The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-01-20

she was saved. She saw her daughter mo.
mcnt before the alarm, but has not seen her
since, dead or alive, and gazes with dreadful
anxiety depicted in her fearless eyes, upon tho
bodies, Us one after another the griefstricken
and the curious filc in and around each new
ly recovered body.
Burial Of the Dead.
Several funerals took place on Saturday,
attended with haste which bctokened too
plainly the sad exigcncics of the case. Cof-
lin makers and undertakers have bccna at work
day and night, and the harvest of death gar
ncred during the past week has, in gathering
the living to their fathers, plowcd burrows in
the bosom OF many country graveyard, and
of many.a once happy family. One coffin ma
ker states that he has supplied thirty.nino
collins for the victims of the disaster who
have received "christian burial" besides u
number of boxes into which the remains Of
the unknown and unwept have been buried.
Nine bodies and parts Of the remains Of
others were buried on Thursday in two box
es in the Lawrence Cemetery. The body Of
Mr.. Samuel Rolfc was taken TO Ncwburyport
for intermcnt, that of Miss Irene Crosby to
Chatham, Mass. The funeral Of Catherine
Sweeney took place on Saturday. Some half
a dozen men, and an equal number Of VIC.
men, followed the remains to the grave on
foot, the women wringing their hands and
giving vent to the most bitter lamentations
as tho simple cortcgc moved through the
streets.
The funeral of Miss Anne Cullen, one Of
the victims, took place from the residence Of
her brother. in Essex street. Chelsea, on Fri
day. She died shortly after being rescued
from the ruins. Her sister, who had not
seen her for years, left Chelsea on the alter
moor. of the sad catastrophe for the purpose
of meeting her at the mill. She arrived in
Lawrence just at the time the building fell,
and in the morning, among the remains oil
those conveyed to the City Hall, she recos-
nizcd the body Of her sister.
Why the Fire could not be Extinguishcd
The appearance Of the ruins on Saturday
evening was such as to impress the mind with
sense OF the horrible death which befell
those who may have survived the shock of tho
demolition of the mill. The floors ut the end
nearest the river retained their original
shape, sufficient to form, rs they rested upon
the arches OF the looms, chambers in which
the imprisoned operatives might have moved
about, and while the fat surface above, shed
the water which was poured upon the ruins,
the flames swept in full fury below. This
may account for the failure of tho efforts
made to extinguish the fire.
PrcscntInicnt ofthc Calamity.
That fear of the insecurity Of tho mill,
and its impending ruin had existed in tho
minds Of some of the operatives, appears from
u conversation which occurred on Thursday
prior to the accident, in the weaving room,
over the cotton house. On that day, tho
weather being stormy, Miss Maria s. Ycaton
inquired anxiously of Mr.. Albert Moses, ono
of tho oycrsccrs, ir he thought there would
SIoscs "Bccause, = rSrIic lied the lady, .Mo
are always afraid Of tho big mill, (meaning
the main building) when the water is high"
ofAibcrt y. Moses, mn Over-ccr
Albert s. Moses had charge Of one hundred
looms in tho weaving room over the cotton
house. The first thing that he discovered
Yves swaying of the cotton houss which did
not fall. This was instantly succeeded bya
stoppagc ofall the works. The gas lights
were extinguished, and volume Of steam
and dust rushed into the room. The girls in
this department all rushed screaming for tho
windows overlooking the river, three stories
high. Lights was disccrnablc only above
and ut tho southern side of the room. Mr..
Moses, thinking that the boilers had cxplo-
dcd, told them tho danger was oil over. a
man from without entered the room but gayo
no alarm, and with one of the weaycrs as
ccndcd to the window in the roof. MIR. Mo-
ses followed, and then for the first time dis
covered the nature and extent OF the disaster.
The only safe delivcrancc Tor The girls in tho
weaving room being through window into
the dry house of the Washington, he spnng
for that, and by the aid of the "sccond hand"
tore of the screen and broke tho window
Thirty-onc girls were safely passed through
this aperture. AS one by one they looked
back into tho shattered vortex below, they
"My husband, my brother, my
sister arc there" Some tainted, and had to
be supported. Many Of them had friends
there, all of whom were rescued. Mr.. Moses
returned to the roof of the weaving room,
where he saw three little girls near the Chin
ncy, crouchlng beneath the cross-bcams. and
screaming for dcliyerancc. A ladder was OBJ
taincd, aud tue poor creatures rescued from
their pcrilous position. Mr.. Moses rescued
A woman fron beside beam in the spinning
room, in n space five or six feet long by tao
feet high and foot and half wide, over
which, in ten minutes, tho flames swept IN
ruthless fury.
The Corsner's Inquest
A Coroncr's inquest has been held which
ias developed many facts aud incidents res
pcc.ins the disaster, and tho causes which
ed to Il. The Atlas, referring to what has
,cen proycd by the inquest says
Thc bulk ofthc evidence still goes 70 show
,,a nu.uhstantial character Of tho structure.
Willie Il Is impossible to suppose Tor mo,
". m,V that the builders Of tho ill-iatcd mill
.nnr,.henJed Il was ofsuch o character as TO
npy',lye i,e fearful catastrophe. tho public Is
,.ttlinr down into deep rcprobation OF tho
,s,lect 10 render It perfectly safe and what
'ysr the decision Of the Coroner, that OF tho
,ublic is already recorded. The foundations