The Portland daily press., 1870-07-27
The East Boston Fire.

here, but now that distance lends enchant-
ment" regarded as one of the very ablest Con-
crosses ever assembled in the Capitol.
The East Boston Fire.
For the fourth or fifth time within dozen
years East Boston has been burned over by
acres, ,and hundreds of industrious,people have
had homes and property swept away from
them in an hour. The great fire of 1861
burned over an area of ten and quarter
acres, while that Of Monday afternoon de-
sfroyed two churches, abnnt fifty dwellings,
and an unascertained number of stores and
workshops, covering from seven to eight acres
of ground. The Herald says:
The fire burned everything on the square
bounded by Border, Decatur and Liverpool
streets and Central square. 1t then assailed
the Presbyterian church backing up on Liver
pool street, and fronting on Meridian street,
and all the buildings on the west side of Me-
ridian street north of the church up to Cen
tral square. 1t then crossed Meridian street,
taking all the buildings from the point of
junction with London street nearly up to
Porter street. Then it got across London
street and destroyed the property ON both
sides of that street from its junction with Me-
| ridian street nearly up to Porter street. To
| these limits the main confagration was con-
| fined. The fires elsewhere were scattered
| about here and there and took from the flying
| cinders.
The fire originated in the planning mills of
| W. & j. f. Bennett, on Border street, a build
ing 200 feet square, extending to Liverpool
street, and communicated successfully to a
large number of shops and factories, mostly
woodworking establishments.
| Nearly all the burnt buildings extended as
| far back as Liverpool street, and as the fire
communicated from one to another, defying
all the efforts of the fremen, the heat produc-
| ed baffied all description. Although at this
time there was larger number of engines
| playing on the fire than were probably ever
called together before, the streams to all ap-
pearances proved of little avail, as the flames
| kept constantly gaining ground. The fire af-
| ter destroying all the buildings on the east
| side of Border street from the Messrs. Ben
netts to Manson & Peterson's planning shop,
where 1t was checked, swept across to the
west side of Border street, where the wharf of
| Samuel Hail. shipbuilder, and Samuel Hall &
Co, coal dealers, were considerably damaged.
The heat had then become so intense that it
seemed almost useless to further contend
against it, as everything within its reach
seemed to tall ready prey to the devouring
element. To suppose that the fire could be
| controlled at this point was an impossibility,
| for the wind had suddenly sprung up from
the northwest, and the vacuum produced by
the fire drove it in all directions, so that the
hremen hardly knew in what quarter they
must next encounter it.
ON LIVERPOOL STREET.
| The heat from the immense amount of burn
ing property on Border street sci fire to a two
dual tIrafr IL
| steamers at once repaired to the spot, TO en-
deavor if possible to prevent the further
| spread OF the flames. But notwithstanding
the heroic efforts Of the firemen, the flames
| Iorced their way into two-story dwelling
house, the roofof which was sadly burned.
All attention at this time was directed to
the Presbyterian church, the rear of which
extends on Liverpool street. As it was on
| hre In no less than seven or eight places,
ladder has been raised at the rear of the
building, upon which a member of the Fire
| department, scorning the terrible heat, and
| succeeded In carrying up line of hose to the
root, the stream from which for long time
proved effectual in quenching the flames as
often as they appeared. But at last they
were too much for human endurance, and he
was obliged to abandon his station, although
not until he was so badly scorched that to
have remained much longer would surely
have caused his death. 1t is somewhat sin
gular that alter the church was left to its fate
| 1t did not at Onc9 succumb to the flames.
| Instead of preying upon the defenceless
church, the flames for a time seemed to neg
lect it entirely, and jumped across Meridian
street to the splre of the
BAPTIST CHURCH,
Which was instantly mass of flame. In less
| than ten minutes afterward the spire fell with
a crash upon the roof the church, crushing in
the same and also setting fire to it. The de-
vouring element was then apparently satisfied,
as far as this church was concerned, for the
ire seemed to burn slowly ,and hopes were en-
tertained that it might be saved.
But in the meantime the wind, one of the
worst enemies ofthe firemen, had increased to
quite fresh breeze, so that the flames were
sweeping on with fearful rapidity, threatening
to destroy every building in the vicinity, and
| render hundreds of families homeless. While
| the attention of the fremen had been direct.
ed to the Baptist church, the treacherous
flames had been silently though surely work.
ing their way through the inside of the
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
Fronting on Meridian street, and at half-past
four O'Clock the flames burst from the tower
and roof in uncomfortable fury. All hopes of
saving this edifice rapidly vanished, and all
the firemen attempted to do was to save the
adjoining buildings.
Only few minutes elapsed before the en-
tire building was mass of flames, and the
police found it necessary to stretch ropes
across the street to keep pedestrians beyond
the reach 'of the steepe, which was sure to
fall. 1t was remarkable to see with what te-
nacity the building seemed to resist the flames,
even after it was in full blaze. The clock up
on the tower seemed bent upon performing it's
accustomed work, and it was not until nearly
the time that the tower fell that the faithful
CLOCK rellnqulSed its appointed round of duty.
Ihe desire to witness the fall of the steeple
bad gathered together an immense crowd and
at quarter past five O'Clock it tottered, and in
its tall crushed dwelling-house on the right,
which was instantly on fire.
During this interval the firemen had found
plenty OF work, for the wind had forced the
flames up on the east side of
MERIDIAN STREET,
destroying in their course large number of
dwelling houses on the street and the court
aujoning.
The flames then swept across to
LONDON STREET,
where quite number of dwelling houses
were burned, and also on Porter, Havre, Par
is, Chelsea and Bremen streets. On the three
last named streets the fires were caused by
the sparks from the burning buildings on
meridian street, The last building destroyed
was op Bremen street, when the firemen soon |
atef seven o'clock obtained complete control |
of the elements
"A large number of families were Turned ont |
OF doors, ana many had no roof of their own
TO cover them last night. If anv comfort can
be got from such disaster il lies in tha sant "
that it did not happen in mid winter when i"uo
their sufferings must have been far greoter
Loads upon loads of furniture, beddine AMI
household goods generally were hastily re-.
moved from houses which it was feared Would
become prey to the flames, but were saved.
and last evening their owners were engaged
reoccupyng their homes and congratuiating
themselves that their luck was no worse, In
the large hollow near Paris street last evening
were to be seen little piles of bedding and
household goods, which their owners had
saved from the flames, and upon them or near
them was the family, with all they had in the
world there, and their home mass of bum
ing ruins. Some families lost everything ex-
cept what they wore, and many had no insur-
ance upon their property, and in an hour saw
5he investment of their hard earned savings
'wooped up by the relentless flames. Most of
hem took their bad luck cheerfully, however,
md thanked their stars that it was no worse.
The ppone of EaSt Roctor showed their Svm- |