The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-24

Brockton. Mass, March 20.-This
city is in mourning tonight for at least
three score people whose lives were
blotted out early today by the explo-
sion of a boiler in a large shoe man
ufacturing establishment in the
Campello district, conducted by the r.
Y. Grover md Company.
The explosion was Immediately fol-
lowed by a flash of flame. which con-
sumed the factory, a long four story
structure as if it was a house of cards,
and in~cinerated an unknown number
of men and ome who were unable
to extricate themselves from a mass
Of tangled wreckage formed by the
terrific upheavel in the boiler room.
AHore than half a hundred of the en-
.NIioyes 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
~ LIN 1Ilou ool ~ SoSbpS ~ Lio
doomed factory, which from all parts
emitted the intense, awful heat of an
inferno, driving back the band of he
role rescuers who in a few brief mo-
ments had performed gallant service.
EXTENT OF THE FIRE.
The fire extended from the factory TO
seven other buildings i'm the vicinity and
: destroyed them. One of these buildings
was a three story wooden block owned
10y Charles F. Dahlburg, the others
being cottages of small value, and q
black smith shops. Two wooden dwell
dngs near tine engine room were practi-
cally demolished by the flying boiler,
but none of the occupants was serious
Iy injured. The total financial loss us
estimated at a quarter of a million dol
lars, $500, 600 of which falls on the K.
Ii. Grower & Co. TN monetary losses
are nearly offset by insurance.
1t may never be known just how
man persons persisted in THE wreck
age. No one knows exactly how many
persons were n the factory. The num-
Der has beer estimated ait AGO., but
Treasurer Charles O. Emerson said TO-
night he doubted whether there We're
80 many at work. Two hundred and
fifty survivors have been accounted Tor
and at midnight tonight the remains
of fifty bodies had been recovered from
the ruins, the search being continued
all might. Fragments of human frames
which possibly might belong to bodies
other than those enumerated, have also
been found. Few of the remain nave
been Unidentified. The hea in nearly
every case lis missing and except in rare
instances it was impossible even to dis
tinguish the sex.
SOME OF THE MISSING MAY BE
SAFE.
Chief of Police Boyden at a late hour
tonight expressed the opinion that SOME
OF the employees a not reached the
factory at the time of the explosion and
that undoubtedly a number of those
living i'm nearby, places were injured
and had gone nome without reporting
their Injuries. He thought that many
of these diving nearby We're not ac-
counted for, upwards of 100 in number,
We're among these.
An inspection of the wrecked boiler
by THE state boiler inspector showed
THAT there was a sufficient supply OF
water in it. The of the explosion
rs at present a mystery. The disaster
will be further investigated by the state
authorities.
Brockton, Mass, March 20.-The ex-
plSin occurred shortly after the opera
tives had settled down to work for the
day and without warming. Suddenly the
air vibrated with the roar of an explo-
sion. AIT the same moment the larger
wooden frame of the factory, a four
STORY structure, Quiyered and then the
rear portion Of it collapsed. In a frac-
ton of a second rthis section of the
great building had been transformed
into a mass of iron and wood wreckase
6n the npidst OF which human beings |
were pinioned. In another moment fire |
mad broken out in the debris and death
by fire and suffocabioCl became the fate
of scores of the operatives.
When the fboiler exploded ut passed
upward almost perpendicularly, tearing
a passage as 1T went, killing many on
gEFay. After rising high i'm the ain.
seconded half the distance and then
SwerSdng norther1y, cut its way like
some huge projecti1e Through a dwelling
house fifty feet away and pierced an
either dwelling further along, demolish- |