Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-21
TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE IN.
BRoCKT0N, MASS.
Shoe Plant is Consumed by Flames
and Men and Girls Are Crushed
and Burned to
Death
Continued from Page one)

Chisholm, burns and bruises; Mamie
Conroy, burns and bruises; Elizabeth
Mulvihill. burns and bruises Warrer
Lewis. blown through window. badl,
injured; Frank Pierce, lacerated scalp
Arthur Pierce, left shoulder badl,
lacerated; John j. Garvey, 20, fractured
ribs: Nicholas Corlers, 30, contusions
Thomas Mcsherry, Al, fractured ribs
p. ]. Hanley, AZ, contuslons. At tht
Brockton hospital: Andrew Lungel
burns, condition serious; Elmer H
Dodge. compound fracture Of right leg
necessitating amputation; recovery
doubtful. Taken to their homes or to
offices of physicians: Ella whitcomb
ribs Fractured Walter Lawrence. hurt
internally; Mrs. Samuel ThicIxnell
spine hurt; Charles Eaton, legs broken;
Mrs. Julia Shields, North Easton, seri-
GUS injuries on body; Mrs. Ella Delano,
arms and head cut; William Lyford,
East Bridgewater. back injured.
Work Had Just Begun
The explosion, which was followed
by such a sacrifice Of life and entailed
appalling instances of human suffer-
ing. occurred shortly after the oper-
atives had settled down to work for
the day and without warning suddenly
the air vibrated with the roar of an
explosion. At the same moment the
large wooden frame of the factory.
four-story structure, quivered and then
the rear portion of it collapsed. This
section Of the great building had been
transformed into a mass of iron and
wood wreckage, in the midst of which
human beings were pinioned. In an
other moment fire had broken out in
the debris, and death by fire and suf-
location became the fate Of scores of
the operatives.
When the boiler exploded it passed
upward almost perpendicularly, tear
ing a passage as it went and killing
many on the way. After rising high
in the air it descended half the dis
tance and then swerving, northerly,
cut its way like some huge projecti,e
through a dwelling house fifty feet
away and pierced another dwelling
further along.
Scenes of horror followed the wrench
ing apart of the factory building. In
the rear the three upper floors, weight
ed as they were with heavy machinery.
collapsed with crash that was heard
for blocks. Men and women working
in departments of this section who
were busy at their machines had time
but to turn in an attempt to flee after
the first dull roar, when the flooring
sank beneath them and they were car
ried to the ground floor, crushed and
amid the mass of debris. MANY
fell into veritable fiery furnace. In
the sections of the factory which re-
NAMED standing the operatives were
panic-stricken as they sought escape. |
Desperate Struggles for Life
Many fled down the stairways and |
the ground. Others ran to
the windows, the fire escapes In many
cases being torn away by the explo-
sion. In desperation many jumped from
The second and third floor windows to
The ground and were dangerously in
ured. The crush on the stairways
'esulted in numerous minor injuries.
Scarcely had the rear structure col
apsed when a tongue of flame started
ip from the boiler pit, and, reaching
'ut as it assembled, communicated with
he splinters of the wreckage, and i'm
nediately afterward with the standing
walls. Soon the entire story was in
lanes.
Instant death was the fate of many
Who went down with the floors that
collapsed. A large number of men and
women who were working near the
were alive after the floors
md walls fell. From these unfortu-
lates cries Of agony and terror went
lp. Almost all had been caught be-
ween broken timbers, lighter wooden
and heavy pieces of machin-
ry. A few persons succeeded in ex-
themselves from the wreck
ge, but more were roasted to death.
BY this time nearby citizens had ar
lived to assist the employees who es-
aped begin the rescue of their fell
ows.
This task became momentarily more
lifficult and perilous. for the heat from
he fire was almost unbearable. BY
he use of long pieces of timber the
escuers were able to raise parts of the
and thereby release some of
he imprisoned men and women, and
hen by rushing into the smoke pull
hem from the ruins.
Many Deeds of Heroism
Then 1t was that acts of sacrifice
nd heroism were seen. One man whose
egs were caught under an iron bed
ried to the rescuers that they could
ot extricate him and to help the girls
'ehind him. Stretching out his arms.
e lifted several girls, one by one, and
assed them to the rescuers. Then the
Ire had him and he died.
A woman who was entangled in a
hoe machine cried out that she was
wing and commanded the rescuers to
ttend the others, who might live.
he begged to be shot. Soon the flames