The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-21

- Grover x GO. factory. seven bodies -
- have been identified, but only three -
= or four positively. Fifty-three per :.
- SONS are known to be still missing, -
=" the names of 81 of whom have -
=. been obtained. Many others are e.
- reported missing. but it is con- =.
- sidered possible that some OF them :.
= are at their homes in nearby =
- towns. -
:: At this hour 253 survivors have :.
- been accounted for. The estimates -
- of the dead range from sixty to :.
:: eighty and Of the injured from =
:: :.
nROCKTON. Mass. March 2O.-At least
D sixty persons were killed early to-
day by the explosion of a boiler in
a large shoe manufacturing establish
ment in the CampelIo district, conduct
ed by the X B. Grover company.
The explosion was Immediately fol-
lowed by a flash of flame, which con-
stunned tine factory, a. long, fOur-story
structure as if it were a. house of
B. cards. and incineTated an unknown
nuTnber q men and women who We're
unable tOs eXtricate themselves from Il
mass of tangled Wreckage formed by
the terrific upheaval in the boiler room.
More than fifty 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 heat of an
inferno. driving back the band Of heroic
TeScuerS uthO in a. few moments had
performed gallant service.
The fire extended from the factory to
seven other buildings in the vicinity
and destroyed them. one of these
buildings was a three-stOry wooden
block owned by Charles Z. Dahlborg
the Others being cottages of small
value, and a blacksmith shop. The
wooden dwellings near the engine room
were practically demolished by the fly
ing boiler, but none OF the occupants
was seriously injured The total fnan-
ciaI loss is estimated at $3.50. OOO 5000. 600
OF which falls ON the r. Is. Grover COM
PAM.
Fifty Bodies Taken Out.
II may never be known Just how
many persons persisted in the wreck
age. No one knows exactly how many
persons were in the factory. The num-
Der has been estimated at 400. but
Treasurer Charles o. Emerson said to-
night that ihe doubted whether there
were so many at work. Two hundred
and fifty survivors have been account
ed for, and at midnight the remains of
fifty hOdie had been recovered from the
ruins, the search being 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 instance IS missing and, except
I'm rare instances. it was impossible
even to distinguish the sex
Chief of Police BOyden at a. late hour
tonight expressed the opinion that some
Of the employees had not reached the
factory at the time of the explosion,
and that undoubtedly a number of those
living in nearby places were injured and
had gone home without reporting their
injuries He thought that many of
tfkose unaccounted for, more than 100
IN number. were among these.
The disaster was attended by many
narrowing scenes and thrilling Tescues.
There IS no trace Of the body Of Da-
Md W. Rockwell, engineer of the plant,
who was not seen after the explosion.
it is supposed that he persisted at his
post
Cause of Explosion Not Known.
An inspection Of the wrecked boiler
by the state boiler inspector showed
that there was q sufficient supply of
water in it The cause of the explo-
sion is not known
Spectators Faint.
Many persons rushed into the ruins
snd pulled out the injured at the immi-
Imprisoned operatives too far away
FOR rescue, and who knew that their
lives would last but a few moments.
spoke words of announcement to those
who seemed nearer escape Some prayed
aloud others pleaded with the reScuerS
10 say Goodbye to relatives
The spectacle unnerved many who
were trying vainly to get to the vic
Tins and some turned away sick and
fainting- Members of the fire depart
Il in, he
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.
Other Buildings Destroyed.
In the meantime the fire was spread
Ing from the Grover factory. 1t leaped
across Calmar street to a three-stOry
brick block at the corner of Mann
street. owned by Charles +. DahlbOrg
and occupied as a hardware store, and
then 20 a wooden lodging house,
dwelling house and small buildings, all
of which were destroyed.
From the rear of the factory the
flames stretched across Denton street
10 two dwelling houses.
BY this time the entire fire depart
ment and all the police reserves were
on the scene, but with the nigh wind
blowing the flames could not be checked
and soon reached two other dwellings.
All these buildings were practically
ruined. but at this point the fire was
stopped
Wrecked by Falling Boiler.
y The house to the north of the fac
fory. through which the exploded boiler
crashed, was owned and OCCUPIED by
David W. Rockwell. the engineer in
charge of the boiler, who was among
the killed. The house was demolished
the roof being ripped off and two walls
torn down. Mrs. Rockwell. who WAS
sitting by the kitchen stove. had a mir
aculouS escape from death, receiving
many cuts from flying bits of the tim
Der when the boiler speeded through the
upper portion of her house. Mrs Rock
well snatched up her two children. who
were uninjured, and started for the
home Of the nearest neighbOr, Mrs. Eta
Hood. She found this cottage had been
rent asunder by the boiler. the head of