Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-21
EXPLOSION COSTS
LIVES OF SIXTY
TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE IN
BR0CKT0N, MASS.
FACTORY BOILER BLOWS UP
Shoe Plant Is Consumed by Flames
and Men and Girls Are Crushed
and Burned to
Death
Ry Associated Press.

BROCKTON, Mass, March 20-At
least sixty persons were killed today
by the explosion of a boiler in a large
shoe manufacturing establishment in
the Campello district, conducted by
the r. B. Grover company. The ex-
plosion was Immediately followed by
a flash of flame, which consumed the
factory a long, four-story structure,
as IL it were a house of cards, and in
cinerated an unknown number of men
and women who were unable to extrt-
cate themselves from a mass of tangled
wreckage formed by the terrific up
heaval 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 In !.
jured in the mad rush to escape from
the doomed factory, which from al
parts emitted the heat of an inferno,
driving back the band of heroic res
cuers who in few moments had per-
formed 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 V. Dahlborg
theS others being cottages of small
value and 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 f1nan-
cial loss is estimated at $25g,e00, 100000
of which falls on the r. b. Grover
company.
1t may never be known just how
many persons perished in the wreckage.
Number of Dead Unknown
No one knows exactly how many per-
sons were in the factory. The number
has been estimated at 400, but Treas
urer Charles c. Emerson said tonight
that he doubted whether there were
so many at work. Two hundred and
fifty survivors have been accounted for
and at midnight the remains of fifty
bodies have been recovered from the
ruins, the search being continued all
night. Fragments of human frames
which possibly might belong to the
bodies other than those enumerated
have also been found. Few of the re-
mains have been identified. The head
in nearly every instance was missing,
and except in rare instances, it was i'm
possible even to distinguish the sex.
Chiof of Dolioa Pou5ar1 of a 10 70 Io,,r
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 in
jured and had gone home without re-
porting their injuries. He thought that
many of those unaccounted for, more
than 100 in number, were among these.
The disaster was attended by many
narrowing scenes and thrilling res
cues.
Engineer Dies at Post
There is no trace of the body of
David w. Rockwell, engineer of the
plant, who was not seen after the ex-
plosion. 1t is supposed that he per-
ished at his post.
An inspection of the wrecked boiler
by the state boiler inspector showed
that there was a sufficient supply of
water in it. The cause of the explo-
sion is not known.
At o'clock the bodies of fifty-three
persons had been recovered from the
ruins of the Grover e. Co. factory
Seven bodies have been identified
but only three or four positively. Fiji
ty-three persons are known to be still
missing, the names of thirty-one OF
whom have been obtained. Many 9TH
ers are reported missing, but 1t is con-
sidered possible that some of them are
at their homes.
The work of Identifying those killed
by the explosion progressed slowly ow'
ing to the generally unrecognizable re-
mains of the victims.
The Dead
The list Of identified dead follows:
j. RAY COLE.
HARRY II. HALL.
JEREoNA MAYO. aged so.
GEORGE SMITH.
EMMA b. PRAY.
FLORIssA DUNHAM, bookkeeper
aged 10.
The Injured
The following were seriously injured
many perhaps fatally:
Moran Coughlin, 2S, contusions OF
spine, critical; Herman Pierce, 40
burns, serious; William Lightfoot 4S
East Bridgewater burns, dangerous;
Charles Rollins, "a, East Bridgewater
serious; Arthur Pierce, contusions. will
recover; Mrs. j. H. McCabe, internal
injuries; James Sheehan and Ralph
Churchill, jumped from third story
VIII recover; Mrs. David Rockwell
wife of engineer of factory, contuslons
win recover; George Jones, internal
injuries Mrs. Augusta Burgess, contu-