Year: 1879

The CoroNer's Ju'7y Ise1ieve the Contractor
of Responsibility for the Eau of the


V0lls.


The coroner's inquest on the body of
Michael Farrell, who was killed by the fall
ing of the walls of the Galaxy mill was held
at Warmers undertaking room yesterday af-
ternoon.


David T. Abrams, the contractor who had
charge of the rebuilding of the mill was
sworn, testified that he built the mill in
1874, considered the wall up to the time of
the falling to be perfectly safe; thought the
fall was occasionod by tho cutting of hole
in the wall to hold a. .joist plate; do not think
the same thing would have occurred in q
new wall; the wall was about three feet
thick.


Loren Fletcher testified: Am part owner
of the mill where the accident occurred; was
engaged in reconstructing the walls prepar-
atory to rebuilding the mill; have
had the walls examined by experts,
they all stated that the walls We're
perfectly safe; the walls were six feet thick
at the foundation and about two feet at the
top; considered the walls more than safe, as
I intended to put into the mill about
100000.


w. F. Cahill testified: Am part owner in
the mill where the accident occurred; had
left the mill about five minutes before the
accident: the man Farrell who was killed was
cutting hold ten inches wide and six inches
deep the length of the rear wall a plate was
to be put in the hole to hold the joists; the
wall broke just where the man was cutting.


John Devereaux testified he was present in
the centre of the mill at the time the wall fell;
Farrell was taking out an old wall plate prepar
atory to putting in q new one at the time of
the accident; first came to work at the mill
in the morning about 10 o'clock; felt rather
scared at first, but soon got accustomed to
the danger; think the hammering done by
Farrell weakened tho wall; do not think
there was any sound stone in the wall inside
of the building; if the side wall had been
built up to the height that Farrell was work
ing, do not think it would have fallen.


John Hanning testified: Am a laborer; was
at work in the cellar of the building at the
time the wall fell; first saw some stones fall
from the top of the wall and then ran out;
heard several persons say tnat the wall was
dangerous; have worked On the building
about seventeen days and thought myself it
was 'scaly;'' think any wall of that height
in the same condition would be likely to fall.
I CdAueb DJiISo GcSlAu6u: ALL u SIOAo
mason; was employed at the mill at the time
of the accident; was working on the west
side wall near the platform when the alarm
was given, and ran out; when I saw
Fsrr,ll he was near the east end of
the wall cutting out hole; the east
corner of the wall was rather weak;
Farrell was working about twelve feet from
the east corner of the side wall.


Thomas Kivel testified; Was employed in
the mill at the time of the accident; was
carrying mortar when saw stones fall from
the top; did not see the man fall who was
killed.


Michael Welsh testified; Was employed
in the mill at the time of the accident; saw
the bricks in the arch over one Of the win
dows in the sixth story fall out; gave the
alarm that tho wall was falling and ran out
the wall fell about fifteen seconds after the
alarm was given.


The jury returned the following verdict


That Michael Farrell came to his death by
the falling of the rear wall Of the Galaxy mill
on April %, 1879, and We further find from the
testimony that no blame can be attached to the
proprietors of the mill.


The body of the deceased will be buried
this afternoon at 9 O'clock.