The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-16 00:00:00

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE CALAMITY.

13-osioN, Nov. 10, Midnight.

The conflagration has at last stopped, after lasting
for twenty hours and destroying seventy acres of
buildings. The loss is estimated at not exceeding
100,000,000 dollars, and the wool, leather, and dry
goods trades are said to be the heaviest losers. Troops
have been stationed to guard the property. Several
lives have been lost, and many persons have been In-
jured.

BOSTON, Nev. 11, Morning.

. -
The fire broke out shortly after midnight, and al-
though now raging violently, it is believed that it will
be got under.
Chicago and other cities have proffered aid. and re.
lief meetings have been called everywhere.

BOSTON. Nov. 11. 5 a m.

The second fire was ?sniped by explosions of gas,
and it has destroyed six large stores. The flames,
however, have again been checked.
The interior of the Exchange and the Post-office are
destroyed, and Trinity Church is but a muss of ruins.

NEW YORK, Monday Mon:ling, Nov. 11.
Great excitement exists in this city respecting the
terrible fire at Boston. The full details now received
enlarge our sense of the calamity. It appears
that the tire broke out at half-past seven on
Saturday night in the store of Tebbets. Baldwin,
and Davis, wholesale dry goods dealers at the
corner of Summer and Kingstone Streets, near the
side of Edward Everett's old home. The fire engines
had to be drawn by hard, owing to the lack of horses.
The flames made great headway during the delay.
Hardly a breath of wind was stirring when the fire
broke out, but soon afterwards it rose to a gale from
the north-west. The flames swept from story to story,
and from block to block, the Mansard roofs first
catching fire, and the efforts of the firemen were un-
available. At two o'clock yesterday the fire was re-
Korted to have been checked after lasting eighteen
_ _ • •

The burned district is bounded by Summer Federal,
Broad, Central Water, Washington and Bedford-
streets. The area includes a large part of the Fifth
Ward,—probably two or three square miles. The
damage is estimated at two hundred and fifty million
dollars. The district consists of some of the finest
business blocks in Boston. It is the centre of the
wholesale dry goods trade.
- • •

Among the prominent buildings gutted are the mer-
cantile library, the old postcoffice building, the new
post-office now constructing, the old south church, the
cathedral block near Winthrop-square, the Transcript
newspaper building, the Hartford and Erie Railroad
depot, and many of the finest and costliest structures
in the best business part of the city.

BOSTON, Nov. it

Nine hundred and thirty business houses and firms
are burnt out, also 60 private dwellings, 21 banks, 46
insurance companies, and 27 newspaper offices. Relief
is coming from everywhere. Chicago yesterday sent
£20,000. The business panic is disappearing.

Several firms in England, having branch establish-
in Boston, are serious losers by the fire.
The losses to be met by various English insurance
offices from the fire at Boston will, it is estimated,
amount to about £950,000.

Boston has several times been the scene of destruc-
tive fires, but probably has never been visited by one
of such magnitude as that which has now occurred.
The first great fire took place in 1654, but no particu-
lars of its ravages have been handed down. In Nov.,
1676, 46 houses, a church, and other buildings were de-
stroyed by fire, and but for rain falling the whole
city would probably have been burnt down. A fire
brigade was then organized, none having previously
existed, and its services were soon put into requisition.
In 1679 another conflagration consumed 80 houses and
70 warehouses, the loss being estimated at £200,000.
A serious fire took place in 1711. One hundred build-
ings were destroyed, including the first church erected
in the city. Several persons, too, were killed, and
others wounded by the blowing up of houses. On
March 20, 1760, what is known as the "Great Fire"
occurred. 349 buildings were destroyed, the total
logs being estimated at £lOO,OOO.