Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-01-16
Saturday Nights Report.
THE GREAT DISASTER.

sufferers Of $500, from Lathrop, Lu linQton L
Co., Of New York
So far as known, the dead numher o.; miss
ing 4S; wounded 2O6
The inquest was resumed this morniTg. The
testimony relates to the construction Of the
building.
The remains Of Mary Barrett, aged "a. and
Catharino Lukensy, aged %, were diseOg' red
IA the ruins TO day. Both bodies were nearly
oOBsumfd by fire -Four additional bodies were
also found, but they cannot be recognized.
There are now parts Of five bodies at the City
Hall. Two are unutterly unTecognizalle and
the other three can only be recognized by shreds
Of clothing. One OF The Latter is tho whole
trunk of a woman
On the night Of the accident little daughter
Of Jas Bannan. 10 years old, was pinuel fast
in the ruins when the flames broke out, and
seeing that thero was no escape for her. she took
her due bill from her pocket and handed it 10
another girl near her, and said-"You viii be
saved; will you give this to my poor, dear father
and bid him good bye for mel"
The most complete list Of dead and missing
that has appeared, is contained ia the Lawrence
Sentinel, and figures up as follows; dead 80;
missing l07. Il makes the number badly
wounded 100; and those slightly wounded 1873
Chas. 8. Stearns agent Of the Essex Co., tes-
tilted as to the sale OF the land and water power
at a nominal rate, to Mr. Putnam, as the agent
Of JnO. A Lowell; the contracts was that the
Essex Co. should, if required, erect for tie
purchasers Of the mill building Of such size
and plan as should be required, and give the
purchasers five years credit for the buildini
it was not supposed that the building would be
as large as now; the difference to the Essex
Co. has only been The advance Ofa large sum 10
build the building Witness had never heard
intinatiOns that the bull ling was unsafe; the
iron pillars were furnished by Mr. Jno C.WOOd;
think the cause Of the accident came from the
interior and not from the walls; if from the lat
ter, their must have been large cracks Mr..
Coolidge frequently inspected the building; l
should not necessarily think one pillar alone
would cause the fall, though thereby a strain
might be so great as to cause th m TO give way;
one pillar was broken in the machine shop, but
it caused no accident the gearing was attach
ed to the s1uIherly walls, and if there had been
a settling Of any part of the structure, it would
have thrown the gearing out fine.
Testimony Of James Patterson, who was buried
in the Tuins-I was employed 10 the weaving room;
had been there but a short time; my place was on
the ground floor at the South end was talking
when the aecideEt occurred with Mr. Adams near
a column on the westerly, side; it was the last
pillar but one towards the south end; there was
no pi lar between me and the East eide. Mr.
Adams was on my left side; I threw up my
head little t. the north end of the mill; said
What's that" aud that was all; jumped for
the door, got my hand on ths latch and could
get no farther; the timbcrs came rushing and
when hey cessed was down fat Between
the time my attention was called and when all
was down it was perhaps q minute; perceiv-
ed when frat looked up something was crack
ing in the centre between the lines of the col
umnsi there was no giving way from bene ath;
my idea was was that something was falling
through the ceiling and my idea was to get
away from unJer. There were two girls leaving
the looms directly under; they sat down 4 were
saved by the iron work have since seen them;
the single glace that cast up gave me The i'm
preston that not only the whole floor was
coming down, but that something was coming
through the ceiling / ran to the easteriy side
to the door which was ten feet from me; this
was quick as thought; Mr.. Adams was covered
up in the ruins about five feet from me; the
instant l saw the break in the ceiling sprang;
the whole ceiling and fell Just as got my
hand on the lacl; whether l raised the latch
or not could not tell The room overhead
was Mr.. WinslOw's. Two lines of pillars
in the length Ofths buil1ing and in every store,
and it was midway between these lines and not
laT from the south end the breaking came
through the ceiling. was not stunned OF hurt
found my self Dr, strate on nv face; | c,ulj
not reach the wall; the bricks in the walls must
have ,f,llen out the rubbish was caught
against the val over me; bad Just room to
lay and that's all; Mr. Adams was five feet
from me, but the rubbish was piled up between
us; when the fall came did not feel any sink
ing under my feet; if at any time there had
been a sinking OF the south wall an inch it
would so have disengaged the gearing as
soon to reqni attention; there were not more
than I00gas lights lit at;the time OF the fall it
was my impression that the door was jammed;
when touched the latch / found could not
open it..
| W. Jackson sworn-I was oyeFseer Of The
spinning in the PembeItOn mills, occupying the
third and half Of the fourth story; was in the
the third stony at the lime Of the accident;
was wes' of the west row Of pillars about 50
or 100 feet from the south end; | was looking
towards the north; heard q crash; looked up
and turned round 10 the south and saw the two
lower rows of spinning frames giving down
they are twelve in row; the TOW running cross
wise of the mill; the two rows with the alley
appeared before the 1aors above STATED;
thought they seemed to fall tngether, both the
sides and the middle;I started towards the north
and the -four gave way under me; saw moth
ing falling from above when the frames
were going down; I was facing westward talk
ing with Mr.. Stukely; be was acting
there as a carpenter. The first InO.ced
was the settling Of the floor, and heard gen
eTal crash. I was facing towards the westerly
wall the settling was behind me; l noticed
no disarrangement If the machinery at the
time; don't think stepped step in a mo
ment: all was dark; the walls were standing
at the time did not see the walls fall at all
something from above struck me on the shOul
der and knocked me down might have beer
20 or 25 feet from the wall when the crash
came did not see any light for the space Of
a minute found ObstructiOns in the way oi
getting out there was a board in the way,
which broke and got out; under me was the
floor unbroken but inclined above me was q
stack of section beams where l crawled out
there was no space above or below me between
the floors the aperture which l eraWled
through was in the floor above me; l know
nothing about the disappearance Of the machl
nery; had been moving four fly frames thai
day from the cast side of the mills towards the
west thy we're ranged from 20 to 100 feel
from the sOutherly end of the wall we were
not moving them at the time Of the accident;
should think the machines weighed s.5OI
pounds piece the machines were moved BY
lifting them up on to shoes by means of bar
and tackle; they were not moved by attaching
the tackle 10 the pillar; the tinbers reste'
merely on four timbers.
At this stage of the evidence the inquest va
I 4 4 All Mon1ou a. Nj
FIRE.
MIDDLETON, Ct, Jan. IA.
| I'll pa-rnn.nha Mil ncenniel severaI hiffaI