New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-16
New:Uork daily Gribn,re
THE LAWRENCE CALAMITY.
CORONER'S INQUEST.
THIRD DAY.
LAWRENCE, Jan. III, 1871.
The inquest yns resumed this forenoon.


TESTIMONY or CHARLES S. sToRRows.
Charles s. Sorrows agent Of the Essex Company,
testified TO the sale Of the land and water power at
nominal rate TO Mr. Putnam, AZ the agent OF John a.
Lowell: the contract, was that the Essex Company
should If required erect for the purchasers of the mill
a building of such size and plan should be required,
and give the purchasers five years credit for the build
ing; was not then supposed that til building would
be half as large as now; the difference 10 the Essex
Company has only been the advance of large SUM TO
bnild the building; witness had never heard intima
ons that the building WAS unsafe; the iron pillars
were furnished by Mr.. John c. Woods; think the
cause of the accident from the interior, and not
from the walls or foundaton if from the latter, there
must have been large cracks Mr. college frequently
inspected the buildings should not necessarily think
that one pillar alone wonId cause a fall, though
thereby strain might be brought on the others 30
great as 10 cause them to give way; one pillar was
broken in the machine shop but it caused no accident
the gearing WAS attached 10 the southery wa Is and
if there had been settling of any part of the structure
it would have thrown the gearing out of line.
TESTIMONY OF JAMES PATTERSON, WHO WAS BURIED IN
THE RUINS.
/ was employed in the weavng-room had been
there but short time, my place was On the ground
floor at the south end talking when the accident
occurred with Mr. Adams, Il column on the west
erly eide: il was the last pillar but one toward the
south end; there was no pillar between me and the
east side was that pilar talking 70 Mr.. ADAM;
he was on my left side; threw up my head little to
the north end of the mill said whats that ~ and
the latch and could get no further; the tmbers came
rushing and when they ceased ] was down fat; be-
tween the time my attention was called, and when alt
was down, il was, perhaps, minute; what L per-
ceived when first looked up, was that something was
cracking in the center between the Lines of coum
there was nc giving way from beneath; my idea was
that something falling through the ceiling, and
nv idea was 10 get away from under it; there were
two girls leaving the rooms directly under; they
Fat down. and were saved by the Tonwork,
and / have since them; the single
glance which ] cast up gave me the impression,
not that the whole floor was coming down, but
that something was coming through the ceiling ran
TO the easterly side the door; 10 feet from
all this quick as thoughts Mr.. Adams was
covered in the ruins about five feet from the instant
saw the break in the ceiling L sprang the whole
ceiling fell Just as got my hand on the latch whether
raised the latch not i could not tell; the room
overhead was Mr.. Winslows; two lines of pillars
the length Of the building in every story and II was
midway betw cen there nes and far from the south
end, that the breaking came through the ceiling; was
not stunned nor hurt; found myself PROSTATE NV
face could not reach the WALL the bricks in the wall
must have fallen in, aud not cut; the rubbish was
caught against the wall over me- l had Just room 10
Law and that was all; Mr.. Adams was Just five feet
from me, bat the rubbish piled in solid between
us; when the fall did feel my sinkng under
my feet if at any time there had been sinking Of the
south wall an inch, it would have so disarraDged the
gearing as soon 10 require attention; there not
more than hundred gaslghts lit at the time Of the
fall it is my impression that the door damned
when touched the latch, and 20 could not open it.
TESTIMONY OF SAMUEL ". JACKSON.
was overseer of the spinning IN the Pember-
ton Ms occupying the third and half oftbe fourth
res was in the third story at the time of the acct
dent; | was west of the west OF pillars, about
eighty or hundred feet from the south end; WAS
loosing towards the north; was starting up frume
heard crash looked up and turned round the south
and the two lower rows of spinning frames going
down; they were twelve in row. the rows running
croeswise of the mill; the two rooms wit, the alley
mad feet tha Tram
peaIed before the floors above started thought they
seemed 10 fall together, both the @;des and the middle
started towards the NORTH and the floor gave way I'M
der me, while the floor above shut me in; | saw
nothing falling from above when the frames were ID
ing down; conscious al the tiIae almost nj the
moment / was thrown back ] felt something from
above coming down; the machinery in perfect
running order: don't know whether the gearing fell
at the south end of the mill; don't think got
than four feet from where / stood before | was
thrown back; 10 men at work these frames
are alive; some Of the women are, among them
Prudence Spread, Ann Dorrity and Julia Hartagen:
don't know the weight of the frames; there were fifty
four frames on che whole floor and ten mules; the
mules heavier than the frames in the space thai
ten mules would occupy sixty spinning frames could
be placed aware the walls had fallen until
got out; made my escape between the fourth and hfh
lows OF frames on the west side; should think was
some thirty feet from the west side; far a. eoao
zee tue floor above me was solid Al the QUEER euSS
there obstruction; the floor under me appeared
10 Do I'm broken could see a faint light tow Ards tho
west when backed eat in that l no light IN any
other direction; there girl near me- sne Was
taken out alive; there were about l5O eih-
poy ed at the time in that story; don Know how !
many are living have heard that inc greatest mum
Der are missing from this the ny frames, which
s,lI. have been employed in different mills about
fourteen YEAR,; the mil WAS uncommonly steady; |
NOV of nothing of the gearing about the mill that
could be changed to make the mill safer; knew that
fey were moving hinery above, bat felt no slack
pn;1o of the belts which would have been caused by
slight settling Of the floors.
TESTIMONY OF THOMAS s. VIM
I was oyerter Of the carding department of the
Penberon hilsi It occupied the whole OF the second
door and nearly half of the fourth; have been EN-
ployed here since harsh, 1854, with the exception Of
shout eleven months; was on the fourth floor at the
ime Of the accident our department occupied about
laf oil Tie second story the easteriy aide and the
ouiherfy end; i was facing wee ward, ts.lkiu.x with