The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-17
The Lawrence Calamity.

The Lawrence Calamity.
we subjoin the following additional partic
ulars in regard to the recent disaster in Law
renee, Mass.
TIE coRoNEE's INoUEsT-IMPoRTAxT EyI
| DENCE.
The evidence on the inquest on Friday show
1hat Whatever may have been the careless mes
or ineiiicieney of those actually engaged il
erecting the Pemberton mill, the proprietors
spared no means to render the edifice safe =
Ohe OF he iron pillars which had been broker
was exhibited, and was full! of flaws and blow
hoits, ana ihe assistant engineer stated his be
liei thlt the breaking of one of these inperfec
! p'iiars caused the crash. According 10 tn,
assistant engineer, Mr.. Benjamin Coolidge
| VINO sorefintended the work constaIstiy Will,
tne femherion mills were building under ths
chici engineer of the Essex COMPANY the
| .ouioatton OF the mill was perfect the walls
were suflieIently strong and there was no poss i.
| hiii1y OF the building falling except bv the
nnfeaHing OF the pillars which supported the
| iiooIs, ana ne seems TO have had no yery live.
! ~ aprrehensions that such an event as tha.
We likely TO occur. On this point Mr.. Cool
idge testified Us follows:
always feit uneasy about the iron pillars
| nom Tue Hrsf. and W hen the mill fell l attri-
| o'ted II Ut once To defects in the pillars: the
| "heei pat Is feet from the Pemberton mill:
MechanIcs and others spoke to me more than
Hfiy tines about the water running .hrouyh
| The foundation of the mill but | maid no a.
| sehtlon 10 them, for knew there was no danger
| from III mechanics ard workmrn about a mil
| aIe very lUlid OF crIticising every body's work
except theiF own. anci very impatient Of crifi-
cieih oi their own; long since got in th, hal
oi paying no attention whatever to niasous: IL
WIZ De seen on an intelligent examination of
| OF it. ' ''-'e
luestiou-W What in your opinion caused the
i'iithg OK the mill ! AEswer-I Judge from
WHAT nave learned from the estinony here
'mH Ie'iap!e s.afenents outside, that it was
o"iHs 10 pillar breaking near The centre o:
me inill tc hteak one pillar would have un-
supported an area of iiity-eight by twenty feet
ahd t..e icor tinbers We're abutted together Al
'h''I me great strength OF the floors would
'eEd 10 destroy the walls, when the support
gave way, ana also TO break OFT The pillars
wren once started; il was said that at first
& 'neie was u succession Of cracking noises
nH'ch ran INTO general roar, and have no
uouDt that thc building fell in This vav. tho
mn Is OF Il great width and each pillar bears
'"o i,dfts Oh The weigh, and each wall one
I''i !; thr hoof Went down in one mass and was
not Ofohen ut all; after lhe first lot OF pillars
came, 1 examined every pillar as they Gang:
Gld not rap them all over with 4 hammer
ual,N IL was my duty to cause some person to
40 1t; II was impossible for me do ii: gave
more examination TO the pillars than [ would
ii they had been made by our own contractor
referring 10 the defect il The iron pillars the
Boston Herald says:
That this was the cause of the downfall
seems proba bic enough ~ any one who saw the
fragment of a pillar which, was produced be-
me second story. and it bctrays in its fractur-
ed state the most iamentabe in tertection and
weakness. Il is about The most IMPERFECT
fi'tt Oh ensuing We ever suW, and can We'll
imagine that the founder OF them could afford
To cast them for eighth of q cent less uer
ponnd fnan another company. Itwou,d seem
ii"i' an Inspection OF this miserable piece y.
casting that its core was sagged down TO one
slce on account of too soft moulding sand and
iiat me core was separated in the middle
thai diaphrashm was formed across the in
tenor OF the column. One side OF the pilIar
was, IN some places, almost It's thin as n Eafer
ana a slight blow from a hammer would have
crhsheo IL ike an egg-shell. 1t may be shown
'h2t he pillars brought down the house but
mere VIII oe weak points enough detected in |
tle buliding before the inquest is through.
Nr. Putnam appears to have spared no ey- |
pense, and to have fully believed that the |
pudding was secure but there is a RESPONSE |
hiity solaeW here, and we think The jury Will |
lts Ten II IN the right place. About a dozen
witnesses are Yet to be examined several OF |
whom were in the mill when it fell. We have |
hfaTd now the building was put up, and we
sItli now learn now IL came down.
THE LATEST ACCoV NrS.
LAWRENCE, Mass, jan. 1.-THE remains OF |
Mary Barrett, aged % and Catharine Sweeney.
aSed -, Were discovered in the ruins to-day. |
Both bodies We're nearly consumed by lire
Four additional bodies were also found, but
they cannot be recognized.
There are now five parts of bodies at the
eity haii, iWo OF which are utterly uurecog-
~AEN'',''' NC tttstl iilitr c3t only De rGCOg-
niZed l., tae shTe,ls OF their clothing One OF
the latter is the whole trunk Of Il woman's
body.
GA the night of the accident the daughter of
James Bannen, ten years old, I,enIed fast
III the ruins when the flames broke ont See. |
ing there was no escape for her. she took her
que biii from her pocket, and handed it to an
other girl who was near her. and said ssTou
Will be saved. l will not. Give this TO my
poor, dear father, and bid him goodbye for
me- |
The Lawrence Sentinel makes the number
ii dead SO; missing IU7-totai 2U6; badly
wounded 1896 slightly wounded 100.