Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-01-16

frames going down; they disappeared there
are twelve frames in row across the ball, and
they seemed to 90 down all at once the wall
seemed to stand partly firm, and l started to
run north, when the floor gave way under me
and the floor above fell and shut me in the
| second floor seemed to fall before the third,
and it was only by the giving way of the sec
ond floor that the third floor fell don't know
| what weight was on the floor, but there were
| "a frames there; there were ten mules on the
/ floor, and each would weigh about three tons /;
| was in the ruins about half an hour, and did
| not know the walls had fallen until got out ;
the frames did not break through tie floor, but
1 were piled up all about the room saw sort
| of hole about % feet off, and | got there and
crawled out; saw nothing that looked like fire
| and saw no steam think there was girl close
/ by me; she was taken out alive, but | don't
| know how many others got out alive the
| greatest loss of life was in this room; the fly
frames that had been moved that day were
nearly over my head, and it was near there
! that the fall commenced. AT the time of tile
| tall everything was running in good shape;
have worked in many other mills for fourteen
| years, and the motion of this mill was less
! than that have seen in other mills, and
could suggest no alteration in the location of
the machinery which would render the mill
more safe. | never distrusted the strength of
the mill, and never had any fears My floor
never settled to any extent, and the gearing
never needed levoling up
TESTIMONY OF S. w. WYNN
was overseer Of the spinning department
mat department occupied the whole of the
third floor, and part Of the fourth Was in
the third story, near the column on the west
side of the mill, about eighty or ninety feet
from the southerly end. Was looking towards
the north, engaged in starting up a frame, at
the time OF the accident Heard a loud crash.
ana turned entirely around, toward the south.
to see what was the matter Saw two rows of
spinning-frames, twelve in each row. extend
ing across the room, go through the floor. No
tlced no break i'll the wall at that time The
wall scanned to stand firm. AT the moment |
saw the frames disappear, turned around and
started for the cross-alley but the floor gave
way under me, throwing me down. and at the
same time the floor overhead shut me in. The
floor above me did not appear to fall at the
time when the frames disappeared could not
tell about the other portions of that floor Re-
celved no injuries upon my head was con-
scious all the time. Didn't notice that the
walls were falling. 1t was scarcely any time
after see the floor disappearing, before felt
the upper one upon me. Had time to run
about four feet; started Immediately upon see.
ing the frames fall. The number of hands at
work upon the two rows that fell was, should
think, about thirty. Should think the frames
would weigh something like ton and half
each. There were eighty four of them on that
floor; also, ten mules the mules would prob
ably weigh two or three tons a piece Was
not aware that the walls had fallen till after
got out | found myself fastened down by the
lalieh timber lying on my arms found that
the board that held my left arm was broken so
as to be loose enough to allow of working that
arm free. Finally l released my right arm in
the same manner. Made my escape on the
west side of the building, crawling about one
twelfth OF the distance from the west to the
east side. There appeared to be nothing above
me but the floor Of the fourth story That was
about two inches from my head as lay. 1t
was solid and unbrOken, so far as | could
see 1t, excepting small portion at the outer
edge. The timbers and beams of that floor
offered no obstruction while | was crawling
along. Backed out the whole distance. The
noor beneath me appeared to be continuous
surface. 1t was so dark that l could not see
much of anything. Could see the light out
doors-a faint light-through the frame, in a
westerly direction; saw no appearance of light
IN any other part Of the building. Saw moth
ing that looked like fire noticed no escape of
steam.
TESTIMONY OF t. S. WYNN.
the whole OF the second floor and part of the
fourth; was in the fourth story when the
mill fell; the first | noticed was a settling of
the floor behind me, and then great crash;
stood perfectly still, and am certain that the
middle of the mill fell in first the walls were
standing at this time did not see them fall;
l made my own escape from the ruins, and
had to crawl about seven or eight feet; saw
light In the westward direction and made for
1t; there was board and some nails in the
way, and | cleared them away and got out;
the floor was on did not seem to be broken,
and got over it very cleverly; there was ma,
chlnery all around me, and one on my shout
der moved the fly frames alluded to- we
slid them along the floor on rollers, and did
not move them by any purchase on the pillars;
when these frames were moved, there was no
shaking of the building, and the articles which
were moved to make way for the frames would
weigh quite as much as they did we had Just
got done moving these frames when the build
ing fell.
AT the conclusion of this testimony the in.
quest adjourned to 9 o'clock on Monday