The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-03-22
BR0CT0N IN MOURNING.
For Loss Of Sixty Employees OF
Grover Shoe Factory.


More In the Collapse of the Building
Which Followed-Fire Rapidly Con-
sumed Imprisoned Victims.
Brockton, Mass, March 21, - The
city is In mourning for at least three
score of her citizens whose lives
were bl@ted out by the explosion Of
150-horse power boiler in a large
shoe manufacturing establishment in
the Cumpello district, conducted by
the R. B. Grove company.
The explosion was Immediately fol-
lowed by fire which consumed the
factory a long four-story structure,
and incinerated an unknown number
of men and women who were unable
to extricate themselves from a mass
of tangled wreckage formed by the
terrific upheaval in the boiler room
Four Hundred In the Factory,
More than half hundred of the EN-.
ployes in the building were MANNED,
burned or bruised by the time they
reached safe ground. Some had
jumped from the roof, some from win
dows and others had been injured in
the mad rush to escape from the doom
ed factory, which from all parts emit
ted the intense, awful heat Of an in
ferno, driving back the rescuers who
in few brief moments had performed
gallant service.
1t may never be known just how
many persons perished In the big
footwear plant, for it is not known just
how many persons were in the factory.
The number has been estimated at 400,
but Treasurer Emerson said that he
doubted whether there were so many
at work. Two hundred and fifty sur
vivors have been accounted for and
the remains of so bodies have been
recovered.
Fragments of human frames which
possibly might belong to bodies other
than those enumerated have also been
found. Few of the remains have been
identified The head in nearly every
case is missing.
The explosion, which was followed
by such a sacrifice of life and appall.
ing instances of human suffering, oc.
Cured shortly after the operatives had
settled down to the work of the day.
Suddenly the air vibrated with the
roar of an eXplosino. At the same
moment the larger wooden frame OF
the factory, a 4-story structure, quiv-
cred and then the rear portion of 1t
collapsed.
In a fraction of a second this sec
tion of the great building was trans
formed into a mass of iron and wood
wreckage, in the midst of which hui
man beings were pinioned In an
other moment flames broke out in the
debris and death by fire and suffoca
tion became the fate of scores of the
operatives.
Boiler Flew Through Building.
When the boiler exploded 1t passed
upward almost perpendicularly, tear.
ing passage as 1t 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 projectile
through a dwelling house so feet away
and another dwelling further on, de-
molishing the latter structure. Here
its course was stopped.
Scenes of horror followed the rend-
ing apart of the factory building. In
the rear the three upper floors,
weighted with heavy machinery, col
lapsed with a crash that was heard
for blocks Men and women opera
tives working in departments of this
section had time to turn In an attempt
to fee, after the first dull roar, when
the flooring sank beneath them and
they were carried to the ground floor
and crushed amid the mass of debris.
Many fell into a veritable fiery furn-
ace. In the section of the factory
which remained standing the opera
tives were panic stricken as they
sought escape.
Many fled down the stairways and
reached the street, others ran 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
minor injuries.
Scarcely had the rear portion of the
structure collapsed when a tongue of
fame started up from the boiler pit,
communicating with the splintered
wreckage and soon the entire factory
was 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 were working near
the supports were alive after the
floors and walls fell From these un-
fortunates thrilling cries of agony and
terror went up. Almost all had been
caught between broken timbers and
heavy pieces of machinery. A few
persons succeeded in extricating them
selves from the wreckage but more
were roasted to death.
BY this time nearby citizens had
arrived to assist the employees who
escaped in the rescue of their fellows
This task became momentarily more
difficult and perilous, for the heat
from the fire was almost unbearable
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