The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-03-24
FIFTY four BODIES
= HAVE Been FOUND
People Begin to Realize he Elk
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BELIEVED NEARLY 1co MISSING
Searching Parties Worked All MIGHT
For Bodies at Brockton-Mayor is.
sues Call for Public Funeral of Vic.
tins Of Disaster.
BrocktOn. Mass, March ga reaii
zation of the extent of the disaster
which had come to the city of Rrocn-
ton yesterday in the wrecking of tire
great wooden shoe factory Of r. B.
Grover company, and the ensuing ter
rible loss of life came more clearly to
the citizens today when they awoke to
q full knowledge of the horrors at
tendant upon catastrophe.
All night long the work OF searching
for the bodies of victims of the expIo-
sion and fire continued with unremit-
ting zeal. The work was not reward
ed until after midnight by the finding
OF any additional bodies until z
O'Clock today. when the remains of
human being were found in the boiler
pit. Considering the mystery at.
tached to the disappearance of David
/. w. Rockwell. the engineer, who was in
charge of the boiler which exploded.
the police believe the body found TO-
day was that of the engineer.
Rockwell was reported to have been
rescued yesterday badly injured and
later to have died, but the police were
not able to subsequently locate his
body. 1t seemed more likely to the
police today that Rockwell. near as
he was to the explosion, was the first
to meet death. The body of Steven
Snow. SO years old. one of the oldest
workmen in the Grover plant. was
identified today by his son.
The finding of the remains supposed
to be that Of the engineer. made the
fifty-fourth body thus far taken from
the ruined factory. The figures at
hand early today showed that about
two hundred and sixty persons were at
work in the factory when the explo-
sion occurred, had been accounted for
and that between so and 100 persons
are missing.
Mayor Keith issued notice today
requesting every clergyman in the city
to meet with him at 3 O'Clock this af.
ternoon at the City Hall to make ar
rangements for public funeral services
for the victims of the accident. sug-
costing Thursday afternoon as a de-
sirable time for them to be held. He
added also that it seemed best to bury
those bodies whose ident:ncarIon wou d
be impossible in the city cemetery at
Melrose. Mayor Keith said the rakine
over of the ruins would be resumed to-
day with a larger force of men at
work. He expressed the opinion that
perhaps a considerable number of bod
les would be found in that portion of
the plant not yet explored.
A more careful search Of the boiler
pit in which the remains were found
today resulted in the finding of a
watch. the rubber heel OF shoe and a
torn piece Of clothing all of which
when shown to Mrs. Rockwell, the
wife of the engineer, were identified
BY her as belonging to her husband
Then the police found part of chair
with pelvis of a human frame in it
from which they inferred that Rock.
well was sitting beside his boiler when
the explosion came and was killed in
stantly. The police are satisfied thai
the report yesterday that the engineer
had been taken out alive was due tO
the confusion Of Rockwell with an
other employee.
With reference to the cause Of the
bacFing UP Of the boiler Josiah F.
Gibbs. assistant engineer 1t the Brock
ION Sewage station. who was with En-.
sineer Rockwell At the Grover factory
minutes before the acciden, occurred
sail today that when he left Rock
80 the steam was below the safety
hmtt and there was plenty Of water
tp glass. but tAaA he was running
ue ed boiler. The police say today
y e1piainingr TIE nature ofca mum.
sef q e0paoyss to report their escape
dtsa ~ instance which Indicated tc
NJ that many q the workmsn were
Assd fron to sEpsossoo.
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