The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-14
THE LAWRENCE CALAMITY.
l. /. DETAILS SOF THE DISASTER.


fearful catastrophe at Lawrence Mass. These
particulars are Of painful interest, and con
firm all the announcements previously made
as to the terrible character of the disaster ans,
the frightful destruction of life by which it
was accompanied. The most vivid imagina-
tion can picture nothing more shocking than
the sudden fall Of the building upon the hun
dreds Of unsuspecting operatives, the shrieks
and cries of the crushed and wounded men
and women, and the rapid adyance Of the
flames which drove away their deliyerers and
left them to the lingering tortures of a most
painful death. All the circums tances point to
the insecure construction of the building as
the cause Of the appalling disaster.
LAWRENCE, Jan. ll--12 A. M.-Last night
was night OF the most unparalleled excite
ment and but few of the citizens of the village
slept In the least. All were busy working at
the ruins men, women and children doing
their utmost to rescue the dead bodies of their
friends from the ruins, or relieving the suffer
ines OF those who We're buried beneath the pile
Of rubbish.
The first frightful crash. coming suddenly.
just as the glsom of light was gathering around
the immense mass of broken and heavy ma
terial, enveloping so many human beings; the
number killed in the violent conclusion; the
still greater number probably wounded and
inextricably eutangled or coyered in the ruins
beyond the possibility Of extricating them
selves, must enlist the sympathy of every
heart.
This must, for the moment, have amazed
and almost paralyzed those around. seeming
to them like horrible dream, and Impossible
to be realized.
Then, too, came what must have been ant
cipated by discerning observers-the taking
nre OF this great mass OF ptch-pine timber,
and plank, and other dry and inflammable
material, resting upon piles OF brick and crush
ed machinery, leaving it in position to burn
most rapidly, and forcing the thousands of
people laboring 10 eXtricate the sufferers, to
flee for their own lives from the raging fiery
furnace.
All this is notwithstanding to think upon
The confusion, the agony, the excitement, the
glare of the flames at midnight. and the efforts
TO stay them, can be easily imagined hut the
most tragic description would fall far short of
the actual reality.
Such scene OF horror can only have been
paralieied in the sack of-some city taken by
assault, and given over to destruction and the
ravages of an infuriated soldiery, or by the
devastation of some violent earthquake, and
even then within SO limited a space. could
never occur a tithe of horrors concentrat ted
within and around the walls of this great
altar of Moloch for whose abominations
either ignorance or avarice in some quarter
must be looked to. as responsible.
1t is evident that the construction Of The
building must have been faulty in the eX
treme, and it seems hardly possible that its
condition can have been properly observed for
long time, in months and years back. or
some warning would have been found of the
danger.
The Pemberton Mill was built some seven
years since. and the principal owners At that
time were J. A. Lowell, +. g. Lowell, S. L..
Putnam. and Lawrence, Stone d Go.
The main building was in the form of a pa
raiieiogram, and Immediately adjacent TO the
storehouses of the Washington Mills 1t was
built of brick. five stories high, and has al
in Lawrence. II had a fiat roof, like the Pa
ci'ic Mills, with an ornate coViDr. The eXte-
riOr was of handsome appearance, with very
large windows extending through two stories.
The spinning rooms were highly studded.
long and narrow, without partitions, and
crowded with looms. 1t Is supposed the
strength of the mill has been severely tried by
the recent in reduction OF heavy fancy looms.
1t was originally intended that the mill
should cost Si5c,1U to S2HD,0M. but the plans
were enlarged, until finally the total cost was
fully Sso0,un1 There was in the on tset trouh Bile
with the foundation, as quick>ands are COM
mon on the banks OF the river At that place
and this may have tended gradually to under
mine the building.
There is considerable insurance upon the
property destroyed, but whether the policies
VIII hold good except for the loss by fire after
the building fell, is for the future TO deter
mine.
Nearly all employment is suspended here
To-day, except that OF attending to The wants
of the wounded, preparing for burial the dead
already found, or searching for further Vic =
tins in the vast smoidering hecatomb which
now covers the site where stood the Penn ber-
ton Mill.
The streets are thr0nged with citizens and
strangers, aud crowds OF persons surround the
ruins and besiege the doors of the City Hall
to learn the fate Of friends. or examine the
bodies brought out for recognition. AT the
Hall, about twenty of the wounded lie on
mattresses placed upon the floor, and are at
tended by their relatives.
These unfortunates present 4 most pitiable
spectacle. Many of them, however between
life and death, and are 50 badly bruised by the
falling mass. or bistered by the flames. that
recognition is very difficult; others escaped
with Unmutiiated features and less serious
bruises. All who retain consciousness eX-
hibit remarkable fortitude in their distress,
and but few expressions of pain are heard
among the helpless victims.
In a room adjoining the large hall seven, teen
dead bodies lie stretched upon the floor Their
livid, biackened and bistered faces present a
picture of unutterable horror The hospital
of Scutari nor the bloody field Of Solferinu
conld have exhibited a more frightful scene
Bending over several OF the lfeless forms Were
their female relatives, bemoaning their loss
with a low wailing, which melted the stoutes1
hearts.
The view at the City Hall is but one instance
OF the many scenes OF suffering and death Al
the boarding houses and other homes Of the
operatives, the sad spectacle is repeated.
Before the fire broke out among the ruins
voices of many persons were heard, who were
apparently confined in open spaces formed by
the material of the building as it fell, and who
appeared TO be not much injured. The pro.
gress Of the conflagration soon brought these
lmnrisoned victims to most terrible death
The citizens Of Lawrence, as well The
officers Of the city. have been untiring in theiI
labors since the accident i'll behalf of the suf.
fering and bereaved. Aid from the surround.
ing towns is also at hand, and the victims o
the catas strophe Are receiving all the help which
mortal power can bestoW.
When the disaster occurred, nearly all the
mills were Immediately stopped. The Pacific
Mills, however. were kept running until the
usual hour for closing in cOnseq uence, il is
said, of the absence of the chief overseer, us ne
one was present who had authority TO order
the stopping of the engines and thus the ope.
ratives were kept for some time in painful sus-
pense.
THE SCENE OF THE CATASTROPHE.
The Pemberton Mill, where the accident oc-
cured is situated on the right side OF Canal
street. near the lower end, on the opposite side
of the canal. 1t was five stories high, $50 feel
long by 20 feet wide, vii tn an Is feet So uare on
the west side 1t ran 200 spindles and g6t
operatives were employed. II was not very
thoroughly constructed, according TO the
statements OF builders, architects and others
who say that they had no confidence in the
durability of the structure.
A tall column ON the south side and similar
one opposite and near the canal, with a small
POI Ioh "a Onc euu u INC DuIiOiuk. oAOuc were
standing, and trembling as it about to fall
Engines were about the ruins, throwing wa
ter into the smoking and burning rubbish, and
thousands of people were crowding the vicin-
ity. The canal had been bridged with RATS OF
boards thrown on the cracking ice.
Two long lines Of boarding houses, now so
Suddenly deserted, were situated on the oppo-
site side Of the canal, in front Of the mill, and
the operatives were obliged to cross a narrow
bridge in going and returning from work.
The OnerativeS were mostly girls: a 9rpat
many of them were of Scotch origin, and were
regarded a. the most skllful and faithful
operatives in Lawrence.
ExTRICATION OF THE RQnIEa