The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-31
MANY x KILLED !.
And Injured by the Explosion CT
a Steam Boiler.
IN A SHOE FACTORY

FldmeS. men auQ women
Pinned Down Begged TO
be Killed as a Relief.
At least sixty people lost their lives
by the explosion of q boiler in q large
shoe manufactory at Brockton, Mass.
on Monday morning. The explosion
was Immediately followed by flash
OF flame, which consumed the factory,
long. four-story structure. as If it
were house OF cards, and incinerat.
ed an unknown number of men and
women who were unable to extricate
themselves from mass Of tangled
wreckage formed by the terrific up
heaval in the boiler room.
More than half a hundred of the EN-.
ployes In the building we're manned,
burned or bruised by the time they
reached safe ground. Some had jump
ed from the roof, some from windows
and Others had been injured In the
mad rush to escape from the doomed
factory, which from all parts emitted
the Intense, awful heat Of au inferno,
driving back the band Of heroic res
cuers who in few brief moments had
performed gallant service. Two wood
en- dwellings near the engine room
were practically demolished by the
flying boiler, but none OF the occupants
were seriously injured.
1t may never be known just how
many persons perished in the wreck
age. No one knows exactly how many
persons were In the fac ory. The mum.
Der has been estimated at 400, but
Treasurer Charles o. Emerson said
Monday night he doubted whether
there we're SO many at work. Two hun
dred and fifty survivors have been &C
counted for and at midnight Monday
night The remains Of so bodies had been
recovered from the ruins, the search
being continued all night. Fragments
OF human frame which possibly might
belong to bodies other than those en-.
nmerated have also been und Few
or the remains have bcen Identified
he head Of nearly every case is miss
ing ard exceot in rare instances IL was
impoSsib even TO distinguish the sex
TIE ex ,lCsiln occurred shortly aficr
the oper uiveS had settled down to
hork fol the day, aud without warn
ing. Suddenly the air viDrated with
the roar Of an explosion. at the samr
moment the larger wooden frame OF
the factory, a four-story structure
| Quivrred auH then the rear p rtion OF
II collapsed In a fraction of second
this sec-iun Of the great building had
| heeu transformed into mass OF lrou
and wood vrecsage, 10 the midst of
| which human b..irgS aere pinioned. In
another moment fire had broken out
In the debris and death by fire and SUI
| fOcation became the fate OF scores Of
the operatives. When the boilef ex
ploded it passed upward almost pre-.
pcndiculariy, tearing passage as 1t
went, killing many on the way. After
rising high in tile air, it descended
half the distance and then swerying
nUrtherly, cut iJs way like some huge
pre- jectile through dwelling hous SO
feet away and pierced another dwell
latter structure. Here LIS course was
stopped.
Scenes OF horror followed the
wrencning apart oi the factory build
Ing. In the rear the three upper
| floors, weighted as they were with
heavy machinery, collapsed with a
crash that WAS heard for blocks. Men
and women operatives working In de-
partments OF this section who were
busy at their machines, had time but
to turn in an attempt to fise, after
the first 6nli ho
sank beneath them aud they were car
ried to tho ground floor, crushed and
bruis' d, amid the mass of debris.
Many fell into veritable fiery furnace.
In The sections Of the factory which
remained standing the operatives
were panicstricken as they sought
escape. Many fed down the STAIR
ways and reached the street; others
to the windows, the fire escapes In
many cases having been torn away by
the explosion. In desperation many
Jumped from the second and third
story windows to the ground and were
dangerously injured. The crush on
the stairways resulted In numerous
miner injuries.
Instant death was the fate OF many
who went down with the noor that
collapsed. A large number Of men
and women who we're working near
the supports we're alive after the
floors aud walls fell. From these un-
fortunates thrilling cries Of agony and
terror went up. Almost ell had been
caught between broken timbers, ligh-
ter wooden wreokage and heavy pieces
Of machinery. A few persons sue
ceeded In extricating themseles from
the wrackage, but more we're roasted
to death. BY this time nearby citi-
zens had arrived to assist the EN-.
ployes who escaped In the rescue Of
their fellows. This task became mo-
mentarly more difficult and perilous,
for the heat from the fire was almost
unbearable. BY the use of long pieces
OF timber the reScuers were able to
raise parts OF the wreckage and there.
by release SINE OF the imprisoned
men and women and then by rushing
into the smoke pull them from the
ruins.
With tear stained and haggard faces
women and children b-aieged the
roctory OF ST. MargareJ's R,nan
Catholic church during the day, plead.
ing with the priests for Information
sb lut husband, father, sister or
brother who failed t, return home.
Little comfort could be given to tlesc
people at the Campello p lice sta
tion similar scane wa, enacted. Ear
ly liz the day NJ yor Keith, forseeing