The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-12
SCORES BURNED TO DEATH
Fire Follows Boiler Explosion in Shoe
Factory at Brockton, Mass.
TWO BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED

Hundreds at Work Near Boiler Room
at Time-Four Story Building In
Ashes Within an Engineer
Killed. at His Post Whole City Fire
Department Called Out.
Brockton. Mass.-A boiler exploded
in the R. B. Grover shoe factory here,
and was followed by an outbreak OF
fire in the factory, in which many
persons lost their lives and many more
were injured. Over wo score bodies
were recovered, many so terribly
burned as to be unacceptable. A
number Of dead were women or girls.
Over fifty are known to be dead, less
than a score of these having been iden-
tilted, while over two score were re-
ported among the missing.
David Rockwell. the engineer who
was in charge of the boiler which ex-
ploGed. died from his injuries. He
had been detained by the police pend
ing an investigation of the accident.
The explosion took place within an
hour after the 600 or more employees
at the factory had begun work. 1t
wrecked a section of the building and
started a fire which destroyed the
ruins and spread to other buildings
near by with great swiftness. 1t was
reported that upwards of 200 persons
were at work in the departments near
the boiler room. and the first indica-
tons were h:rdly n coula have es-
capped.
The factory a large four-story wood
en- structure, was in ashes within an
hour. The flames extended to several
dwelling houses e a by, and to the
Dahlburg Block, acros the street from
the factory. These also were con-
sumed and other property was dam
aged. The money loss is estimated
at 100000.
Two houses were wrecked as the re-
suit of the explosion. The boiler was
thrown in a northerly direction, and
passed through the upper part Of the
house occupied by David Rockwell.
the engineer, practically wrecking the
dwelling, and, continuing its flight.
fell upon another dwelling, 100 feet
further away. demolishing the struc-
ture. This house was owned by Mrs.
.Efie Hood.
The Grover factory was located at
the corner of Main and Calmar streets,
in the southern outskirts of this city.
The building extended 100 feet along
Main street and 200 feet to the rear
In the rear of the main building was
an L section, and it was in this part
of the plant that the explosion and
collapse occurred. The boiler was on
the ground floor.
The first knowledge of the disaster
to outsiders was the roar from the d.
rection Of the factory. People living
near by looked out, to see a dense pill
lar of smoke rising from the top of the
building. A moment afterward flames
started out from the mass Of wreckage
and quickly crept up and around the
rest of the wooden structure spread
ing with great rapidity- Most of the
persons in this part of me factory es-
capped. although many were: injured
in the panic which followed the ex-
plosion.
When the employees who were at
work in the main section Of the plant
escaped from the building, they circled
quickly around to where the explo-
sion occurred, and there succeeded in
rescuing many persons from under
meath wreckage who. without assist
ance, would have been unable to get
clear of the heavy timbers- and who
would undoubtedly have persisted
when the flames cwept across that
part Of the plant.
A series of alarms summoned all
the fire apparatus in the city to the
scene, and aid was also sent from
nearby places. mostly shoe manufac-
turing towns. The iremen expert
enced great difficulty in fighting the
flames. as the Grover factory was of
wood. and nearly all the floors were
saturated with oil. The flames ex-
tended to the Dahlburg Block a four
story wooden building on the oppo-
site corner Of the street. and to a mum
Der of wooden dwellings, half a dozen
or more of which were destroyed. The
Dahlburg Block vas also burned.
The Brockton Hospital was notified
at once of the disaster, and hurried
preparations were made to receive the
injured. All the ambulances, police
wagons. and many street carriages
were sent to the district. All the avail
able physicians and surgeons in the
city were sent up in hacks and by troll
ley.
Mayor Keith, accompanied by Med
zeal Examiner A. E. Paine, stood BY
the ruins while the fragments of the
bodies were being removed. The bones
were placed in boxes as fast as they
were taken out, and driven to a tenn
porary morgue. The work proceeded
slowly, as the ruins were so hot that
no one could venture into them.
At the request of Mayor Keith cler-
gymen of all denominations assembled
in the Aldermanic chamber at the City
Hall for the purpose of arranging for
a public service for the victims.
Sultan HonorS Raisuli.