The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1905-03-23
SCORES KILLED BY
BURSTING BOILER
Fifty Bodies Recovered From Wreck
ed Factory at BrOckton, Mass.
MANY OTHERS STILL MISSING

Boiler Let Go Without Warming
Preciptatine Men. Women and Chill
dren to Ground Floor, Where They
Were Burned to Death-Msny Acts
Of Heroism.
Rro, Hton. Mass, March p. - rms
city is in mourning for at least three
score of her citizens, whose lives were
blotted ont by the explosion OF oolier
in a large shoe manufacturing eslao'
ushment in the Campello district con
Quoted by the r. b. Grover company
Two hundred and fifty survivors
have been accounted for and the re-
mains of 90 bodies have been recoV.
cred from the ruins. Fragments OF
human frames. which possibly might
belong 10 bodies other than those
enumerated have also been found.
Few OF the remains have been iden-
titled The head in nearly every case
is missing. and except In rare In
stances it was impossible even to dis
tinguish the sex
Chief OF Police Boyden expressed
the opinion that a number OF those
living in nearby places were injured
and had gone home without reporting
their injuries He thought that many OF
those not accounted for. upwards OF
loo in number. were among these.
The fire extended from the factory
to seven other buildings in the yicin-
ity and destroyed them. TWO wooden
dwellings near the engine room were
practically demolished by the flying
boiler. but none of the occupants was
seriously injured The total financial
loss is estimated at S2500OO. 100000
of which falls on the r. b. Grover
company.
1t may never be known just how
many persons were in the factory.
Factory Blown 70 Pieces.
The explosion which was followed
by such a sacrifice of life and entailed
appalling instances OF human suffering,
occurred without warning. Suddenly
the air yibrated with the roar OF an
explosion. At the same moment the
large wooden frame OF the factory,
four-story structure, Quivcred, and
then the rear portion OF it collapsed. In
a fraction of a second this section II
the great building had been trans
formed into a mass Of iron and wooden
wreckage in the midst of which human
beings were pinioned In another mo-
ment fire had broken out in the de-
bris. and death by fire and suffOcatiOn
became the fate OF scores OF the opes-
atives.
When the boiler exploded It passed
upward almost perpendicularly, tearing
a passage as it went killing many on
the way After rising high in the air,
it descended half the distance. and
then, swerving nOrtherly, cut its way
like some huge projectile through a
dwelling house 80 feet away, and
pierced another dwelling further along,
demolishing the latter structure. Here
. its course was stopped.
scenes OF HorroT.
Scenes of horror followed the
wrenching apart of the factory build
ing In the rear the three upper floors.
weighted as they were with heavy ma
chinery. collapsed with a crash that
was heard for blOcl-s Men and women
operatives attempted TO fee, after the
first dull roar, when the flooring sank
beneath them and hey were carried
to the ground floor. crushed and
bruised, amid the mass of debris. Many
fell into a veritable fiery furnace.
Scarcely had the rear portion of the
structure collapsed. when a tongue OF
fame started up from the boiler pit.
and. reaching out as il assembled. COM
municated with the splintered wreck
age. and Immediately after with the
standing walls. Soon the entire fac
tory was in flames
BY this time nearby citizens had ar
rived to assist the employees who es-
capped in the rescue of their fellows.
BY the use of long pieces of timber the
+ rescuers were able to raise parts Of the
wreckage and thereby release some Of
+ the imprisoned men and women, and
then. by rushing into the smoke, pull
them from the ruins.
Rescued Girls, Then Died.
Then il was that acts of sacrifice and
heroism were seen. One' man. whose
/ legs were caught under an iron beam.
cried to the rescuers that they could
not extricate him and to help the girls
/ behind him. Stretching out his arms.
he lifted several girls, one by one. and
passed them TO the rescuers. Then
/ the fire reached him and he died. A
woman, who was entangled in a shoe
| machine cried out that she was dying,
and commanded the rescuers to attend
to others who might live She begged
/ to be shot Soon the flames enveloped
| her.
Among the first to arrive on the
/ scene was Rev. James A. O'ROurke,
curate az St Margaret's Catholic
/ church nearby. At the risk Of his life,
he removed seven persons from the
ruins before the fire had reached them.
and was returning for the eighth one
when he tainted from the effects of the
smoke and shock.
Flying Boiler Wrecks Two Houses.
The house at the north of the fac
I tory fhrOuph which tha pynlOdad bOilar