The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1860-01-16
THE DAY BOOK.
The Lawrence Calamity.
FULL PARTICULARS

We give below fuller details of the fearful
catastrophe at Lawrence, Mass, and they
but confirm the announcement OF Friday
morning, that the last sacrifice of human
limb and life, to that demon of recklessness
who, with steam and fire, and crumbling
walls, seems to hold high court in every part
of the land, is the most terrible that the
press has yet had to record, the most soul
narrowing at which the public has yet had to
shudder. The burning of the Henry Clay,
the accident at the Norwalk Bridge, ahd
other catastrophes of the past few years, all
+ horrible in themselves, pale before this holo-
caust of human life at Penn berton Mills on
Tuesday last:
In Boston the news of the calamity created
the most intense excitement. sympathy
meeting was Immediately called. Hon.
David Sears presided, and $4,000 was rails
ed forthwith for the relief of those upon
whom this catastrophe falls the most heavi-
ly. A meeting of the New England Society
of Manufacturers and Mechanic Arts was
also held in Boston on Wednesday, when it
voted to dispense with their annual dinner
and appropriate the money usually thus ex-
pended to the relief of the Lawrence suffer-
ers. The members also made up an addi-
tional purse of $4,000. The treasurer of the
Pacific Mills, at Lawrence, has given the
mayor So 900 for the benefit of the victims
Special trains from Boston to Lawrence were
| running through the day, carrying thou
| sands whom anxiety for the fate OF friends,
or curiosity to witness the sickening sight of
| human suffering, prompted to visit the scene
| of disaster.
Statement of one of the Operatives.
John Ward, one OF the operatives in the
| bridegroom, in the second-story, was mira
| culoasly saved, with his wife, who worked
near him ia the same room. We give his
| descripti ton of the accident and escape in his
| own words:
| {" was in the carding.r room with the Sc
cond overseer, lighting up. 1t was five or
| ten minutes before s O'Clock, and we has got
few burners lighted. Suddenly l heard a
noise-it sounded like loud, laundering
| crash over my head, and looking up saw
| the shafting coming down upon US, all over
| the roam. l could not account Tor it, and
| was terrified. ] stood nailed to the spot, and
| did not seem to have power to move, although
| l knew the building was coming Onme. Then
| | heard the overseer shout, and tried to jump
out of the rubbish, but omething struck
me, and was thrown senseless. did not
remain so long, but when l came to, found
myself buried in the rubbish, and didn't ex-
pect to get out alive. l was all covered
over with blood, from wounds on the face.
finally crawled up, and got to the top, and
found lot of ruins hanging over me, which
| like to have taken my life. But | succeeded 10
getting out. l passed by dead girl on my
way, and two other mangled bodies before l
got out. When | was first knocked down, l
fell beneath large grinding stone, which
was too heavy to give way to the weight
above, and this saved my life. When fell
under there, l saw the walls over me all
falling, and the floor giving way all around
me-"
Ward found his wife at the city hal, where
she had been conveyed after being extricat-
ed, and neither were much injured.
Statement of Alderman MelOin.
He was at work in the repair shop,and the
first intimation he had of the approaching
calamity was the rafting of particle against
the window, and the appearance OF cloud
of dust and lime coming in through the
| broken panes. His first impression was, that
the boiler bad burst, and he started for the
door, When he got out he could see no.
thing at first for the cloud ofsmoke, but soon
observed men, women, and children, crawling
out from the ruias, covered with blood. He
saw two women issuing from the basement,
|
said, "Do not help me; there are others in
here" He went in under the ruins beneath
the projecting roof, about two rods, on his
| hands and knees land found man wedged be-
tween two looms, and large shaft lying on
his back.
He saw that he could not BE- got out with
out tools. He procured monkey-wrench,
and, by taking the loom apart extricated the
man, who went on his way rejoicing. tie
proceeded to the next loft and saw one
| Perkins trying to get, out, but was unable
to do SO, being wedged between two plank
frames laid across his hips. Mr.. Melvin
could not find an axe nearer than at his
| home; but ran thither quickly, and on re-
turning released the man by cutting the
plank.
Statement of Mr.. Dana.
| The first intimation most of the operatives
| had was the swaying of the walls of the
whole building. Then the falling commen-
| ced at one end, and the whole mass gradual
| ly settled; the majority OF the operatives
| running towards the safer end of the edifice.
| The walls Tell outward, but the roof fell in
the shape of V, allowing an almost unob-
| structed passage on each side OF the mill
along the basement, through which many es-
capped.
The Cause Of the Accident.
II is stated that while the building in
| course of construction it was discovered that
II was in secure The wall had been honey
combed with windows, unsurpassed by an ad-
eouate thickness of wall, until the imminent
naril of the whole structure became so mani
fast that the work was instantly suspended.
1t was determined to brace the bullying
wall with pistes of iron and several Thousand
Of these mechanical appliances were accord.
ingly introduced, at points which appeared
the most perilous. The mill was then cemplet-
ed. An immense weight OF machinery was
nut mon each loor OF the building. Some
seven hundred looms were run year since,
and others had been recently added; the ag-
gregate burden being greater than common
prudence or a decent regard for the safety
of thousand operatives would have war
ranted. The true cause of the disaster, now