Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-20
FATAL FACTORY FIRE.
Started by Explosion Of a
Boiler in Engine Room.
BROCKTON, MASS, TODAY
85 BODIES RECOVERED so FOB
FROM THE RUINS.
Remains So Badly Burned as to Make
Identification Almost Impossible
Many Missing.

A boiler in the big shoe factory
of R. B. Grover & Co., Campello,
the southern section of Brockton,
Mass, exploded today, bringing
ruin to the factory and other nearby
property and death to many opera
tives.
The city fire marshal, four houts
after the explosion occurred, esti-
mated the list of dead at fifty, aud
it was believed by the police and
those at work at the ruins that as
many more had sustained injuries.
In all eight buildings were burned,
including the factory, business
block and an old hotel building oc-
cupied by stores.and tenements, and
the financial loss is estimated 1T
100000.
The greatest difficulty was ex-
perienced in ascertaining accurately
the number of dead and injured, ow-
ing to the fact that an IL" of the fac
tory in which some 200 hands were
at work was almost completely
wrecked, and many of the men and
women had no chance to escape, be-
ing carried down in the collapse of
the structure, which Immediately
caught fire.
Up to 3 o'clock IS bodies had
been recovered, all of them burn
ed so badly as to make identihca-
ton difficult, if not impossible. In
some cases nothing but the franc
work of bones was found in the
debris.
BROCKTON, Mass, March 20.-Within
an hour after the six hundred en-
ployes at the R. B. Grover Shoe Factory
had begun work today a boiler blew up in
the factory engine room, wreckng a sec
ton of the building and starting a fire
which destroyed the ruins and spread to
other buildings nearby. Owing to the ma
ture of the accident and the speed with
which the flames seized upon the collapsed
section and the excitement any accurate
estimate of the loss of life was impossible
1t was understood that upward of 200
persons were at work in the departments
near the boiler room and the first indica-
tions were that hardly one could have es-
capped. Later. however, it was learned that
about fifty were unaccounted for and 1t
was believed that many of this number
might be dead or injured.
The factory, a large four story wooden
structure. was in ashes within an hour
The flames extended to several dwelling
houses nearby and to the Dahlburg dock,
across the street from the Grover factory.
These also were consumed and other prop
erty was damaged. At 1920 o'clock it was
believed that the fire was under control and
the financial loss was estimated at 100000
Boiler on the Ground Floor.
The boiler which exploded was located on
the ground floor of an ell which extended
from the main building. In the three sto-
ries of the ell were work rooms Persons
living near heard a dull roar and saw a
cloud of smoke rising. and the ell of the
factory falling to the ground. Flames
burst from the ruins, spreading quickly to
the main structure, which in a few min
utes was a roaring furnace. Most of the
employees in the main part of the plant
succeeded in escaping. although In the ter
rible panic which followed the explosion
quite number were inquired
The Grover factory was situated at the
corner of Main and Calmar streets in the
Campello district, about a mile south of
the city proper. The district is within the
city limits of Brockton A series of alarms
summoned all the fire apparatus In the
city TO the scene and aid also was sent
from nearby places
The fremen experienced the greatest diff
hculty in battling with the flames. as the
Grover factory was of an extremely infiam-
mahle nature. and nearly all the floors
were saturated with Oil The flames ex-
tend to the Dahlburg block, four-story
wooden building on the opposite corner of
the street and to a number of wooden
dwellings, half dozen or more which
were destroyed. The Dahlburg block was
also burned. ~
First knowledge of Accident.
The first knowledge OF an accident to out
siders was the sound of roar in the direc
tion Of the Grover plant. People living
nearby looked out to see a dense pillar of
smoke rising from the top of the shoe
factory. 1t was seen that a part of the
factory had collapsed. A moment after
ward flames started out from the mass OF
wreckage and spread rapidly to the rest of
the wooden structure.
When the employees who were at work in
the main section of the plant escaped from
the building they went quickly to where
the explosion occurred and succeeded in
rescuing many persons from underneath
the wreckage who without assistance
would have been unable to get clear of the
heavy timbers and who would undoubtedly
have perished when the flames swept across
that part of the plant.
So quickly did the fire communicate with
the nearby structures that their occupants
scarcely had time to make their way out.
Men and Women in Struggling Crowd.
Meanwhile news of the accident had
reached the homes of the operatives, and
through the crowds already near the burn
ing factory men and women were strus-
Cling Wildly toward the centsr to set