Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-01-20

, eHoh puIH W uedUD- his T6SCuers pEeescu VII
but his hope of aid gave out and he drew tn
knife across his throat. Soon after they sue
ceeded in removing him, and his self-in6icteC
wound was found not to be danger us. but HI
had suffered severe Internal injuries which
re,. >dered his recovery impossible. He wa
taken 70 the City Hall, but expired shortl,
from the e. .Fects of the injuries received by hi
fall. and bis offerings while immured with
in the fallen wah,'. -,
| Some of the scensIS, while resculng t,i'
victims of the calamity. were heroic III III,
extreme. At one point, W hen rope m iiac
been fixed to a projecting til n9er' cdii WA i
made to the crowd to take hoiu anu pun
with will; but for few miun Ves' Sucil "a
the danger of the attempt. (for me oeam ~ u
falling, might engulph all near 1t. } 'lla' ''i'
call was unheeded. Men shuddA feu an
drew back; they would risk much 10 AT
those below, but life was sweet and tfss uan
ger great At this critical juncture. "0
man rushed from among the crowd, an /
daring the spectators to follow, seized the
rope and attempted to mount the pile of
smouldering ruins to clear away with her
hands. The example was enough; not a
word was said. but strong hands at once drew
the female back, and then there was no lack
VI Hdills 70 Iue rope tHe DedH WAS uTdNn
out, and at least two sufferers were released
from the opening thus made.
SCENES AT CRY HALL.-The City Hall was
made the depository of the wounded, the dy
ing and the dead 1t was turned into both
a hospital and a tomb. Physicians in the
city and from aboard kindly volunteered their
services, and rendered the unfortunate victims
of the calamity as comfortable as human skill
Low
ing beyond description. Stretched upon
mattrass in one part of the hall WAS some
poor mortal in the last agonies of death, his
countenance blackened with smoke, with
broken limbs, burned garments, and giving
utterance to piercing groans. In another
place was a woman with fractured limbs, a
broken head, and with body mutIlated in the
most shocking manner At one time there
were twentv-eight men and women thus lay
ing in the most exquisite torture. Some
were heroic even in death, exhibiting the
most unAinehing courage while surgical
operations of the most pain, full nature were
performed in the vain hope thai waning LIE
might he restored. Others. entirely conscious
that they were counting their last sands OF
life, were resigned, and displayed repos,a and
valor almost sublime. OF tine noble stamp
were two or three women.
An ante-room leading from the hall was
used as a depository for the dead bodies,
which were brought from the scene of the
calamity as soon as discovered. During the
forenoon. the floor was literally covered with
corpses Of the young. the middle aged, and a
few past the latter period. 1t was a most
shocking spectacle. Some of the bodies were
burned to blacknesS. but little flesh remain
fnrr nd ant II
were bent. with ands clinched, indicative of
the horrible agony of their deaths Some
were frightfullv mutilated. with heads crushed
in, the charred brains being exposed to view.
The limbs of others were gone-burned of in
one case. and torn off in Others. Thus was
the floor paved with human corpses, ghastly.
repulsive horribl, to look upon. 1t told
more emphatically than all else the frighttul
calamity.
THr LtvrvG LOOKING FOR THE DEAD.-The
City Hall was filled with men and women,
relatives and friends, looking for the dead.
The cries Of some, the deep m7urnings Of
others, was affecting in the extreme. At
every turn the ear was greeted by some
agOnized mourner. One frantic mother
rushed past the officers in charge Of the door,
and recognizing the dead and mangled body
of a child, in the midst of the mass clasped
1t. called 1t by endearing names, and wept rs
only mother can weep. Il was touching
scene indeed. All day were the living hunt
ing for the dead. Ala. there were some whom
none Of the living could recognise-poor hu-
man beings, 50 marred and blackened and
deformed as to resemble little but a mass Of
flesh and bone, or a heap Of rubbish.
A gentleman who left Lawrence the day
after the catastrophe, stated in our hearing
Friday, that the ruins OF the walls showed
little or no adhesion OF the mortar used, to
the bricks, quantities OF which lie as clean
of mortar as before they were laid-proof of
poor mortar and faulty construction.
The testimony before the Coroner's Jury at
Lawrence, fully corroborates the statements
concerning the very faulty construction of
the Pemberton Mill, which accompanied the
first announcements of the disaster. 1t goes
to show that the walls We're weak and insult
fcent to sustain the immense weight Of
cotton mill Mr.. Tuttle, the contractor, I'M
der whose supervision the structure was built
testfes that the walls were perforated by
large windows with brick sills, that the beams
were too short, that thu ordinary washers on
the outside of the walls to prevent the build
ing from spreading were dispensed with, and
that the bricks used were poor. He states
that he protested against the manner of the
construction several times.
John Patterson, overseer of the weaving
room, testified that Mr. Corliss of Providence,
who put in the shafting, thought the build !
ing was not sale.
Mr. Corliss, had understood, said that
two upright shafts would in time shake the
end OF that building out.
Jesse Glover. overseer of the repair shop, |
testified that he had seen cracks in the |
walls. but did not think them dangerous. |
There was a crack on the corner of the build |
ing, running all the way up and down, near |
the chimney. Should think the crack at |
the top of the building was half an inch wide |
and a quarter of an inch at the bottom. The |
crack was between the chimney and the |
building which were built Independently of |
one another
lie tho't the bailding was weak. and that |
the walls were weak, but apprehended no
trouble, IL sindows in the walls were very
large; have never streng thened the founda-
ton Of building; always regarded the build /
ing as weak; the windows 5sing large left !
but small space between them; do not
think the building was as strong as such !
buildings usually are: have heard that the |
timbers were not bolted to the walls
AID FOR The LAwRESCE sUFFERERs.-Most
liberal contributions for the surviving suffer