The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-03-21
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION
Blowing Up of Il Boiler Dcmolishes
Part Of Shoe Factory.
NJ MBER LOSE LIVES.
Gro'er Manufacturing Establishment
at Erockton, Mass, the Scene
of a Calamity Heartrend.
ing In Character.

frorkton. Mass. March 2t.-A boiler
exploded in the R. v Grover shoe fac
| tory here Monday morning.
At 10: 80 O'Clock the fire was virtual
" under control, but owing to the grea.
heat a search of the ruins at that time
WAS impossible. The number OF persons
then missing was estimated at fifty
! one hour later search for the dead and
wounded was instituted and twenty-five
! nod1cS were soon recovered. Many of
them We're so badly mutilated and
burned as to make Identification dim
cult and in some cases impossible.
The entire Grover plant was Destroy
sd by fire, which spread to adjoining
! business structures and private resi-
| dences. The boiler which exploded was
located on the ground floor in the ell
part Of the four story wooden factory.
When the explosion occurred that part
of the factory directly above cola psed.
A moment after the explosion fire broke
out in the wreckage.
1he HHdncldl loss IS estimated at
5000 900.
Two Of the injured were taken to the
Brockton hospital. They are Andrew
Lundell, leg fractured and burned about
face and hands. and Elmer H. Dolfge,
compound fracture Of the leg and Sc
Verely burned about face and hands.
The boiler which exploded was To-
Gated on the ground floor of the ell
which extended from the main building
III three stories of the ell were wo.k
rooms Persons living near heard
Gull roar and saw a cloud Of smoke ris-
Ing and the ell of the factory falling to
the ground. Flames burst from the
ruins. spreading quickly to the main
structure. wh'cs5 in a few minutes was
a roaring furnace. Most Of the employees
In the main part Of the plant succeeded
in escaping, although in the terrible
panic which followed the explosion
quite a number We're injured.
The Grover factory Is situated at the
corner of Main and Calmar streets in
the Campbell district, about a mile
south of the city hall. The district il
within the city limits of Brockton "A
series of alarms summoned all the APP
paratus in the city and aid also was
the fire was so intense that the work
Of the firemen and police was carried
on under great difficulties. Their at
tention was chiefly given to the Grover
building, especially to that part which
was nearest the boiler house, and In
the early stages of the fire a number
of employees were extricated from the
ruins. The flames, however, soon stop
yynrk of Ssrot ar
poured on the ell, but the fire from the
main structure became too hot for e.
fective work and the entire plant, with
those who failed to escape, had to be
abandoned Meanwhile news of the ac-
cident reached the homes of the oper-
atives and through the crowds already
near the burning factory men and
women were struggling wildly toward
the center to get news of relatives. the
cries Of which We're heard above the
roaring f mes. Women were frantic as
they learned there was little hope for
any one caught in the ell of the build
ing.
When the flames reached Dahlburg's
block even the firemen were obliged to
retreat temporarily, and it was feared
a large section of the district would be
obliterated. The occupants of all these
buildings had little time to save their
effects. Some barely escaped themselves
Reinforced by the arrival of other APP
paratus, however, the department made
fresh attack and after hard struggle
succeeded In checking the flames.
At O'Clock Monday afternoon fire chief
estimated death list at fifty.
In some cases nothing but framework
of bones of corpses have been found.