Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-11-15
GREET FIRE ~ BOsTO.v.
FRANKLIN, PEARL AND MILK
STREETS IN RUINSi
LOSS SSO,OOO,OOO.

of business blocks in Boston or in America,
and ravaged 1t completely. To help 10 fix
its details, our readers may recall the quar-
ter of the city lying on the east side of
Washington street between State and Sum
NOR streets, tlarlng out little broader on
the east TO the wharves. 1t was quite
nearly the shape of fan hall opened, with
the old post-of1ice on State street for its
pivotal point (noith,) Broad street for the
eastern stick aud Washington street for the
western, and Summer street and part of
Broad for the fringe (south) of the fan.
Beginning at Broad and counting toward
Washington, we find between the two and
running in the same general direction,
from Summer converging on State street,
oliver, Pearl, Congress, Federal, Devon
shire combining into itself at Winthrop
square, Arch and Otis streots) and Hawlcy,
which does not run clear through to State,
but stops at Milk. Running cross-wise
the fan and counting from the outer edge,
or Summer street, we find Franklin, Milk
| and Water streets, then State.
The fire originated in the outer edge of
| the fan toward the southwest corner, at the
| corner of Summer and Kingston streets.
Kingston is the street that runs Off from
Beach, by the side of the United States
hotel, and after passing Summer is called
Otis. The building Isl, 50, 81 Summer)
was a fine granite block Of five stories, sur
mounted with high mansard roof, over
topping all other buildings in that immedi-
ate vicinity. Directly as the flames began
to spread through the story beneath this
roof, and before an engine or hose carriage
was on the ground great volumes of smoke
suddedly burst out from the rear lower
stories of the building, and in less than
twenty minutes the whole facade, extend
ing fully 100 feet along Kingston street,
was one sheet of flame, as was also at the
same time the Summer street front, the
heat being so intense as to force the fire
men away from the immediate vicinity.
The block was occupied on the first and
upper floors by Tibbotts, Baldwin & Davis,
dry goods jobbers. A. X. Young & Co.,
occupied the third and fourth stories as a
mandatory for skirts and corscts, giving
employment to about 200 men. The sec
ond floor was occupied by Diamond, Tenn
standing the granite building, it was in al
most an incredibly short space of time,
completely levelled to the ground.
In less than half an hour the fire had
leaped across Kingston street and across
Summer street to the corner blocks. The
wind had now risen TO a gale, and was
driving the fire from roof to roof and street
TO street, the firemen making not the slight
est impressions with their tiny streams of
water in the intense heat. In an instant,
as it seemed, the blocks below and above
on Summer street and across 1t were in
flames, but little progress was made south
ward on Kingston. The structures oppo-
site and along side were all four or five
stories high, and of imposing architecture
and granite fronts. Nearly opposite, on
the corner OF Otis and Summer streets, was
| the Immense Everett block, occupying the
| site of the old Everett mansion. This, and
all the other blocks on the north side of the
| street, soon caught upon the roof and filled
| with flames. The fire now rushed along
the roofs up Summer street toward Wash
| ington, on the south side, rs far as G. f.
| Hovey IL Co.'S magnificent building. and
on the north up to the square, old granite
| tower of Trinity church, enveloping that
| structure. Great fears were felt that it
would go southwark into Central court, en-
velop the great building of Jordan, Marsh
& Co., and thus gain Washington street,
but such was not its course.
Meantime the heat from the immense
Everett building carried the fire northward
through Arch and Otis streets to Winthrop
square, the most imposing center of trade
in this country, where are located the great
business houses of A. n. Stewart, James
Bebee, etc. By IL o'clock these superb
blocks and lofty mansards were all in
flames, sending up showers of sparks and
great flakes of lervent cinders. From this
center the fire spread to all the adjoining
streets. The fire penetrated down Sum
mer TO Bedford, crossing thence down to
the Hartford and Erie station and wharf,
then northerly, sweeping along around
Broad and Pearl streets nearly to State.
On State no fronts were burned, but the
rears OF some Of the blocks have suffered
severely. From Summer north to Milk
apparently, nearly everything is destroyed,
including all Franklin street up to the
blocks that front on Washington. Thus,
Milk, Franklin, High, Pearl, Federal, Con-
gress, the lower part Of Water street. near
y all Devonshire all of Otis aud Arch and
nearly all of Summer and part of Kingston
streets are burned out. At the corner OF
Milk and Devonshire streets several build
ings were blown up to save the new unfin-
fal.a Ii l. H.. 4
not escape without serious damage.
The burnt district comprises about "a
acres, and was occupied principally by shoe
and leather, dry goods, WOODEN, paper and
commission houses All the iron, wool
and shoe firms, all the wholesale dry goods,
except Hovey and Jordan, Marsh & Co.,
many wooden, hat and furnishing goods
and all the wholesale paper houses, except
Carter, Rice & Co., are burned out. Trim
ty church, st. Stephens church, Purchase
street chapel and the Revere National bank
Bank of North America, Emigrants' Say
ings Bank, Boston, Hartford and Erie de-
pot, and all the type boundaries were
burned. The old and now post Office build
ings are badly damaged, and Faneuil Hal
is now used for mail service. The fire wa,
checked in the jewelry store on the corner
of Washington and Milk streets, thus say
ing the old South church. On the east sid,
Washington street, from Milk to Summer
is cleaned out. Nothing is burned on thu
upper side of Washington street, but many
buildings are damaged by explosions. The
Transcript, Pilot, American Union, anC
Saturday Evening Gazette newspaper OIL
ces were burned, and the office OF the Pos
was badly damaged. The Traveller oiIic,
was mined, and the Journa. office twice
packed up everything. No hotels wer'
burned, though the guests of the UniteC
States hotel packed everything in readiness
to move. All the residences Of the For
Hill section, so called, including Gridley
High and Broad streets, were destroyed
rendering hundreds of families homeless