Structural failure from design flaws and overloading
Deaths
88 – 145
Non-fatal injuries
166
The Pemberton Mill was a large textiles factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts, originally built in 1853. On January 10, 1860, at around 4:30 PM, a section of the building suddenly collapsed, trapping several hundred workers underneath the rubble, in what has been called "the worst industrial accident in Massachusetts history"[1] and "one of the worst industrial calamities in American history."[2] Of the hundreds crushed under the wreckage, an estimated 88[3] to 145 of them were killed instantly, and 166 were removed, albeit critically injured.[4]
Following the incident, as search-and-rescue efforts continued in an effort to locate survivors or bodies, a volunteer's handheld oil lamp was accidentally knocked, spilling its burning oil onto the wreckage; a massive fire soon enveloped the site, preventing the rescue of many potential survivors. The blaze spread quickly, due to the mill containing a large amount of lumber, as well as chemical-laden machinery and the large amounts of cotton, denim, flannel, and other flammable materials produced therein.
Investigators attributed the disaster to substandard construction that was then drastically overloaded with second-floor equipment, all evident and preventable. The event was cited in improvements to industrial construction and workplace safety. The mill was soon rebuilt in place.
^"Pemberton Mill Collapse, 1860". Celebrate Boston. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
^"Disaster in Lawrence: The Fall of the Pemberton Mill, by Alvin F. Oickle". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
^Date, Terry. "The walls trembled, then fell: Lessons from the Pemberton disaster". The Eagle Tribune. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^"THE FALL OF THE PEMBERTON MILL". The New York Times. April 18, 1886.
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