#OnThisDay January 10, 1860 the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, MA collapsed, becoming the worst industrial accident in Massachusetts history. Between 90 and 145 people were killed and another 166 were injured. The mill was five stories high and was built by the Essex Company before being sold to George Howe and David Nevins in 1857 who put even more machines in the factory to boost profits. At the time of the collapse, the mill turned a profit of $1.5 million a year for its owners. When it collapsed, the mill had 800 workers, mostly women and children, inside. Rescuers helped more than 200 people out of the building, but between 9:30-10pm a lantern held by a rescuer broke and a fire broke out in the rumble. It was reported at the time that 14 people were burned to death as a result. A jury found architect Charles Bigelow responsible for the collapse because he allowed malformed cast-iron columns to be used. However he argued the original owners were at fault and he just used the material they provided. In the end, he did not go to prison, and no one received any sort of punishment for the disaster. #CornellRAD #LaborArchives #LaborHistory #ArchivesOfInstagram #KheelCenter #ILRSchool #LaborRights #Strikes #WorkingWednesday #PembertonMill #Massachusetts @Cornell_Library @CornellILR @ILRSchool @CornellTextileIndustry @CornellFashionCollection https://www.instagram.com/p/CnPgTYcu7I5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=