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began jumping up and down in excitement. Without warning the runway sagged about 18 inches at the end closest to the bathhouses and the railings gave way under the weight of the boys forced against them. Bathers quickly entered the water to assist those who were struggling under the platform. The manager of a nearby boathouse contacted the police and officers with grappling hooks and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Physicians were also called to resuscitate the victims.
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bathhouse where the accident occurred reported that the lumber in the bathhouses was unsound and recommended that they be condemned. The city's bathhouses never reopened. On August 10, 1913, three of the city's bathhouses, including the one where the children drowned, were destroyed by arson. Police believed that the fires may have been set by one of the parents whose child had died in the disaster.
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June 30 was opening day for
Lawrence's bathhouses. A crowd of 50 to 75 boys were waiting on the runway leading to the municipal bathhouses near the end of McFarlin Court for the city's bathhouse keeper, William Blythe, to return from dinner. Around 2 pm, as Blythe approached, the children reportedly
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Judge J. J. Mahoney held an inquest into the disaster. He found that the accident was caused by inadequate support of the runway and railing and that the accident could have been prevented if the runway had been supported by two ledger boards instead of one. He blamed the drownings on
Battershill,
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One day after the tragedy, the city's commissioner of public property, John O. Battershill, closed all of the city bathhouses. Battershill stated that the bottom timbers of the 18-year old bathhouses had "become water logged and unsafe". Three builders appointed by Mayor
Scanlon to inspect the
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The first three bodies were recovered by two members of the
Lawrence Canoe Club, which was located on the opposite shore. The police recovered the other eight and divers were deployed to look for more, but none were found.
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Henry
Hinchcliffe, a 16-year old who was reported to have rescued 17 boys, was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Bravery and had his college tuition paid for by the
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who was in charge of repairs made to the bathhouse. Battershill resigned shortly after the report was released.
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144:. The city council voted to give the families of the deceased children $ 100 to assist with funeral expenses.
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ruled that a municipality could not be sued for loss of life at a public place of recreation.
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occurred on June 30, 1913, when the railings of a runway leading to a municipal bathhouse in
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Mayor
Michael A. Scanlon ordered the flags on all city buildings to be flown at
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198:"The day 'many happy homes were made silent and sorrowful'"
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Lawrence was sued by several of the parents, but the
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225:"Eleven Boys Drown at Entrance to Bath".
115:gave way and sent 50 to 75 boys into the
317:Man-made disasters in the United States
302:Deaths by drowning in the United States
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307:Disasters in Lawrence, Massachusetts
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196:Volger, Mark E. (June 30, 2013).
119:, causing 11 of them to drown.
109:The Lawrence bathhouse tragedy
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270:"Battershill Has Resigned".
255:"Parents Fire Bathhouses".
157:Massachusetts Supreme Court
94:Collapse of runway railings
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17:Lawrence bathhouse tragedy
240:"Bathhouse Condemned".
113:Lawrence, Massachusetts
46:Lawrence, Massachusetts
272:The Boston Daily Globe
242:The Boston Daily Globe
227:The Boston Daily Globe
292:1913 in Massachusetts
75:42.70000°N 71.16833°W
80:42.70000; -71.16833
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259:. August 11, 1913.
257:The New York Times
164:Carnegie Hero Fund
202:The Eagle-Tribune
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205:. Retrieved
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207:20 February
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53:Coordinates
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170:References
66:71°10′06″W
63:42°42′00″N
142:half-mast
136:Aftermath
38:Location
123:Tragedy
33:2:00 PM
99:Deaths
91:Cause
209:2022
30:Time
22:Date
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217:^
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178:^
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102:11
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