New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-20

DEATH LIST MAY INCLUDE SETENTY-FIVE PERSONS
At BROCKTON, MASS
Big Shoe Factory Many Acts Of Hero
Recorded.

house further away, demoIishing the latter
structure. There its was stopped.
Scenes of horror followed the wrenching apart
of the factory building. In the rear the three
upper floors weighted as they were with heavy
machinery, collapsed with crash that was
heard for blocks. Men and women operatives
working in departments of this section who
were busy at their machines had time only to
turn In an attempt to flee after the first dull
roar when the flooring sank beneath them and
they were carried to the ground floor, crushed
and bruised amid the mass Of debris. Many
fell into veritable fiery furnace In the sec
lions of the factory which remained standing
the operatives werc panic stricken they
sought escape.
Many fed down the stairways and reached the
street; others ran to the windows, the fire es
capes 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 rush
on the stairways resulted in numerous minor
= iIs g.
t4ta1its sTCIt- ~ FLA9dE94
Scarcely had the rear portion of the structure
collapsed when tongue of fame started up
from the boiler pit. and, reaching out as it as
cended, communicated with the splintered
wreckage. and Immediately after with The stand
ing walls Soon the entire factory in
flames.
Instant death was the fate of many who went
down with the floors that collapsed. A large
number of men and women who working
near the supports were alive after the floors
and walls fell From these thrilling cries of
agony and terror went up. Almost all had
been caught between broken timbers, lighter
wooden wreckage and heavy pieces IF machin-
cry. A few persons succeeded IN e-,tTcating
themselves from the wreckage. but more
burned to death
By this time nearby citizens had arrived to
assist the employees who escaped in the rescue
| of their fellows This task became mOmentary
more difficult and perous. for the heat from the
fire was almost unbearable. BY the of long
pieces of timber the rescuers were able to raise
parts of the wreckage and thereby release some
of the imprisoned men and women, and then by
rushing into the smoke pull them from the
ruins.
woman who was entangled in a shoe ma
chine cried out that she was dying and COM
manded the rescuers to attend to others, who
might live. She begged TO be shot Soon the
flames enveloped her. Among the first to arrive
on the scene was the Rev James A. O'Rourke,
curate of st. Margarets Roman Catholic Church,
nearby. At the risk of his life he removed seven
persons from the ruins before the fire had
reached them. and returning for the eighth
time when he tainted from the effects of the
smoke and the shock Father O'Rourke admin
istered the last rites of the Church TO many
Catholics. both TO those who saved and
some who later persisted.
| ENCOURAGED BY THOSE NEAR DEATH.
| Many persons rushed into the ruins and pulled
| out the injured at the imminent danger of their
| own lives. Imprisoned operatives. too far away
| for rescue and who knew that their lives would
| last only a few moments, spoke words of en-
lcoIt ont m hose urhO mad
| cape Some prayed aloud Others pleaded with
| the rescuers to say "Goodby' to relatives. and
not few shrieked from pain and fright
The dreadful spectacle unnerved many who
were trying vany to get to the victims. and
| some turned away sick and fainting. Members
| of the Fire Department with ladders aided
greatly in the work of rescue, but their time
| for work was short. for within a brief interval
| fire closed over the wreckage and the cries OF
| the imprisoned were hushed
| In the mean time the fire was spreading from
| the Grover factory 1t leaped across Calmar-st
| to q three story brick block at the corner of
| Main-st owned by Charles f. Dahlburg. and
| occupied as a hardware store and storehouse,
1 and then to two story wooden lodging house
| owned by William Lawrence a dwelling house
| on Camer-st., and some small buildings, ali of
which destroyed.
From the rear of the factory the flames
reached across Denton-st. to the dwelling house
of Sophia Peterson and family. and TO the home
| of Charles O'Brien
| BY this time the entire Fire Department and
| ali the police reserves were the scene but
! with the high wind blowing the flames could
| not be checked, and soon reached the homes of
| Sylvester Rice and John W. Taft. All these
| buildings were practically ruined. but at this
point the FIRE was stopped.
The house to the north of the factory through
! which the exploded boiler crashed was owned
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