New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-19
The Lawrence Calamity.

AT the inquest to-day, Charles u n,s''o"' a. 80.
the construction Of the Pemberton Nh vas
impoztsnt witness examined. He testihcu 10 a..
livs In New Bedford, and sm a civil engin. ,.s 4
has been my business since 1876; before that =
the United States Army and held the rank OF capta.
had cisrge of Fort Independence and the coistrue
ton Of the works there; graduated in the Corps oil
Engnsers at West Point, in 1886; vacancies occur
m the forts the first scholars put into them; two
out Of my czss entered them before going TO Fort In
dependence, was Assistant under Capt. Thsyer At
| Fort Warren.
On4sr,.---How came you to leave the United States
service
Ansyer-Priyste re ,s,ps led me to look to the civil
service and gentlemen In Boston wished me to go into
! the manufacturing buFines had an oner TO go az
manager Of the York Mills q Saco at that time Law
recoe was about starting and Mr. Sorrow and others
desired me to enter into their service private reasons
had before led to think of leaving the United States
service and accepted Mr. Sorrows invitation, ana
went there in March, 1876 a civil engineer; l bad
charge of the construction Of the following mills IN toe
order mentioned Atlantic Mills and macine, Duck NIL
Pacific mill and the Pemborton Mil; had also charge
Of the construction of the dam and canal the plan ofthe
dam was made before / came here; before this had
not been engaged in erecting similar buildings, bnt
had acquired all the experience of land construction
sea-welis &C.; the nature of the arrangement be-
tween the Essex Company and the Pemberton Com
pany was such 10 leave the parties free so that the
Pemberton Company could make contracts and employ
forces, and were glad to have them do IL they ord
the glass; for all the shafng and gearing OF the mill,
for the iron columns and to add forces Ia the carpen
tcring and other departments OF the works.
Question-Do you know why this provision was
made 2 .-,..
Answer-The Essex Company wished to have the
erection Of the building 60 on successfully; II was
their interest to have the construction In the manner
most advantageous and satisfactory TO the OWNERS;
Mr. Putnam was the managing director and financial
agent of the owDers while the engineer and re-
spoons Bile officer Of the Essex Company; my relations
with Mr.. Putnam throughout the whole time OF build
ing those of mutual friendship and respect and
never any disposition on his part to sacrifice the
strength of the building to cheapness; on the other
hand, we tried to make the strongest structure we
could erect with due regard TO economy; was much
burdened with the responsibility at the time, having to
construct the Pacific mills simultaneously with the
Pemberton; / therefore placed Mr. Benjamin Coolidge
in immediate charge OF the works at the Pemberton
mills; be was re-ide there ana he did So spending
his DAYS there and his nights if necessary Mr. Cool
idge perntended the works with adIgence and de
ity which untring His intelligence as an engineer
and a man are well known in this community, as
well az bis honor as a gentleman and Christian;
be to be my eyes and my hands, constantly pres
en 80 far as could make him goi the contractors
were, Mr.. William Sullivan for the earthwork, Mr.
1saac Fletcher for the stonework and foundations
MessIs. Dodge and Knowles for the carpentering
and woodwork, and Messrs. Tuitle q Co. for the
masonwork; the last named were strangers to me,
having been introduced by MIR. Ottnam; the others
were engaged by me; Mr.. Coolidge has testified to
dainty qualified to speak on the subject examined IT,
and found it as Re has said, and think that, so far as
the soil is concerned there not better foundation
IN Lawrence; II was water bearing SOIL naturally
we found il in that vicinity when were digging the
canal where the eXcavatOrs found II; there was
head on AL the time, except in warm weather, when
dried up If usual in such soil there was head on
all the time which would not have been the case had
II come from the canal they used it for drinking;
csme out in small Guantes-merely weeplng through
The foundations stones of the largest character
which quaTries ever produce, aud KNOW them 70
Eaye been put together well. A,
Question-Do you think our quarTes furnish stones
suitable for such foundations
Answer-They were large square stones, stratihed
granite, in a geological term or genus; they Were
snnlv wide a, the bottom-nine feet, think,-as the
plans viii show He examined the plans, ana iound
that the south wall eight, and the north wall Elk
feet thick at the bottom such was the nature OF the
stones as they came from the quarres that these were
only theoretical lines and they always in excess
the stones projected the walls intended to be solid
and they were,-Jhe stones projecting over the mlts
the underpinnng was backed with either brick or
mortar walls the brick walls it has been stated were
composed OF two walls, with hollow space this
was error; it wall with air tubes IN 1t, less
than two feet BY four inches in horizontal area;
there were four OF these ues in every ten feet from
the center TO the center of the windows there were
eight inches of solid brick externally, then four inches
taking cross section Of an air nne, and then eight
inches of interior wall that there were no hues;
the walls were twenty inches solid; the bands were
continuous from bottom TO top where the walls were;
think parts of the wall solid without the air tubes
but don't remember what part; can't say whether
this was variation from the original plan or not the
thickness Of the walls were amply sufficient to bear
any vertical pressure which could be brought upon
them in this mill; the weight which If to be thrown
upOn these structures is always subject OF cacula-
ton before they are but the floors were constructed
with beams; each beam was made Of two posts vary
ing little from sixteen inches in depth, and making
them when put in sixteen inches square or thereabous
he timber was very good, and no objection that /
am aware OF ever made when the mill was
built; they were pat together IN the best
manner by Messrs. Dodge and Knowles
the spans which these beams were TO go over were
such that they might spring by machinery, and sys-
TEN of iron rods was adopted; they We're put under
them, making perfectly rgid, as they always were; 1t
was not because they were weak but to make them
cars this is the iron that has been said TO have been
brought in TO strengthen the wallis there was no other
iron brought in for that purposes the rgidy OF these
beams has always been maintained, that the shaft
ing always with perfection, or az near perfection
az ID ever obtained in any mill; the beams were an
chored into the walls at the side the irons were turned
up at the ends and went within four inches OF the
wall and up into the bricks distsnee those an
choir were thoroughly imbedded in the bricks as to
pull the walls down il the ioors gave way, before they
would draw ont; the chimney was intended to rise
only few feet above the roof, that OF the Duck
MI. now il; bu, Mr.. Putnam, for reason, wanted
it built higher he asked whether thought 1t would
bear H. and told him thought it would; we should
have spread the chimney at the base had we sup
posed it would have been built so high; we put
1t up It's present hight and, MI chimneys do 1t Vi
brated with high winds and caused a crack
when the Atlantic chimney was built applied an In
sirument 60 The top and distinctly saw it move in
high wind; ] supposed it might crack; we always
avoid cracks, but apprehcnded no danger the chin
Dey, and the part OF the building cracked nov
standing; when first came TO Lawrence ii became
fashionable desirable to have iron columns in mills;
We accordingly made a plan for iron pillars IN the
Essex Machine shops; they were made with clasp
TO 20 around the beam, and not with apintle like these
the clasp sufficiently strong to bear the force OF
the upper part; we never had used any model with