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We copy the larger portion of the document: The Jury find that the foundation walls of said mill were in every respect sufficient, and that the fall of the mill aforesaid can in no way be ascribed to any settlement of the foundation walls, or the brick piers supporting the lower floor, timbers being the basis upon which the cast iron shoring rests, or to weakness or insufficiency in either the foundation walls or piers. The Jury find that the brick used in the con- struction of said mill is of fair quality, suitable for such a structure; that the mortar used is a fair quality of lime mortar, such as is ordinarily used in the construction of mill buildings; that the bricks were well laid; that the beams, planks, boards and all other lumber used in and about said mill at the time of its construction, were of good quality; and that the entire woodwork was done ac- cording to directions given, in a faithful and work- manlike manner. The Jury find that the brick walls of said mill were unusually thin for a mill of such height, length and breadth; that the spaces of brick wall above and below the windows in said mill were unusually small; that the length of span from one support to another, under the floor timbers, as well as the distance from one floor timber to another, was greater than in other mills; yet, although the Jury find that in these re- spects the mill was not the best ever constructed for bearing the greatest possible weight upon the floors, they do not, from any evidence before them adduced, feel satisfied that the mill, in consequence thereof, was insecure or unsafe had the mill in every other respect been sufficiently strong, and had the inner supports of the different floorings been of a character and quality capable of sustaining with safety the great weight which each one was naturally expected to bear, increased as it necessarily was by the length of span of floor timbers and the distance from one floor timber to another. The Jury find that the inner supports in said mill were cast iron pillars, with cast iron pintles beneath, and cast iron plates above each pillar, resting upon a cast iron plate upon the top of a brick pier. Below the lower floor stood a cast iron pintle, sixteen inches long and three inches in diameter, upon the top of each pintle is cast a flange, seven inches in diameter and one and one-eighth inches thick, the lower side of the pintle flange being above the floor timbers, which timbers, in the lower floor, had their bearing directly upon the iron plates and brick piers below. Upon the upper surface of this pintle flange rested the hollow cast iron pillar, twelve feet long, and intended to be six inches in diameter at its base, by five-eighths of an inch thick, supporting the second floor. Upon this pillar rested a circular cast iron plate, twelve inches in diameter by one and one-half inches thick, supporting two sections of the timber in the floor next above, each of which two sections of floor timber were joint, bolted together, and cut out sufficiently at the ends to receive between them another pintle of the same dimensions as before, hav- ing its bearing on the centre of the circular plate beneath. Upon the top of the second pintle, another pillar of smaller dimensions rested, with its circu- lar plate, upon which rested the floor timbers of the third floor; this same system of support or shor- ing being carried to the upper story of the mill, where the pillars were solid, three inches in diameter, and directly sustained the roof. The Jury find that this system of shoring is in itself objectionable, because so many different surfaces of cast iron are presented one to another, which of course tends, in a greater or less degree, to the insecurity of the shoring. Yet they find that it is in some localities used and adopted, and if the different parts are cast in a proper manner, and of suitable dimensions, with the surfaces properly trued and fitted one to another, they see no reason to distrust its stability. The Jury find that the cast iron pillars erected in this mill were outrageously defective, some of them being upon one side only one-eighth of an inch in thickness; others bearing conclusive evidence of a want of sharpness in the material at the time of casting, and nearly all of them exhibited a reckless disregard and inexcusable negligence on the part of the founder, in not providing a proper fastening of the core, which proper fastening was was necessary to prevent a floating of the core, and consequently an unequal distribution of the molten iron. They also find that the pillars exhibited on the one side an insufficiency of material, upon the other side lack a corresponding excess to make the pillars in thickness what by contract was agreed upon. The Jury find that these pillars were cast at the Eagle Iron Foundry, in West Boston, in our county of Suffolk, under a contract made by J. PICKERING PUTNAM with one ALBERT FULLER, then acting as con- tracting agent for one JOHN C. WOODS, supposed to have been the proprietor of the same, both of whom now residing out of the Commonwealth, the jury were unable to personally examine. The jury are unable to find what, if any, test was applied or ordered by said FULLER or WOODS to determine whether or not these pillars were in any way defective; yet they are satisfied either that no reliable test was applied by the founder or those in his employ, or that the pillars were sent from the foundry with a knowledge of their defective condition, rendering them in the highest degree insecure and incapable of sustaining the ordinary weight that pillars of like dimensions are generally expected to bear with the most perfect safety. The Jury find that at the time of the delivery of these pillars at Lawrence, and previous to their erection, no test of the same was ordered by the engineer superintending the construction, nor was any applied. An inspection was made by order of the superintending engineer, for the purpose of discovering any defects externally appearing. From the fact that so many pillars so very defective were actually erected in the mill, the jury are satisfied that the inspection so made was very slight, or if thorough, entirely useless, and unsatisfactory. The jury do not find that it is the general custom to test iron pillars previous to their erection; yet where, as in this case, they were contracted for by the piece, and not by the pound, where, in handling the first lot delivered, one broke and was found defective, irrespesctive of any established custom, the jury find that the pillars were not properly tested at the time of their delivery at Lawrence, and before their erection. The jury find that where iron supports in a mill are necessarily exposed to a vertical pressure so great, when security of floor, roof and walls are so immediately dependent upon the supports between each floor, where the loss of life must necessarily be so great, should the iron supports give out dur- ing working hours, no custom, however long estab- lished or however generally sustained by eminent engineers and architects, can excuse a want of extraordinary care in thoroughly testing the suf- ficiency of those supporters upon the strength and stability of which so much depends. The Jury find that the cast iron pintles, before mentioned and described, were entirely insufficient for the purpose assigned them; that each lower pin- tle, provided that the weight of the machinery, mate- rials, &c., on all the floors except the lower one, was equally distributed, was obliged to sustain at least twenty-five tons, while the breaking weight of the same pintle was not far from forty-five tons, and the breaking weight of the pillar resting on the the pintle was not less than one hundred and ninety tons. Considering that it is highly improbable that the weight on these upper floors ever was or would be exactly distributed, that increased weight was from time to time naturally exerted upon different pillars from the moving of machinery and accumula- tion, at times, of material manufactured in part or whole, the margin for security allowed was in- excusably in sufficient; and the Jury have no hesitation in saying, that if the pillars had in every respect been properly cast, that the pintles were insufficient, and the structure consequently unsafe. The Jury have been unable to find in the hands of any persons accurate patterns of the pillars and pintles cast for the mill aforesaid; and from all the evidence adduced before them, they find that this plan or system of pintle shoring was suggested to MR. CHARLES H. BIGELOW by MR. J. PICKERING PUTNAM, then a part owner as well as financial agent for the other proprietors of the mill. That the same cast iron shoring, previous to its erection, was exhibited to and adopted and approved by MR. BIGELOW, then civil engineer of the Essex Company, by whom this structure was built, he at the time acting as superintendent of the entire construction, and making all contracts on the part of said company in relation to its construction. The Jury find that this mill was erected in 1853, by the Essex Company, for MR. JOHN A.LOWELL and other proprietors they agreeing to pay said Essex Company the actual cost of construction upon a five years credit; that said proprietors, during the erection of said mill, were represented by MR. J. PICKERING PUTNAM, and that, by virtue of an understanding between the contracting parties, the said proprietors had the right, if they saw fit to exercise it, to make necessary purchases and enter into any contracts concerning the erection and con- struction of said mill; yet the Jury find that, al- though said right or privilege was at times exer- cised by said proprietors, through MR. PUTNAM, their agent, that in no case was any material furnished, or plan, model, or system adopted, without previous consultation with, and approval by, MR. BIGELOW, then superintending the structure. The Jury further find that, from all the evidence adduced before them, they do not believe that the owners of said mill, at the time of the demolition, ever had had reason to distrust its security. The Jury further find that the fire originating after the fall of said mill, was caused by the accidental breaking of a lantern in the hands of some person to them unknown, at the time actually engaged in aiding, assisting and rescuing sufferers then alive and beneath the flooring of the mill. Upon all of which several findings the Jury deter- mine and say that the direct cause of the fall of this mill was the weakness and insufficiency of the cast iron shoring. That the thinness of the brick walls, and their manner of construction, the length of span from one support to another, beneath the floor timbers, as well as distance from one floor timber to another, were additional causes, and aided in the general demolition of the building. That so far as actual defects in the cast iron pillars existed, the responsibility rests upon ALBERT FULLER, the former contracting agent and foreman of the Eagle Iron Foundry, then at West Boston. That upon CHARLES H. BIGELOW, being the architect as well as superintendent of this structure, rests all responsibility arising from an insufficient test of said pillars and from any and every defect, weak- ness and insecurity apparent in and about the general construction of said building. That the walls were laid under his supervision; that the timbers and floorings were in every respect constructed and lo- cated as he originally designed; that the inner sup- ports of cast iron, previous to erection had his approval, and were by him adopted as in all parts safe and secure; that such inspection as he required was given to the iron pillars; and that any want of skill in designing, any error of judgment in approv- ing or adopting, any want of due care and caution in properly testing the different portions of the structure on his part appearing, to that extent rendered him responsible for the direful catastrophe involving the deaths of these twenty-two human beings. In witness whereof the said Coroner and Jurors to this inquisition have set their hands and seals this second day of February, in the year above said. (Signed) Wm. D. Lamb, Coroner Wm. H. P. Wright, J. H. Dana, Leonard Stoddard, Edward Page, L. F. Creesy, S. P. Simmons ===========================================================================