Gray's Mill, Ancoats

in Pollard Street, Ancoats, Manchester

Also known as Ancoats Mill

General

1818 'Wednesday the 2d instant, VIOLENT and RIOTOUS ATTACKS were made upon the MILL of Messrs. Gray and called Ancoats Mill, Pollard-street, Manchester and that there is reason to believe the same had been preconcerted, and was the result of wicked plan to destroy the Property of the said Messrs Gray and Co.....'

The mill is shown on Bancks's 1831 map as 'Gray's Cotton Mill, on the S.E. side of Pollard Street. Directly across the road was the Soho Foundry of Peel, Williams and Co, which itself was adjacent to the Ashton Canal. A branch taken off the canal passed under Pollard Street to run alongside the end of Gray's Mill. The branch then took two right angle bends, and ended close to Pollard Street, thereby serving James Kennedy's mill which stood on Great Ancoats Street. The branch canal and Pollard Street enclosed an area of land measuring about 130 yds by 110, solely occupied (in one corner) by the mill.

The 1849 O.S. map shows the slightly enlarged mill still as the sole occupant of the land. Three engine houses and two boiler houses are shown. James Kennedy's mill is shown as Caledon Mill

1849 Listed as James and John L. Gray, cotton spinners, 2 Pollard Street

1881 Mill offered for sale as a going concern. See below.

1882 Plant and machinery offered for sale. See below.

1891 'Gray's Mill, Ancoats, is being converted by private enterprise into homes of decent character for labourers, and this work is approaching completion.'

Structural Collapse, 1847

'About one-half of a shed which in 1844 was erected as an addition to the mill of Messrs. J. and J. L. Gray, Pollard-street, fell on Monday morning last, at twenty-minutes past ten, and buried in the ruins, three of the six young women who were at work in the shed as jack-frame tenters. Two of them were got out without sustaining much injury, but the third, a married woman, named Elizabeth Coupe, was killed. .....'

The following information is transcribed from a newspaper report of the inquest

'THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT FROM THE FALLING OF PART OF A MILL.
INQUEST ON ELIZABETH WOODWARD.
On Wednesday, the 17th instant, Mr. Chapman, borough coroner, held an inquest on the body of the unfortunate woman, Elizabeth Woodward, who was killed by the falling of Messrs. Gray's mill, in Pollard-street, when, after the examination of two or three witnesses, who were present at and described the accident, the inquest was adjourned to Monday last, in order to obtain the opinions of some scientific witnesses as to the cause and origin of the sad calamity. The witnesses examined at the first inquest were John Reed, Esther Fiddler, and Mr. William Whittaker, architect ; the first witness, Reed, and Esther Fiddler, being present at and working in that part of the structure which fell down. Reed, who was first examined, described how he heard a crack in the boiler house, followed by the fall of the room overhead (as reported in the Courier of Wednesday last), and then went on to state how he searched amongst the ruins and found the body of deceased.— Esther Fiddler described the cracking of the ceiling in the room in which she and deceased worked, (the room above the boiler house in which the first witness was) when, as she stated, being alarmed at seeing the ceiling give way, she leaned a little backward, and saw come down. She said, "I was standing near the pillar in the centre of the room, with my face towards the centre of the mill wall, in the corner of which, and at my left, is the doorway leading out of the mill into the room. I saw deceased, who was about a yard from me, looking up at it, as it fell, and the ruins came upon her arms which were held up and her face as it fell. I was going backwards towards the third pillar, and saw it all. The falling continued to the middle pillar (there being three) where I so first stood, but whether it fell or not, I cannot tell, for seeing the danger I escaped." - Mr. Whittaker, of the firm of Butterworth and Whittaker, architects, produced the original drawings of the mill, and he described to the jury and coroner the construction of the building, which he stated he considered perfect and safe.

'The adjourned inquest was resumed on Monday, at the same place, (the Auld Lang Syne public-house) which is contiguous to the mill, when the first witness examined was Elizabeth McIntyre, who stated that she assisted to lay out deceased after death, and who described the nature of the injuries she had received. She was scalded, much bruised, and her neck nearly severed from her body by the falling ruins, and her skull was fractured. - John Amphlett, engineer, said, I am engineer at the said premises, and have been there as such seven years; that he had not seen the cistern since the Saturday afternoon previous to the occurrence, except on Sunday. We had been regularly at work, and had been at work on the Monday morning about five hours. Water is continually pumping into the cistern while we are at work, but as it takes a day to fill the cistern up to the overflow, which flows seventeen inches deep, I can always tell what quantity of water is in the cistern at any time of the day, and at the time of the accident there was about seven inches deep of water; it would be nearly empty after filling the boilers in the morning. We evaporate as much as our pump will lift, and the remainder is supplied by the other engine, there being two pumps, one lifted by one, and the other by the other engine, of which we have two.

'Mr. Fairbairn, who was next called, read the following report, which he had expressly prepared for the occasion: "DEFECTS IN THE PRINCIPLE AND CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-PROOF BUILDINGS.

'The falling of a portion of Messrs J. and J. L. Gray's cotton mills is a striking example of the dangerous consequences of using cast iron beams of large span, without pillars or support. On no occasion, but in cases of absolute necessity, should the superincumbent mass of brick arches be supported by suspended girders, and in the case before us, two columns might have been introduced between the boilers (and which I would now recommend to be used) without detriment to any part of the structure. If pillars cannot be used, it then becomes a question of deep importance as to the size and strength of the girders, which, under these circumstances should never be loaded beyond one-third of their breaking weight.
I have carefully examined the walls, iron beams, and other parts of the building which fell on the morning of Monday last, and having noted the circumstances in connection with this accident, I have no doubt as to the cause which led to the fracture of the beam and the injurious consequences which ensued. In order that the jury and the public may have a clear conception of the causes of this failure, it may necessary to direct attention to a few preliminary observations, which I trust will not be considered intrusive, or improperly applied, in a subject of such vital importance as the security of buildings wherein the lives as well as fortunes of individuals are stake. For these objects I would observe, that, in the use and application of iron as a material for building, it will be found that a crystalline metallic body, such as cast iron, when applied to support heavy weights, as the floors fire-proof buildings, bridges, &c, is an exceedingly treacherous material. It should be used with great caution, and that under the direction of some competent person thoroughly acquainted with its properties and powers of resistance under strain. To secure safety, and, at the same time, to attain success in this respect, it will be necessary to observe the following conditions, which, in most cases, may be worthy of attention.
1st. A knowledge of the properties and application of the material when subjected to those distinct species of strain, namely, torsion, compression, and tearing the parts asunder.
2nd. The exercise of a sound judgment in the laws of proportion, so to equalize the parts in the exact ratio of the forms required, or, in other words, to introduce neither more nor less material than is necessary to balance the resisting forces, and to cause a simultaneous fracture of all the parts.
Lastly, a knowledge of the laws which govern the expansion and contraction of metals will be found useful, in order to ensure sound castings, and an equal degree of tension during the process of cooling.
These remarks will, I trust, be found applicable in all the requirements of cast and malleable iron, when used in buildings; and I have therefore ventured to introduce them in this place prefatory to the discussion of the question more immediately under consideration, and to which I now beg to direct attention.
The building (as you are aware) is about 40 feet long, and 31 feet 8 inches wide; it consists of two stories, the first containing the boilers (three in number), and the second the machinery on which the people were employed. Over this room was an asphaltum roof, containing a water cistern which covered the whole of the building to the extent of about 1270 square feet.
The first floor was composed of large iron beams of 31 feet 8 inches span, extending from wall to wall, without pillars or supports. On these beams the arches were formed, and being levelled and filled up the groins the usual way, supported the floor and machinery above.
The lower beams were three in number, these and the walls were the only supports for the iron beams and arches above, including the cistern which formed the roof.
The following diagram will exhibit in section the position of the building previous to the accident.'

[Here followed a simple diagram, showing a cistern at the top, with 18 inches depth of water (determined by an overflow pipe); below that was a beam AA spanning the width of the room (31 ft 8in), supported by a vertical column at its centre. This column rested on another beam, C, 2 ft 6 in deep, 12 ft below beam AA. Two diagonal lines are shown going from the top edges of the beams down to the bottom of the beam at mid span. Below this beam was the boiler room, with three boilers shown]

'The upper beams AA were six in number; with pillars B in the centre, resting upon the larger girder C, which sustained the whole of the weight The beams AA were sufficiently strong*, having columns in the middle which reduced the span one half.

[ (Footnote) * Each of these beams would carry about 23 tons in the middle, or 46 tons equally distributed along its surface.]

'On referring to the above sketch it will be observed that the lower beams marked C, had not only to bear the weight of the brick arches and machinery of the first floor, but they had to sustain (in addition) half the weight of the iron beams, columns and brick arches of the roof as well as the water contained in the tank within the parapets above. This cistern, as I am informed, was filled with water to a depth of three feet, shortly after the building was finished, but assuming it to be only 18 inches, (the height of the overflow Pipe), we shall then find that the large beams below were totally inadequate to support the load they were called upon to sustain. Previous, however, to entering upon the calculations, I would beg to refer to the annexed marginal sketch which represents a section of the large beam as if cut through the middle.'

[The sketch shows an I beam with the bottom flange much wider than the top]

'The depth of this beam was 27 inches; - area of the bottom flanche (a) 19½ inches; area of the top flanche 3.6 inches; and the distance between the supports 31 feet 8 inches.
Now, the weight of this beam (supposing it to be cast from the ordinary quality of metal) would be about 36 tons: this is inclusive of the truss rods, which if properly applied to a well-proportioned beam, would increase it powers of resistance from 36 to 50 tons as the breaking weight. Unfortunately, however, these truss rods were of very little use, as the beam evidently broke from the crushing or lateral force on the upper side, which, from the nature of the fracture, was the first to give way, and consequently rendered the truss inoperative its effect.
Having ascertained the strength or bearing powers of the beam (I am now referring to that which is broken), let us next examine and compare its strength with the load it had to sustain, and it will be found that, instead of breaking on Monday last, it should have broken on the first trial, when the cistern was filled with water to a depth three feet. In computing the weight of the floors, water in the cistern, &c, I have reduced the whole to a weight acting upon the middle of the beam, and, as cast-iron beams will carry just double the load when equally distributed over the surface, I have consequently reduced the whole load to one-half, which may be considered as the weight the beams had each to carry if placed upon the middle. They are, therefore, nearly as follow
Weight of the brick arches on the beam which broke 20.6 tons, weight of machinery on the same 10 tons, or [20.6 + 10]/2 = 15.3 tons. Again,- weight of the arches and iron beams of the roof, 23.5 tons; weight of water (18 inches deep) bearing on the large beam, 14 tons; or [23.5 + 14]/2 = 18.75 tons the weight of the arched roof acting upon the middle of the large beam. Hence the total load will 15.25 + 18.75 = 34 tons, the actual weight when reduced to a force acting upon the middle of the beam, being as 34 to 36, or in the ratio of 1 : 1.06, an exceedingly near approximation to the breaking weight.
It may asked how it was possible for beams, when so critically circumstanced, to sustain the excess of weight, when the cistern was filled with water to a depth of 3 feet, and when each of the large beams was sustaining a load of 41 tons in the middle, and the breaking the weight being only 36 tons. In reply, it must be borne in mind that the metal in the beams appears to be sound and good; and on the first trial they had not been subjected to vibrating action;* and the same process of loading and unloading, by the alternate filling and discharging of the cistern, which they subsequently encountered, and to which, in my opinion, may be attributed the absolute failure which ultimately took place.

[Footnote: * The vibrating action of the machinery, such as Jack frames, is very considerable.]

'In closing these remarks I would observe, on several occasions I have felt it an imperious duty, when called upon to investigate the causes of accidents, wherein the lives of the public and the security of property are involved; and, although I am still desirous of rendering assistance to the utmost of my ability, I am, nevertheless, unwilling to perform an onerous and unpleasant duty, which, to a greater or lesser degree, may implicate the reputation of gentlemen of superior knowledge and acquirements to myself.
On this, as on other investigations of this kind, I have nor hesitated to speak the truth.; but, for reasons stated above, I confess I approached the present inquiry with some degree of reluctance, and, I am sure the public will readily appreciate the motives with which I am actuated, if, in the course of these inquiries I have been under the necessity of condemning the principle, as well as the practice, upon which the building now in question has been constructed. In dealing with matters so nearly connected with the public safety, I am of opinion that by the interests of companies and individuals would be best served by a careful analysis of the principles of construction, and also of the material used the erection of buildings. It is a matter of the greatest importance that engineers and architects should be thoroughly conversant with the strength and other properties of the material with which they are engaged, and none requires greater attention and consideration than cast iron. It is not only a knowledge of form and construction that is necessary, of the tensions and compressions, as well as the laws which govern the resistances under strain that are required, in order to insure confidence and security to all concerned. WM. FAIRBAIRN. Manchester, March 22d, 1847."
He also gave the following evidence: I have examined the premises in question, and the plans produced, and deliver my opinion as to the cause of the accident in the statement marked D now produced, and consider that the large beam which has given way was the cause of such accident, owing to its location, and it being too weak to bear the weight of the floor and machinery, and also of the superstructure, including the roof and cistern, coupled with the straining, working, and vibration of the machinery, and to the beam having broken about two feet from the centre in consequence. If there had been a pillar between each boiler, or if the beam had been made stronger, and well proportioned, with a larger top flange the accident would not have occurred.
Mr. Eaton Hodgkinson next read a report, drawn up like the last, for the guidance and information of the jury, the gist of which is however contained in his deposition taken by the coroner, which we subjoin herewith:—I have examined the premises, and the plans produced, and made the statement marked E produced. The large beam should have borne 56.75 tons without the trusses; if the trusses had been beneficial, the beams in the direction of the strain acting vertically would be 31 tons. The beam is very badly proportioned, a large proportion of the weight of the building is placed on the vertical part of the beam, and consequently near to the vertical axis, where its effect on leverage would be very little, the top flange of the beam so small as to offer very little resistance to the beam getting out of line by being twisted. It is my opinion that the cause of the accident is, that the beam was from some cause displaced out of its vertical position, possibly before the brick work and inclines were enclosed, or one truss rod may have been lighter than another—the truss rods have been mischievous—they had this effect—they tended to draw the beam out of line if vertical, and fifty-six tons have been placed on the centre of the beam, that weight would have been the breaking weight exclusive of the vibration tension and the working of the machinery when in operation, but it might not have had more than one third that weight upon it. I think the accident attributable to the deflection of the beam by the truss rod, and eventually breaking as would be the case from the tension and vibration during the working of the machinery, and the crack indicates that such was the cause.
It will thus be seen that both gentlemen were of opinion that the accident was attributable to the giving way of the lower iron beam, and that it would have been much better if the beam had been supported by pillars. Mr. Hodgkinson was of opinion, however, that the immediate cause of the accident was to be found in the fact that the tie-rods, or trusses had been so fixed, at the time of the erection, as to draw the beam a little to one side; and that the vibration caused by the working of the machinery, together with the pressure, had increased this original deflection, or curvature, and gradually weakened the part, until fracture took place, and the consequent fall of that portion of the building incumbent upon the beam. A verdict to this effect was returned by the jury.'

Comment: Fairbairn's antipathy to the structural use of cast iron was well-founded. Just a few weeks later (24th May 1847), Robert Stephenson's cast iron trussed Dee Railway Bridge collapsed.

1881 Sale Notice

1881 Advertisement: 'ANCOATS MILLS. — VALUABLE FREEHOLD COTTON SPINNING AND DOUBLING MILLS FOR SALE. —TO BE SOLD BY PRIVATE TREATY or LET, as a going concern, all those valuable and lucrative SPINNING and DOUBLING MILLS and PREMISES, belonging to and occupied by Messrs. J. and J. L. Gray, and known as the Ancoats Mills, situate adjoining Pollard-street, Ancoats, in the city of Manchester, together with the goodwill of the business. The property is freehold of inheritance, containing 14,389 square yards or thereabouts, and comprises five mills, three of eight storeys in height, two of which are fireproof, one other mill five storeys high, and the fifth three storeys high, with other buildings, the whole containing 67,000 mule spindles, and 31,000 doubling spindles or thereabouts, with all requisite preparation machinery, engines, shafting, and gearing of the best description, and in perfect working order and condition. There is a considerable space of vacant ground which may be utilised for a variety of purposes without interfering with the above-mentioned buildings. The whole is bounded on the north-westerly side by Pollard-street, and on the south-westerly, south-easterly, and north-easterly sides by a branch of the Canal, and subject to chief rents amounting in the aggregate to £230 11s. 8d. per annum. The gassed and yarns and doubled warps produced at these mills for the German and Bradford connection are equal to any in the market, the numbers ranging from 120's to 200's. For orders to view and further particulars apply the premises, to Messrs. CUNLIFFE, LEAF & CO., solicitors, 56, Manchester.'

1882 Sale of Plant and Machinery

1882 Sale Notice :-

'On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Next.
Ancoats Mills, Manchester.—To Cotton Spinners, Doublers, Machine Brokers, and others. —Important and Extensive Sale of Cotton Spinning and Doubling Machinery, comprising over 100,000 Spindles and Preparation Utensils, Stores, and Effects.
GRUNDY & SON have been favoured with instructions from Messrs. J. and J. L. Gray to SELL BY AUCTION, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, March 15, 16, and 17, 1882, commencing each day at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, at the Ancoats Mills, Pollard-street, Manchester, the Whole of the Valuable COTTON SPINNING and DOUBLING MACHINERY and EFFECTS, consisting of cotton opener, by Platt Bros.; single scutcher and lap machine for 36in. cards, by Crighton; double finisher scutcher and lap machine, by Platt Bros.; 61 single carding engines, each 33in. on the wire, with 15 self-stripping flats, by Dobson and Barlow; 11 ditto, with 18 flats, by ditto; one iron ditto, with 42 revolving flats, by Platt Brothers; two double-grinding machines, by ditto; one ditto four-lap doublers, for combing machines, by Hetherington ; two ditto, by Crighton ; five ditto, to double six into one, by Hetherington; six-head cotton combing machines, Heilman’s patent., by Hetherington; six drawing heads, each with six deliveries; and ditto with eight deliveries; six slubbing frames of 55, 52, 48, and 40 spindles, 9in. lift, soft bobbin ; 23 first and second intermediate frames, 9in. and 7in. lift; 40 jack frames, 5,250 spindles, 4'in. lift, Platt Bros. and Elce and Co.; 14 pair organ hand mules, containing 27,080 spindles, l¼ in. gauge, Platt Bros.; pair ditto decked, containing 31,466 spindles, l¼ in. gauge; eight pairs rim-hand mules, containing 14,004 spindles, l¼ in. gauge, by Platt Bros.; 116 wet doubling frames, containing 31,716 spindles, 2in. lift; four double preparing machines, 17 clearing frames, 2,530 spindles, 2½ in. lift; five warp winding frames, 728 spindles; three 12 yards warping mills for hand power; eight gassing frames, two 20-hank cop reels, three five and 10lb. bundling presses, cotton hoist, weighing machines, scales, and weights ; Horsfall's grinders, hot water kettle, stone and wood cisterns, driving apparatus for mules and Gallows pulleys, together with full complement of utensils, and quantity of new stores, counters, tables, desks, trucks, hand cart, stone bogie, and other miscellaneous effects —On view Monday and Tuesday next, March 13 and 14, from 10 to 4 o'clock, when catalogues may be had on the premises, or earlier by application to Messrs. CUNLIFFE, LEAF & CO., solicitors, 56, Brown-street; or the Auctioneers, 54, John Dalton-street, Albert-square, Manchester.

'Ancoats Mills. Manchester.
To Engineers, Millwrights, Brokers, and others.
GRUNDY & SON respectfully announce the receipt of instructions from Messrs. J. and J. L. Gray to SELL BY AUCTION, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, March 22, 23, and 24, 1882, commencing at eleven o'clock in the forenoon each day, at the Ancoats Mills, Pollard-street, Manchester, the Whole of the Valuable STEAM POWER, MILLWRIGHTS WORK, MECHANICS' TOOLS, Stores, and Effects, comprising two cylindrical steam boilers, each 30ft. long, 7ft. diameter, with two 2ft. 9in. flues, Low Moor furnaces, and four Galloway tubes in each; steam and water mountings, by Goodfellow, 1873; three ditto ditto, single rivetted, by B. Hick and Son ; wrought iron superheater, 9ft. high, 4ft. diameter, by Goodfellow ; two Green's patent fuel economisers, each with 100 pipes; horizontal double-acting steam pump, with 4in. ram, by Walker; vertical single-acting ditto, with 4in. ram, 6in. stroke , governors, flywheel, and pulleys, by Leigh; a pair of condensing beam steam engines, cylinders 35in. diameter, 6ft. stroke, with valves, spur flywheel, and fittings, by B. Hick and Son ; condensing ditto, cylinder 34in. diameter, 7ft. stroke, with valves, spur flywheel, and fittings, by Boulton and Watt; pair of excellent high pressure horizontal steam engines, cylinders 15in. diameter, 30in. stroke, turned flywheel, spur ditto, and cast iron beds, by Goodfellow, ashlar foundations for engines; a quantity of cast shafting, upwards of 4,000 ft. of wrought, turned, and polished ditto, from 8in. to 1¾ in., with couplings, wheels, turned pulleys, hangers and pedestals, brasses, and fixings, &c.; upwards of 7,000 ft. cast iron steam and water piping, from 12in. to 2in. diameter ; 2,100 feet of wrought iron ditto, from 12in. to 2in . diameter, with fittings: three 300-light and one 150-light wet gas meters, and piping for 1,500 lights; water meter, machine hoist for eight stoves, yard clock, by Armstrong; factory bell, &c.; the contents of well-fitted mechanics' shop and smithy, including double-geared slide and screw-cutting gap lathe, with 12½ in. centres, on 25ft. iron bed, by Kershaw ; double geared ditto, with 8in. centres, on 11ft. iron bed, by Collier: single speed boring and turning lathes, two vertical drilling machines, grindstones, glazers, vices and benches, drilling and screwing tackle, new steel and iron, 12 and six tons Haley's screw jacks, blocks and ropes, smith's hearth and tools, four bobbin lathes, circular saw, pulleys, brass tubing and wire, steel spindles, old brass and lead, lire hose, new timber, two cask iron oil tanks, circular tin oil cisterns, oil and tallow, oil pumps, joiners' benches and cramps, new steam and gas-fittings, files and steel, Irish moss, contents of paint shop, cast beams and gutters, round sycamore and ash timber, 13.60 hank bobbin reels, Hopkinson’s indicator, cast piping, new bar iron, usable wrought iron, wrought and cast scrap, crabs, and other miscellaneous effects.—May be viewed on Mondays and Tuesdays, March 13th and 14th, and 20th and 21st, from 10 to four o'clock, when catalogues, may be had on the premises, earlier application to Messrs. CUNLIFFE, LEAF, & CO., solicitors, 56, Brown-street; or the Auctioneers, 54, John Dalton-street, Albert-square, Manchester.'

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