The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-21
FIFTY BODIES TAKEN
FROM BROCETON WRECK
THIS NUMBER RECOVERED UP
TO MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT,

Declares He Worried Over Condition
Greater Pressure Than 1t Could
Stand-His Fate Unknown.
Brockton, Mass. March 20.-The city
is in mourning tonight for at least
three score of her citizens whose lives
were blotted out early to-day by the
explosion of boiler in a large shoe
manufacturing establishment in the
Campell district conducted by the r.
B., Grover company. .. sr.
The explosion. was Immediately fol-
lowed by flash of flame. which con-
sumed the factory, a long, four story
structure, as if it were a house of cards,
and incinerated an unknown number Of
men and women who were unable to
extricate themselves from a mass Of
tangled wreckage formed by the terri
| fie upheaval in the boiler room. More
| than half hundred of the employees in
| the building were MANNED, burned or
| bruised by the time they reached safe
ground. Some had jumped 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, aw-
! full heat of an inferno, driving back the
band of heroic rescuers who in a few
brief moments had performed gallant
/ service. @4
The fire extended from the factory to-
seven other buildings I'm the vicinity
| and also reduced them to ashes. One
of these buildings was three story
wooden block owned by Charles f.
/ Dahlborg, the others were cottages of
| small value, and a blacksmith shop.
| The wooden dwellings near the engine
| room were practically demolished by
| the onrush Of the, boiler, but none Of
| the occupants were seriously injured.
| The total financial loss is estimated at
! a quarter of million dollars, 100000
Of which falls on r. B. Grover COM
pany. The monetary losses are nearly
offset By insurance.
| 1T may never be known just how
many persons perished in the big foot
wear plant.
| No one knows exactly how many
persons were in the factory. The num-
ber has been estimated at 400, but
Treasurer Charles o. Emerson said to-
/ night that he doubted whether there
were so many at work. Two hundred
! and fifty survivors have been account
| ed for and at midnight tonight the re-
mains of fifty bodies had been recov-
| cred from the ruins, the search among
which was continued all night. Frag-
/ rnents Of human frames which possi-
/ bly, might belong to bodies other than
those enumerated. have also been
eound. Few of the remains have been
| Identified The head IN nearly all cases
is missing and except in rare instances
\ it was impossible even to distinguish
/ the sex ,s .. @
| Chief Of Police Boyden at late hour
| to- night expressed the opinion that
some of the employees had not reached
| tho factory at the time of the explosion
| and that undoubtedly a number OF
those living in nearby places were in
/ jured and had gone home without re-
porting their injuries. He thought that
many OF those not accounted for up
wards Of 100 in number were among
/ these. t# ~
The disaster was attended by many
| narrowing scenes and thrilling rescues
For hours hundreds Of relatives of the
/ factory operatives besieged the ruins
| and the fire and police stations in quest
/ Of missing ones. Some in their violent
| grief and agonizing stress of mind col
| lapsed.
| Several of the rescuers and searchers
| tainted as they beheld the distressing
scene. There was no trace of the body
| of David w. Rockwell, the engineer of
| the plant, who was not seen after the
| explosion. 1t is supposed that he per-
| ished at his post
| An inspection of the wrecked boiler
by the state boiler inspector showed
! that there was sufficient supply Of
| water in 1t. e.
In an interview given to the Assoc
ciated Press tonight Mrs. David W.
Rockwell, the wife of the engineer at
the factory, and whose home was
wrecked by the flying boiler. said: -
| "When my husband left home this
morning he was cheerful and in good
| health. For the past few days, how
| ever, he has been irritable on account
of the condition of the boiler He has
said many times of late that he had to
| put on the boiler pressure it was uri-
equal to. He had to do this, he said
because the work in the factory requir-
| ed it.
IT was in my kitchen about five min
utes before the explosion and happened
to look over at the factory. At that
| time Dave was sitting in a chair near
| the window of the boiler room. That
was the last I saw of him. I turned
my attention to some household duties
| and eew minutes later there was a
! terrible crash. was thrown to the
| floor and portions of the roof and cell
| ing fell down upon me. did not know
until later that it was the boiler which
wrecked my home"
! When shown Mrs. Rockwell's State
ment Mr.. Emerson of the Grover COM
peny said that the amount of pressure
on the boiler was a matter in which the
, factory officials did not interfere.
| Rockwell said Mr.. Emerson, .'took
| his orders in this matter from the
Hartford Boiler Insurance company
and if he overworked the boiler he did
it without our knowledge. We do not
even know why Rockwell used the old
boiler this week instead Of the newer