Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-01-14
THE LAWRENCE TRAGEDY.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.


with the exception of four five. been recognized
and taken away by friends. The funerals of some
of them will take place to-day. Those bodies
which still remaining at the City Hall. will
be kept as long as possible for identification
The greatest attention is paid to the wounded
| a number OF physicians and nurses from neigh
boring cities have arrived to relieve those who
have been OF duty since the falling Of the build
| ing. The ladies of this city unceasing In
| their attentions to the wounded, and whenever
| assistance is needed, some of them is to found
| Efforts were made to throw down the remainder
| wall which is still standing, and which threatens
| to fall at any moment.
Great numbers of the operatives who were in
| the mill at the time Of the accident fed on the
first alarm, and so escaped unframed. their safety
| not being known until the city was canvsssrd.
| which accounts for the difference between the
number first reported as among the sufferers and
| the actual number
The number of people from other places visiting
the ruins cannot have been less than thirty thous-
| and II Is reported that many thieves and pick
pockets are mixed in the crowd; and some Of them
| have already been at work upon the pockets of
| spectators. Quite number of policemen from
| other cities have rendered valuable services in
watching these customers Among the yisiters
were some turbulent characters with less suscen-
tibility than brutes, who Were unaffected by the
| scenes in which the dead and mutilated of their
own species, Were conspicuous. These profession
| al rowdes came to crafty their morbid curiosity
and then TO have time.
| large majority Of the operatives employed I'm
the mill were foreigners, principally Scotch and
| Irish. Most of the American girls engaged were
| employed in the dressing room, and few of them
Were killed
large amount of money has been received al
ready from various charitable associations and
private individuals for the benefit of the sufferers
Many Of the dead bodies have been claimed and
taken away by their friends; but those remaining
unclaimed being past identi hcation-it was
found absolutely necessary to have them Inferred
\ lot In the cemetery, in part belonging to the
city was accordingly set apart for that purpose,
| and the bodies Were placed there. Arrang ements
no md. fnp 11fyh
sons deceased bnt the time and place has not been
| fixed upon as yet
The cOroner's Inquest is taking evidence daily
| According to the best theory which can be de-
duced from the descriptions of parties concerned,
the fall happened as follows: II process which
was really almost instantaneous can be divided
| into periods, the long wall on the northerly side
OF the building fell first. outrrards; leaving, Of
course, the roof (Which was fat and all the floors
without support on that side, so that they dropped
INTO slantirc position, and literally sided many
| OF the operatives out of the building upon the
| fallen wall, when to complete the catastrophe,
| the southerly wall fell inrordS over the whole.
In this way it will be seen that the operatives in
the upper story; for instance, were simply thrown
| out of the building; and although so sudden and
| steep fall would ordinarily he disastrous, they
| We're supported more OF less by the wall which
fell under them and many of them escaped. The
operatives below who happened to be on the
nor:herly side of the building were more or less
protected from the same cause, and those on the
southerly side received some protection from the
OH that side
The causes to which the disaster is attributed
are various. Some say that for several wears the
usual running of the machinery has caused a con-
unudl vibration Of the whole building, and. is Il
appears that at the time of the accident some
"orkmen We're moving some heavy machinery, it
IS PROBABLE that this, together with the recent
severe frostS and sudden thaW. which mig
| have moved the foundations was the immediate,
cause OF the calamity Others attribute it to the
| spreading OF the walls in the upper part of the
The Boston Herald says that the builder of the
mill alleges that he knows the of the fall of
the building but obstinateIy refuses TO disclose
Hnt Summoned to testify before the Coronsr's Jury
The witnesses at the inquest testified that there
was running ,ratey in the trearation all the time
they were laying the foundation Of the mill and
| that the brick walls were too light and thin. and
We're pierced by too many windows
INCIDENTS
| One Of the hands employed in the Duck Mill
which Is the next building towards the east, hap
pened to be looking ont of Il window at tue time
| and says that the first thing he noticed was what
appeared to be squeezing out Of piece of brick
work at the bottom Of the southeast corner. about
| Is feet in height and or feet OH each side This
corner of the building fell first, and the floors
| falling upon one another and crushing in success
sively fen with a wave in the direction towards
| the canal. The time occupied in falling was Just
| about one minute. The time about ten min
utrs before o'clock. To persons in the city the
noise resembl"d that Of earthQ uake at first and
| afterwards (as il is described) that of a team
loaded with iron passing over the pavement
| The wall next to the w ashington Mills remained
standing about one story high until the fire broke
| ont; ard most of the occupants of the we2vi&9-
| room, which was on the lower story. esca ped
| being crushed by tie protection thus afforded.
| They Were rescued throw the windows
| One young woman. ~ years of age, who was at
work IN the second story, heard the crash OF it
| portion of the building, and saw portions of
| tumbiing down. She immediately started In AN
opposite direction. hut Def re she reached tits
| CruIQllinu nd ned
instant death a lmost panic ricken. she rushed
!" size door ana was just emerging TO the entry
| vines that was crumbed in. She recollected
nothing moret than getting through a window and
leapinS to the ground, where she was unconscious
and much wounded. She was taken to her board
| ing house, as was supposed in dying condition.
| roxysm of fright. She recovered during the
| evening, and on Wednesday was sufficiently
well to stand in the doorway of her boarding
house.
Another Young woman also about % escaped
an awful death. Cnapprspd Of the fall OF the
building until the terrible catastrophe itself came
upon her, she was at work in the third story. She
only KNOWS that the whole flooring above her was
pfeclpltated upon that which she stood, ac-
comPanied by terrific no Sc. She was crushed
beneath some machinery near which she was at
Work, her head being pressed against beam.
| seeming as Soc described it, if her head
would "split in two at every moment, Her
lmbs were forced in one direction her arms In
another But one arm could be used at al Every
closer and closer upon her She saw nothing but
death awaiting her. Her feelings were those of
the most agonzing kind She said she PRAYED
God that she might be delivered from impending
death " " H'e
Hardly had she ceased utterinp the PRAYER than
the falling OF a wall ia distant portion of the
iillil released her from the imminent peril about
her. With a presence of mind that exhibited
genuine heroism, She struggled amid danger and
death, and in time reached point of safety This
was after being in the ruins for upwards of AN
hour. She was, however, more injured than was
at first supposed, as is evident from her Inability
not only not TO leave her bed but hardly turn her
body. Her physician apprehends some internal
Injury OF serious nature. She converssd with
di ticulty.
A maiden lady. about 3S, who worked in the
upper (dresslng) room, was Precipitated to the
ruins Tor with them) below, and sustained no mar
tcular injury. Her escape is most extraordinarv
she came among timbers, portions Of the roof
bricks, machinery, &c but was unframed It
was one Of the most wonderful Of all the escsnes
Of this terrible tragedy.
Shortly before the fire broke out and while
thousands OF persons were exerting themselves to
the utmost 10 save life and extricate the dead =
little girl was discovered by party at work in
part Of the rnins. She lay upon her back: larue
bar of iron Zone Of the iron cclumn.) was thrown
over her so that she was unable to move; besides
her arms were fastened by some Of the MACHINERY
wiring that had got wound around them. Her