The Pemberton Mill Collapse | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- "On the 10th of January, 1860, workers at the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, heard a deafening rumbling sound..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Background
03:06 - The Pemberton Mill Collapse
08:21 - The Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
SOURCES:
► "Disaster in Lawrence: The Fall of the Pemberton Mill" by Alvin F Oickle, published by History Press, June 2008. Link: www.google.co.uk/books/editio...
► "The Fall of the Pemberton Mill" published by the Boston Journal, April 1886. Available via: timesmachine.nytimes.com/time...
► "An authentic history of the Lawrence calamity" published by John J Dyer and Company, 1860. Available via: archive.org/details/authentic...
► "Horrible Calamity: Falling of the Pemberton Mills at Lawrence, Massachusetts" published by the New York Times, January 1860. Link: www.nytimes.com/1860/01/11/ar...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
Over on my other channel, I read a handful of the many stories that emerged in the days after the Pemberton Mill collapse. Here's a link if you want to give them a listen: ua-cam.com/video/xM7y7KcxibU/v-deo.html
Amazing stories!
That poor man who dropped his lamp must have felt horrible. He was just trying to help, with the resources of the time.
Yeah if it wasn't him it would've just been someone or something else that started all that oily debris on 🔥 fire God rest there souls.
I hope he managed to find peace, but I imagine he probably had nightmares the rest of his life.
As soon as I heard the words “oil lamp” I knew where this story was going. It must been horrible.
@@alanbear6505indeed, that was never going to end well unfortunately.
@MrTruehoustonian I've worked in textiles before. I was a weaver, and ran a "loom" that would produce denim just like this factory. Cotton dust is very very flammable. It would build up around the loom and just the heat from the motor running was enough to engulf the loom and it would bounce from loom to loom within seconds. Our "warps" of thread were treated with a sticky substance to reduce breakage that was also flammable. Even in the 21st century, textiles are very flammable
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" That poor man trying to rescue people lived that to its most horrific meaning
If you think that’s bad, there was a plane crash in Albuquerque with bodies strewn everywhere. A witness decided to “help”… by taking all the bodies’ valuables and collecting them in one place, making identification almost impossible. Why’d he do this? So nobody would steal the victims’ wallets.
Unfortunately cotton mills had all the conditions to go up like matchstick factories at the slightest spark because the cotton was dry, flammable, and EVERYWHERE. It's functionally the same reason the Triangle Shirtwaist factory went up in flames so rapidly. With the building already being in ruins, everything would have been even closer together which makes it easy for flames to jump from debris pile to debris pile. If it hadn't been his lamp, something else would have done it.
Being trapped in a collapsed building would be one of my worst nightmares. Couldn’t imagine if it then caught on fire and not having a way to move. RIP
Shades of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire!
Welcome to Gaza, 2024.
@@pangorban1and Israel, for the past 40 years, when Hamas launches rockets indiscriminately at innocent people who didn't do anything to them, who weren't settlers, who just live in their own home.
World Trade Center...9/11
It’s happened in the aftermath of a couple of tornadoes. The one most remembered is the 1936 Gainesville, GA tornado.
08:50 Ah. Another for the "original builders knew about shoddy construction" pile as well as the sadly far bigger "no one was ever held accountable" pile. Unsurprising.
And an answer to "if I build it to myself and I'm the only one who'll be using it, then why shold the Government need to approve or check anything?"...
Still happens to this day. Everybody hoping to save a few bucks.
Laws are for the poor and workers, the rich can do whatever they want...to this very day.
Original builders knew and as by magic forgot to say this before and after the sale too it seems
Don't you love unregulated capitalism?
Not even Fascinating Horror's meticulously considerate and thoughtful retelling can lessen the excruciating nightmare that this whole ordeal was. One of the most horrifying incidents by all accounts.
My thoughts exactly. I think this is the most dreadful of all Fascinating Horror's videos I've seen.
Agreed, this is one of the few stories that actually made me tear up.
Agreed.
This was a really grim one.
Greed and corruption inevitably leads to tragedy and the innocent suffer.
No apparent corruption in this one.
@@pseudotasuki deliberately built the factory using substandard materials and then failed to tell the new owners. Classic corruption and greed.
@@pseudotasukian individual who knowingly builds something with substandard materials and with no regard to those who will be working inside it is a clear definition of corruption.
@@saragrant9749 The materials were fine for the building they were used in. The collapse occurred because the second owner overloaded the structure.
It's still happening today.😔
I like how this channel covers stuff that you haven't seen countless times elsewhere so it mostly seems new to me
What you are essentially saying is that Big Brother doesn't tell you things that he doesn't want you to know. 😮
I agree, I had never heard of this one before. I watch a lot of disaster stories, but Fascinating often finds stories I have never heard of before.
@@joekulik999 ???? The sources for this story are easily googleable (and it has a page on Wikipedia.) Nobody is "hiding" this story. What he is saying is that history is overlooked and forgotten--not because of Big Brother, but just because of everything that has replaced it. Indeed, it is impossible to know everything that has happened in history.
Dark Records did a video on it about a year ago. I had not heard of it before then.
FH is a leader in these topics, many of the stories he covers are covered again after his videos. The problem with this genre is viewers of this channel also subscribe to others who do the same type of things, and they suggest to the other channels to do the subjects FH has already covered...
There are some things about the way these 19th century mill buildings were constructed that your viewers may not be aware of. First off, the walls were the primary structural support for the building. Constructed of brick and mortar, the walls were thickest at the base and became thinner in cross section with each additional upper floor. Floor supports were thick wooden cross beams (typically oak) anchored to the outer walls. The iron column supports shown in the photographs were primarily intended to keep the support beams from sagging toward their centers. This scheme worked fine as long as the iron support columns between each floor were located in line on top of each other, such that the upper floor loads directly transmitted to the basement level (assuming you viewed the building from an end-on cross section). If the support columns weren't aligned with each other, it's likely they would do as much harm as good.
The next thing you'll want to know, is that all of the wooden flooring and support structures in these buildings were treated with creosote as a preservative. While creosote is an excellent wood preservative, it is extremely flammable, even when left to soak into wood and dry out for 100 years. (Ref. Massachusetts Mills fire, Lowell Mass., circa 1985.)
You'll also remember the date was 10 January 1860, a couple of decades before electric lighting was invented. In addition to being cold outside, it was also dark by 4:30pm. Sunrise at that time of year in New England occurs around 7:30am, and sunset at around 4:00pm. At best, the light out of doors would have been a waning dusk. The only lighting inside that factory would have come from oil lamps.
To conclude, on that early evening in 1860, we had a collapsed tinder box with 100's of people trapped under it, and it would have contained more than a few lit oil lamps. This puts the lie to the story of a rescuer's lantern 'accidentally' starting the fire. In reality, the fire was inevitable.
Good job. I just wish your pieces on this channel were longer, with more detail.
Nice detailed info...as far as the guy dropping the lamp...you'd be surprised ( or maybe not ) how many of these people watching this would just believe it all without question.....we've become largely a nation of blind sheep .
Interesting! I always appreciate extra explanation of structural flaws. Without any construction or engineering background, you wouldn’t realize there was any problem with the way it was built
Great explanation of the construction, thank you! It made it really easy to visualise what the building would have looked like.
Giving credence to the safety engineer's phrase, "Our policies are written in blood."
@@littlebear2742nded great explanation for laymen
I grew up in Lawrence. Many of the mills are still there. Some have been renovated to be apartments or serve other functions. Some are still in use today as a factory.
I think the jury is still out on ghosts but I wouldn't want to live in a building where something tragic had happened.
@@julierobinson3633 Well when you think about it, in the past many people died at home in their sickbed, and many workers died on the job of natural and manmade causes, so every old building (and most newer ones) has probably had someone die in it. It's almost unavoidable unless you never go into any buildings.
I would like to thank FH for covering many of the tragedies that occurred in my home of Massachusetts. While most of us have generally heard about the Cocoanut Grove Fire and the Great Molasses Flood, events like the Pemberton Mill Collapse and the Summer Street Bridge Disaster are virtually forgotten. Thank you for reminding us of the history in our midst.
Agreed. As someone who has never lived there, I appreciate him covering the history I have never had a chance to learn.
seconding this as someone who's from New Hampshire. considering we don't have much going for us in terms of recognizability, Massachusetts is more or less home as well
While watching this video I thought they had done a fantastic job in rescuing the trapped victims until they accidentally started a fire. A tragedy atop a tragedy. 😟
Thanks for that, now I don't have to watch the video
@macdietz Here's a tip: if you go spoiler hunting in the comments every time, you don't have to watch ANY of the videos on UA-cam!
Why bother seeking sexual partners when you can achieve the same results alone?@@BronwenMcLaren
@@BronwenMcLarenLol!
@@macdietzHey if you're reading the comments before watching the video, you're probably not very bright. 😂
This is so tragic for everyone involved. Not only for the people that were ultimately doomed when the fire began, but also for the man who accidentally started the fire. He wanted to help but ultimately doomed them all
just gut wrenching to heat the stories of the rescuers just having to watch and listen to those they were about to save burn to death. Living nightmare. All involved must've been so traumatized 😢
It's kinda hard to feel bad for him, when SO many people died because of his carelessness.🤷
I know for sure the trauma witnesses and survivors must had, it's similar to the Hotel Regis fall in the Mexico City earthquake in 1985. I was 16, a saw the fallen building, smelled the human flesh burning with the fire and the screaming people trapped under the debris. That, and the smell of corpses in an collapsed building behind my high school is something I never will forget.
Oh no! I'm so sorry 💔
I understand as well. You never ever forget those sights and smells (most people don’t think about the smells unless they’ve actually experienced it first hand).
I am from Oklahoma City.
100's of years later and greed still rules.. I believe there was a factory collapse in Bangladesh that mirrored this one but with couple thousand more hurt and many more dead..
Yeah, funny how some things never change, isn't it?
Greed endures. I think you're thinking of Rana plaza.
Yeah that was Rana Plaza. There was also a mall in South Korea that collapsed.
The saddest thing about how these things are still happening is that the changes in technology and population growth mean that the buildings often pack far more people inside them than they could have in 1840. Sometimes it feels like all we've done is made it easier for corporations to kill even more of their employees.
@@princessmarlena1359 Yes I remember that too,all because of improperly placed air conditioning units and extra floors without a permit..
It's these kind of tragedies that haunt me, knowing you can hear and see people perish but can't do anything about it. I couldn't imagine having to hear people screaming and then just going silent as the flames grow.
This tragic story had one of the worst feelings of impending doom ever. Add the time of this disaster, before health and safety was taken seriously, the way the mill was built, extra machinery and workers that the building could not hold, it was beyond shocking. And then there was the fire. The terrible fate that the trapped victims suffered, does not bear thinking about. RIP to all the victims
A few years ago, I worked up around Lawrence doing tree work for the city. I would drive past this building all the time, but never knew about this accident. Shame it is not better remembered in the wider world.
Very few such events tend to be remembered after three or four generations.
I've found that your voice is very therapeutic. Such awful happenings being narrated your way make for a special kind of experience. Its become a really nice staple on these early mornings. God bless yall.
Unfortunately, it takes me a few times to attempt to watch these bc I watch these before going to sleep, and oh boy, his voice is way too soothing 😂
@@DavePainkiller yes sir same here. His book readings are also excellent for sleep says me.
I can't quite identify the accent of the guy though. Where is he from?
@@westtnskirmishlog6820Wait, what book readings ? I would love to hear him narrate some books.
I find as long as I'm not already tired it actually helps me to focus a lot on the details too. He uses quite simple, matter-of-fact language and his voice is so easy to listen to that there's really no barriers to understanding exactly what he's trying to convey. I tried a couple of videos from a channel about cave exploring disasters that clearly uses ChatGPT or something to write the script and it was like back in the day when people relied too much on a thesaurus, I was constantly having to backtrack to figure out what the hell he was talking about. After having watched the entire backlog of FH videos it was extremely frustrating in comparison.
not sure how many survivors and the rescuers suffered extreme PTSD from this incident, it is super horrifying to went through.
I'd imagine, how could they not? The saddest thing about those rescuers who suffered PTSD after this: PTSD wasn't well known at the time, and they may have ended up in a mental institution, which faced awful treatment and conditions. It's a tragedy on many levels.
Yeah, I was just thinking that the survivors guilt must’ve been terrible.
How many people were basically disabled due to PTSD, survivors guilt, anxiety, etc?
And disfiguring burns
PTSD wasn't normal back then, like it is now. They dealt with it and moved on, they didn't cry about it like ppl do now.
@@lgaines4086Exactly. No generational trauma or other made up conditions of laziness either.
Very unfortunate and sad. Thank goodness for this Channel though,seeing it go from a mere 10k subs to now 1 mil is insane to see
Hey it's the Lord!
Congrats on 1M subs bro - quality content every time
The screams and it’s horrifying that one by one it gets quieter and quieter. You’re just a spectator at this point. I can’t imagine the victims pain but I can’t even fathom the rescuers they couldn’t do anything but watch.
It’s telling how hopeless and helpless in this fire is.
I always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH
I'm always awake as it's my first day off after my work week and constantly forgetting and then being surprised by a video from FH is so nice every time!
I watch most of your videos regularly, this one was possibly one of the most distressing situations I have ever heard of. Absolutely tragic situation on all counts. Keep these coming m8, these poor people in your video's deserve to be remembered and the lessons must not be forgotten. Thank you for the respect shown in all your vids. Kind regards jonny b
We appreciate how well you articulate your insights. You'll always have our support.
Bot. You comment the same thing every video.
@@MisterRawgersnot just this one but Almost every video now there are these bots commenting with nothing to do with the video. Must be a reason.
Having lived in Massachusetts most of my life, I can recall at least 3 large mill fires in my hometown alone. In the 70s and 80s it seemed to be a common occurrence.
As much as we hate the tragic event that inspire such videos, I have come to look forward to said vids. Thanks know it may be selfish, but it helps keep me in check. Especially because it help me from pitying myself when life goes in the wrong direction seemingly. Reminds me that things can ALWAYS be worse. Much worse.
Honestly I'd say that's the opposite of selfish
But always remember: it's not a competition. You're allowed to feel upset, even if it could be worse. Just remember to move forward, because you can. After you've purged the feelings.
Be upset, cry a bit, then take a deep breath, remember you're not stuck in a collapsed building/earthquake/watery cave/what-have-you, and keep on keeping on~ ❤❤
@@ScorpioncactusflowerI think your second paragraph is exactly what Gary was saying !
When I watched your video yesterday with accounts of the disaster, I had assumed the fire broke out naturally amongst the rubble. That it was an accident of a rescuer makes it doubly heartbreaking. I can't imagine how he felt.
Even though many of these videos have similar thrulines of cause and effect, please keep making them. This history, and these people's lives, is too easily lost and deserves to be remembered with the respect you give it.
'Nobody faced any legal consequences' which is why for the following 200 years corporations continue to put profit before everything else.
Capitalism is trash
As a native of New Hampshire (the state to the north of Massachusetts) thank you for covering lesser known disasters like this. It’s nice to know our history is being valued as much as that of more famous parts of the country.
I grew up in Andover, next door to Lawrence. This is the history I grew up with. The public school system repeatedly taught us about the development of the mills as well as immigrant labor, the growth of unions and labor rights, etc. There's a great NPS museum in Lowell dedicated to this industrial history. Meanwhile I remember visiting various mills in Lawrence when they were repurposed for various commercial and office uses. Andover also had several mills (along the Shawsheen River), as do many, many towns in Massachusetts. My mother lives out in Central Mass. and driving around, every town you hit there's a river and at least one mill. Most of them are out of commission, and while some of have be rehabbed to other users, some are ruins.
New Bedford and Fall River MA on the south shore also had huge mill buildings and Pawtucket RI.
If this was fiction, like a "disaster movie" I'd think it far-fetched. I actually cried. Thanks and kudos as always
Oh, this happened really close to where I grew up. I've visited a mill just like this. The machines are horrifically loud. Can't even imagine how terrible it was to work in one of these
There's a horrible similarity to a lot of the vids i've seen on the channel. There's a tragedy, often forseeable, many dead, culprits identified, culprits then go on to face no consequences..... A depressing lack of justice.
I couldn't sleep so this new video was a nice surprise but wow, this is just heartbreaking.
I live in Haverhill, next door to Lawrence. We’ve been through this area a lot and had no idea this happened there! What a heartbreaking tragedy
This is such a quality channel. Good information. No hyperbole. Always handled with respect. Good pacing and relevant visuals. Just good quality work. Thank you for your work.
I live for these videos. You do such an amazing job at story telling. I’ve watched every one and learned so much too. I’m from the North East originally and wasn’t aware of the Sunderland theatre tragedy where all the kids died… until I saw your video, and so went to visit the memorial at Mowbray park.
As soon as I heard the words "oil lamp", I was filled with dread. I knew what would happen next. Those poor people.
The invention of electric lighting, including in portable forms like torches/flashlights, has saved so many lives from fires. Something we mostly just take for granted today.
I remember watching the Webbs Bait Farm explosion video you did and was hooked right away. Ive watched all your videos before and after. Def my favorite channel.
Horrible tragedy!! Poor construction and crowded conditions led to this disaster.
After suffering a freak brain rupture and now having to relearn how to walk at 37 I like to watch these episodes for perspective before my therapy sessions.
This is probably the most horrific story I've heard on this channel.
It's always good to see this channel shed light on disasters that have largely been forgotten to time. If we fail to remember them properly, these disasters could very well be repeated today.
I'm in Mass but I haven't been to Lawrence yet. I think they get lots of flooding up there. Thanks for the video!
Even if you had survived this tragedy the scars would remain with you for the rest of your life no doubt
I am always grateful for your powerful remembrances, because time can be cruel to those who have perished so that others can be safer. Thank you.
This is one of the most heart breaking stories to-date. My heart aches for all involved.
I’ve heard this story before and it was a truly horrific event. Thank you for covering it with your usual excellence.
It’s a more widely known story than some of your videos cover, but if you haven’t done a video on the Johnstown Flood, that would be a good one to do!
Damn, imagine how guilty that guy with the lantern felt.
I really appreciate this channel.
You are an incredible storyteller.
I have been driving by the reconstructed mill most of my adult life and never heard this story. Fascinating.
I've lived in Lawrence all my life and never heard of this, mainly because the Malden Mills fire more recent. That took place on December 1995 in Lawrence, Ma . I highly recommend you do a video on this one.
The courage and determination of the woman who pulled herself out is unrivalled.
Coming from Massachusetts it was interesting to know a bit of history about Lawrence. Thank you.
This one humbled my morning real quick.
I appreciate your dedication to quality, FH. A couple of other channels I follow have started rehashing old videos without a [reupload] tag, and their vague titles mean we don't know they're rehashes until we're halfway into the video. You constantly upload quality content without rehashing, and I appreciate that.
The bravery and good nature of these people is evident.
I remember when I first started watching this channel and it had less than 5,000 subscribers, now look at it! Simply amazing! Love the content!
I've been following your channel since your third video, and it absolutely thrills me to see how successful you've been! Thanks for the great content, week after week!
I work in Lawrence and drive by this area on a regular basis. Another great video, my friend
i grew up within the greater Boston area and never heard of this. i even saw that building the other day while taking an Amtrak train into Boston and had laughed to myself about how run down it looked, not even realizing the story behind why it looked so. i suppose to my own credit that isn't out of line with Lawrence nowadays as a whole but still a very interesting piece of local history i somehow never knew. thank you Fascinating Horror, your videos never fail to impress me
I should have posted earlier but - it was 20 years tonight, The Station Nightclub Fire in West Warwick, RI, which I know you've covered here. The Providence Journal has some coverage where you can see the beautiful memorial they have built on the site.
Great content as always! Would you please make a video regarding the Tasman Bridge Collapse that took place in my homeland of Hobart, Tasmania way back in 1975??
Collapse and THEN a fire?? OMG
I have been a subscriber to this channel for some time, but this might be the most horrific of horrors told here.
This is one of the more horrific stories on this channel, and that's saying something having been a long time subscriber.
"So Dave, how did the rescue go? Was that new lamp I gave you any good?"
"Don't ask."
This happened in my state and I’ve never heard of it!! Thank you for covering.
Thanks for the great content! I love watching your videos late at night!
Glad you like them!
I love your channel so much, thank you for all your work on these fascinating stories
Another good video. Thank you.
I'm from the US and never even heard of this. What a sad tragedy.
I never heard of this case before. Really tragic event. You always bring great, well executed and detailed stories 👍👍👍
I just want to say thank you for your videos they are perfectly done and I appreciate the work gone into them!
Another excellent and well researched video.
Thank you for sharing 😊
This channel is goated.🔥 The narration is perfect, its not like these other horror channels talking in a try hard cringey voice.
And he does his homework no lies or tall tales here.
I had never heard of this before. Great video, thanks!
The recent video on your other channel of this tragedy really hit me hard. To hear witness and survivor accounts of what happened is just awful. So many suffered a painful death being trapped and burned alive.
"no one was ever held accountable" is a must when more than 100 people perished...
Brilliance n well researched.
Subpar, more than designed for, packed, early warning signs … these seem to be the themes of most tragedies like this, if not all of them. Disasters of ignorance are heartbreaking. Disasters of willful disregard are just evil.
As always, thank you FH for your sensitive and direct style of reporting. The truth is horrific enough without adding “dramatic effects”.
Well done sir, using the word rapidity.
@Fascinating Horror, as usual, your video was exceptional. I enjoy your content; the setups and context are brilliantly crafted, and you describe the events with dignity and class. What I find most intriguing is the unraveling of how and why tragedies occur. There's always a chain of events leading up to them, and the aftermath of major tragedies often shapes our world.
A small note from someone local - at 0:54, you correctly identified the Merrimack River. However, the photo was taken about 20 miles downstream in Newburyport, right at the river's mouth (you can see the ocean in the background). Newburyport, while historic, is not a mill town like Lawrence or Lowell. It was, however, a key port where goods from those towns were shipped out. It's a great place to visit if you're ever in this part of the world.
Oh what a tragic story! Thanks for letting this sad tail live on, to remind us of our mistakes. Keep up the good work, I love your videos even if most of the content is so sad.
Trouble at mill...
I don't know, I wasn't expecting the Spanish inquisition....
I grew up next to an old scissors factory in Bristol, CT that burned to the ground in the middle of the night in the 60’s! Those old wood structures go up like a matchbook! Terrifying indeed!
Was anyone running w/ scissors? Shame on them if they were
@@jamessimms415 not me! 😂
Thank you for not letting these disturbing disasters pass without notice in the 21st century. If we don't remember history, we will repeat it; all the victims who died will have been in vain.
I think this might be saddest video yet. Those poor people!
“Workplace law is written in the blood of the unfortunate worker”
Hello! Is there a link to all the amazing videos you have created over the years? You are like the best history teacher! I wish I would have learned back in the 70's all the history you have shared! Sure would like to view them all!
Thanks
Michael
Michigan
This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Horrific. I did not know about this one.
And over 150 years later, the same catastrophes still happen, for the same reason, with the same underpaid and overworked employees as victims... I'm thinking of the Rana Plaza collapse, but there were oh-so-many others.
Right? I remember the Rana Plaza video…and the Sampoong Mall.
How horriffic for everyone involved. Those poor people. RIP to all that perished that day.
I love the way you present. Have you heard of the ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) incident 1980 involving the Titan II missile in Damascus, Arkansas? The book and documentary Command and Control illustrate how narrowly a huge man made disaster was avoided.
That intro music tho. Why do I like it so much?!