The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-21

water IN II ice cause or the disaster
is mystery.
Quivers and CoIapses
The explosion occurred shortly after
the operatives had settled down to
work for the day and without warning.
Suddenly the air vibrated with the
roar of an explosion At the same mo-
ment the larger wooden frame building
OF the factory. four story structure
quivered and then the rear portion of
1t collapsed In a fraction of a second
this section of the great building had
been transformed into a mass of iron
and wood wreckage. in the midst of
which human beings were pinioned. In
another moment fire had broken out in
the debris and death by fire and suf-
location became the fate of scores of
the operatives.
When the boiler exploded il PASSED
upwards almost perpendicularly, tear
ing 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
through a dwelling house fifty feet
away and pierced another dwelling,
demolishing the latter structure. Here
its course was stopped.
Floor Sinks Beneath Them
Scenes of horror followed the
wrenching apart of the factory build
ing. The three upper floors. weighted
as they were with heavy machinery,
collapsed with a crash that was heard
for blocks. Men and women operatives
were working in departments of this
section who. busy at their ma
chimes, had time but to turn in an at
tempt TO flee at the first dull roar when
the flooring sank beneath them and
they were carried to the ground floor.
crushed and bruised amid the mass of
debris. Many fell into a veritable fiery
furnace. In the sections of the fac
tory which remained standing the op-
eratives were panic stricken, as they
sought to escape. Many fed down the
stairways and reached the street, 9TH
ers ran to the windows. the fire es-
capes in many cases having been torn
away by the explosion. In desperation
many jumped from the second and
third story windows and were dan
gerously injured. The crush on the
stairways resulted in numerous minor
injuries.
Scarcely had the rear portion of the
structure collapsed when a tongue Of
flame started up from the boiler Dit
and reaching out as il assembled COM
municated with the splintered wreck
age and Immediately afterwards with
the standing walls. Soon the entire
factory was aflame.
Instant death was the fate of many
who went down with the floors that
collapsed. A large number of men and
women who were working near the
supports were alive after the floors and
walls fell. Almost all had been caught
between broken timbers, lighter wooden
wreckage and heavy pieces of machine
cry. A few persons extricated them
selves from the wreckage, but more
were roasted to death.
BY this time nearby citizens had ar
rived to assist the employees who es-
capped In the rescue of their fellows.
This task became momentarily more
difficult and perilous, for the heat was
almost unbearable. BY the use of long
pieces or timber the rescuers were able
10 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
ruin.
Saves Girls and Dies
Then it was that acts of sacrifice
and heroism We're 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 ne Lifted several girls one by one
ana passed them to the rescuers. Then
the fre reached him and he died.
A woman who was entangled in a
shoe machine cried out that she was
uylhS and commanded the rescuers to
attend TO others who might live. She
begged to be shot. Soon flames en-
Yeloped her.
Among the first to arrive on the
scene was Rev. James O'Rourke. curate
at st. Margarets Roman Catholic
church nearby. At the risk of his life he
removed seven persons from the ruins
Detore the fire had reached them and
was returning for the eighth time when
he tainted from the effects of the smoke
and shock. Father O'Rourke admins
tered the last rites of the church to
many Catholics, 'both to those who
Were saved and some who later per-
ished.
Imprisoned operatives, too far away
Tor rescue and who knew that their
lives would last but a few moments.
spoke words of encouragement to those
who seemed nearer escape. Some
prayed aloud.
Fire Finally Checked
In the meantime the fire was spread
ing from the Grover factory. 1t leaped
across Calmar street to q three story
brick block at the corner OF Main street
and then to a wooden lodging house, a
dwelling house on Calmar street, and
small buildings, all of which were de-
stroyed. From the rear OF the factory
the flames stretched across Denton
street to two dwelling houses.
By this time the entire fire depart
ment and all the police reserves were
on the scene, but with the high wind
blowing the flames could not be check
ed and soon reached two other dwell
ings. All these buildings were prac-
tically ruined, but at this point the fire
was stopped.
Several charred and headless bodies
were recovered near the boiler pit and
the bones OF others were found. They
were placed in pine boxes and removed
TO temporary morgue.
Engineer Was irritable
Tonight Mrs. David W. Rockwell. the
wife of the engineer at the factory,
whose home was wrecked by the flying
boiler, said:
For the past few days my husband
has been irritable on account of the
condition of the boiler. He had said
many times of late that he had to put
on the boiler a pressure 1t was unequal
TO. He had to do this, he said, because
the work in the factory required it.
When shown Mrs. Rockwell's state
ment Supt. Emerson OF the Grover
company said:
Rockwell took his orders in this mat
ter from the Hartford Boiler insurance
company, and il he oyerworked that
boiler he did IL without our knowl-
edge"
The disaster was attended by one
mystery which the police has not
IL IL ~