The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1905-03-24
GREAT SACRI-
FICE OF LIFE
Entails Appalling Instances of
Human Suffering
AT LEAST SIXTY DEAD

Due Primarily to Boiler Eek
pIOSiOn--Larye Plant Reduced
10 Ashes by Fire Which Fol
lowed - Many Persisted In
Flames While Held Prisoners
by Tlmbers and Machinery
No Warming of impending
Doom Came to Hundreds of
veS--lnstances of Rare
HerOism--B rOcktOn City OF
Mourning For Lost Citizens
Brockton, Mass, March 21.-The city
of Brockton is in mourning for at least
:. three score of her citizens whose lives
were blotted out by the explosion of t
boiler in a large shoe manufacturing
cstab, ishment in the CampeliO district
conducted by the R. B. Grover COM
pany.
The explosion was Immediately fol-
lowed by dash of fame which OBJ
liberated the fa, Glory, a long. four-story
structure. as If il were house of cards,
and incinerated Nthe men and women
unable TO extricSte themselves from
d mass of tangled Syreckage formed by
the terrific upheaval in the boiler room.
More than half hundred of the EN-
pioyes in the building We're manned,
burned or bruised by the time they
reached safe ground Some mad
jumped from the roof, some from WIN
dows, and others had been INJURED III
the mad rush to escape from the
doomed factory. which from aIl parts
emitted the intense, awful heat or an IN
ferno, driving back the band Of heroic
rescuers who in few moments had
performed gallant service.
The fire extended from the factory
to seven other buildings in the vein
fly and also reduced these 10 ashes
One Of these buildings was a three
story wooden block; the others were
cottages of small value end black.
smith shop. Two wooden dwellings
near the engine room were practically
demolished by the onrush of the boiler,
but none of the occupants was Sc
riously injured. The total financial loss
is estimated at $25O,OOO S200,OOO OF
which falls on II. b. Grover company.
No one knows exactly how many
persons were in the factory. 1t has
been estimated at 400. but Treasurer
Emerson says that he doubts that there
were so many. Two hundred and
fifty survivors have been accounted for
and the remains of 60 bodies have been
recovered from the ruins, the search
among which was continued all night
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 and except i'll rare it,
stances it was even impossible to dis
tinguish the sex.
Chief of Police Boyden expresses the
not reached the factory at the time of
the explosion and that undoubtedly
number of those living in nearby
places were injured and had gon"
home without reporting. He thinks
that many of those not accounted for.
upwards of 100 in number, were AZ org
these.
The disaster was attended by many
narrowing scenes and thrilling rescnes.
For hours hundreds of the relatives Of
the factory operatives hesieged the
ruins and the fire and police station in
quest of missing ones. Some. in their
violent grief and agoniZing stress of
mind, collapsed utterly. Several of tie
rescuers and searchers tainted as they
beheld the revolving scene. There is
no trace Of the body of David w. Rock
well, engineer of the plant. who was
first reported as having died from in
juries. Later it developed that Rock
well had not been seen after the fire.
1t is supposed that he persisted at his
post.
An inspection of the wrecked boiler
by the state boiler inspector showed
that there was sufficient supply of
water in it. The cause of the explo-
sion is mystery at present. The dis
aster will be further investigated by
the state authorities.
The explosion occurred shortly after
the operatives had settled down to the
work of the day. No warning of the
impending disaster came to the EN-
ployes. Suddenly the air was vibrated
by the roar of an explosion, and at the
same moment the larger wooden frame
Of the factory quivered and then the
rear portion Of it collapsed.