in the best and
safest manner. Never from the day of the
buildings being completed to the present.
have heard any person express any doubt or
apprehension with regard to the safety of the
mill. Never took any particular notice of the
pillars in building. Do not remember the ex-
act pattern according to which they are cast
1t was the same as that used in the pillars of
the Atlantic Mills, and was drawn by Capt
| Bigelow. Have examined the ruins to some
| extent, and have not seen anything that leads
me to suppose that the foundation had settled
at all. From the facts thus far presented l am
of opinion that the catastrophe occurred from
causes inside of the building, and not in the
foundation or walls. The portion of the pill
| lar referred to in the report of Mr.. Coolidge's
testimony, was shown to the witness. Do
not think pillar Of that appearance and quail"
! ity proper to be used in such building Can
not think there could have been a settling of
two inches within two months prior tO the a =,
cident, without throwing the gearing and ma
chinery out of place, aud interfering with
perhaps stopping the oton of the machinery;
everything was running smoothly at the time
of the accident. AS far as l examined it,
think the soil on which the mill was built good
| Considered the Penberton q model mill it
was considered costly one the settling of
foundation of that sort sufficiently to throw
| down the superstructure, is not a thing that
takes place all at once, but gradually, giving
due warning. The breaking of one pillar
would not necessarily have caused the catas.
trophe; still, the strain on the other pillar
might have resulted in that manner.
JAMES TATTERsoN's TESTIMONY.
l was employed in the weaving room; l
was on the ground floor at the south end, talk
ing to Mr.. Adams, near a column | said
whats that, and that was ALL jumped for
the door, got my hand on the latch, and could
get no farther; the timbers came rushing, and
when it ceased was down fiat; between the
time my attention was called and when all
was down it was perhaps a minute what l
perceived when | had first looked up was that
something was coming in the centre between
the lines of columns there was no giving
way from beneath; my idea was that some
thing was falling through the ceiling, and my
idea was to get away from under it, there