The Portland daily press., 1862-12-31
Correspondence of the Press.
nftar from RAGf2u

correspondence OF tne fress
Letter from Boston.
Fires of late-How they manage them u
here-Christmas Festiuities-Chifoniers
Gen. Mcclellan.
BosToN, Dec. 26, 1852.
To the Editors Of the Press:-We have ha
two fires of much Importance during the pres
ent week. One was on Tuesday night, a
II o'clock. 1t consumed the fine Athenaun
block on Pearl street, where leather merchant
most do congregate. For an hour it rage,
fiercely, leaving all in doubt whether it nigh
not unfortunately sweep away also the mag
nificent "Pearl street Block" But the thre
fire alarms called out all the steam extinguish
ers in the city and its immediate vicinity, ant
by their united efforts the flood of fire wa
made to ebb. And at times it would hav,
been no figure of speech to call the rolling
volumes of flames, waves of fire. Flakes Of
burning leather rose like rockets into the all
and were carried to great distances, while the
shower of sparks was no mean pyroteehnic
display. As one man said, sit is just like O
fire in the woods
To-day we had another, but a much smaller
ouC. uC iist uEOkc Out III tiic Clttui-
cal store-room of John Sawyer g. Co., dealers
in Photographic goods, nearly opposite the
Boston Journal office. The lower floor was
occupied by Messrs. Alden g. Vose, successors
to Horace Barnes, while back room was
used by Mr.. Bolton, the engraver. The upper
part of the building was completely burned
out, leaving nothing but scorched fragments
of a floor. BY the skillful management of the
Chief Engineer, the fire was prevented from
extending to the adjoining stores. Both Tick
nor & Fields, as well as VIM. II. Piper's stores,
are covered with common shingles, just like
any barn, instead of being slate or IRON plated,
as they should be, to protect their treasures.
After the fire was under the complete con-
troll of the engineers, the pipemen in the up
per stories of the Photographic building re-
solved themselves into society for the diffu-
sion of damaged photographs. They would
send dexterously out of the window an half
burned picture Of Old Abe" and then the
excited crowd of young and old boys would
rush after the interesting but highly undigni-
fed representation of the "publc servant
as he came down to the ground, and so would
the photographs of some old ladies who were
never so tumbled about in their lives before
And one friend of mine secured a treasure al
so. 1t was an hallconsumed photograph of
aslancient spnster, not uncommonly, but very
prim. He prized,' he said, "the photograph
as being one of a person who had never felt
the gentle flame till now!"
Its very amusing to see two things at a fire
in this city. One of these il the frantic en-
deavor of the police to keep the boys under
control, and the other, pardon me for saying
so, is lady trying to squeeze through the
crowd. The jam is fiattening TO all kinds of
dress, and a woman who can stand the pres
sure comes out as fiat as the Chnaman's image
at the tea store in Middle Street. She looks
as though she had just been ironed out fiat and
theu unused" as the classic Ward says.
Christmas passed off quietly. Forrest was
at the Boston Theatre, with a house packed
from highest gallery to the lowest part of the
first floor He and Booth are great favorites
here.
The high price of paper has developed a
new class of scavengers in Boston. We have
now set of paper pickers," who are at every
bookstore when the door opens in the morning.
Every piece of paper as large as ones hand is
scrambled for as for life, while whole sheet
OF paper will breed a quarrel. But it is down
on the Dump near Cambridge bridge where
they can be seen in their perfection. Here the
city carts come to bring the coal ashes and
refuse from every house, and here is the
harvest OF the Chifionier. 1t Is truly Partisan
scene. Englishmen, Irishmen and Frenchmen,
with women and children, work there in the
dust and filth all day to fill their baskets with
what beggar would spurn to take. have
never yet seen Yankee coal or paper picker
among them. Why is this?
Gen. Mcclellan has not yet arrived in Bos-
but he has not come yet. He will have quite
a reception in all probability, not merely by
the special admirers of the General, but by all
order-loving and patriotic citizens who can
never forget that, though he may have come
short as a campaigner he was the organizer of
our army. And it will be hard to forget his
truly citizen spirit in giving up, without asking
for court martial or even explanations, the
grandest command in the world. He is hon
ored by all as an able engineer, an energetic
organizer and patriotic lover of his country
Therefore, think that Boston will probably
give him an ovation if he honors us with a
visit. MoxIE.