Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-11
The Boston Fire.
A General Review of the Origin and
Progress Of the Fire -Ihc Streets
Burned Over-Nunlhcr of stores and
Houses DESTROYED. and Estimated
EOssRs.
lBY OUR own REPoRTER.l

The greatest fire ever known in the New Eng
I land states broke out in Boston Saturday even
ing, about half-past seven o'clock There was
hardly breath of air stirring when the alarm
was struck, followed by a second, third and
| fourth in rapid succession. The first engine
was hardly on the ground when the flames burst
from the fourth story of the large four story
granite block on the corner of Summer and
Kingston streets, occupied by Teb6ets, Baldwin
Davis, wholesale dry goods dealers.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire originated from the engine and the
flames sped with lightning rapidly up
the large elevator, and were first seen
over the wood work of the roof
of the building. The engines were fairly at
work before any other store had caught, but the
buildings in that vicinity were all of granite,
four stories high. and each surmounted with a
Mmsard roof, none of them being over five
years old. The detached spnters few readily
as the air was heated by the terrible heat and
soon the flames began licking the Mansard
roofs on the opposite side, far above the reach
of the streams directed upon it from all quar-
ters The fire was constantly in the air, and
| one building after another caught on the roof,
and the flames skipped lightly along from one
| window-sill TO another, 50 that in less than
thirty minutes every check was blanched as it
became evident that the whole city in one direc-
ton was at the mercy of the flames which were
eaping gaily from roof to root and from one
building to another.
THE SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
This great building was in very short time
completely evcled to the ground, but with the
fall Of the burning walls the flames and sparks
shot up, communicating with other buildings in
the immediate vicinity. Thus the fire spread
almost Instantly in three directions; first to the
adjoining block on Summer street, then
across Summer street 10 the opposite
block, and then across Kingston street In
the first named direction the adjoining building
was occupied by Leland & Wheelocb, gents
furnishing goods, and Sawyer Mansfield & Co.,
importers of dry goods. From here tue flames
went 10 the building owned by Rhodes & Ripley,
Wholesale clothing dealers, which was soon
one sheet of flame. Directly opposite the build
ing first burned was four story granite block,
which soon succumbed to the flames From
this building, diagonally across the square, was
stone block, occupied by Smith, Rice & Cor
son. Before niue O'Clock in the evening all the
above buildings were beyond the help of water,
and the fremen left them to their fate while
attempting to stay the progress OF the confa-
grafton, which by this time was making rapid
progress in aildrections. On the corner Of Otis
and Summer streets stood the Everett block, an
imposing granite structure, owned by the Everett
estate. 1t included Nos. 50, 81, S., So, so, 81
and GA Summer street, and occupied by D.
Lyons Co., We'll Bros. & Dreytus, Phillips 6,
Shuman, c. E. King & Co.. and Mari Bros,
dealers in clothing, furnishing goods, fancy
goods, trimmings, &c. AT nine O'Clock the
flames caught on 1.-The top of this building, and
mere the efforts of every engine that could be
used were called upon to save it; but here again
they failed, the flames being SO high that no
water could be got to them. The roof timbers
fell burning into the building which soon be-
came one mass of fame.
UP SUMMER STREET.
Now the fire began to creep steadily up both
sides of Summer street, crawling along from
roof to roof as though there was rivalry be-
tween the two sides as to which should outstrip
the other in speed. Opposite the Everett block,
the buildings, as they were engufed in rapid
succession, were as follows Brick swell front,
occupied by A. Folsom & Sons, floor cloths and
oil cloths; George IL. Butler hair goods; and
Eugene Chaplin, commission merchant. Granite
block-AIOrsg, Hammond & Co., hosiery and
gloves; Stiles, Baa & Homer, Wholesale cloth
ing; 5. klous & Co., hats, caps and furs;
Streeker Bros, hat and cap manufacturers;
Wyman Arklay, imported goods and lneas;
Ewing, Wise Fuller, linens and white goods;
Boutwell,, Luther. Potter Co., clothing; Mitch
ell, Green & Stevens, clothing.
ARCH STREET, NEAR SUMNER.
While the energies of the entire department
were beng devoted to checking the flames on
Summer street, trouble was discovered in
new quarter. The flames leaped from Everett
block to building number of doors from
Summer street. Before the department could
get at work IN this new locality, the flames
spread down through the building, and were
bursting in perfect torrent f1om all the win
dows in the front of the fancy goods store of
Hawley, Folsom s Martin. Several steamers
were quickly sent thther, but with no more
effect than single buckelIul of water would
have produced. The fire spread to each side
enVeopng tue stores of Thomas Kelly & Co;
d. NJ Hodgdon, clothing; March Bros, Pierce
Co.; Miner Beal & Hackctt--al of which
were quickly blazing. At ten o'clock the whole
roof of the Everett block was sheet of fame,
sending high into the air a column of fire,
smoke and urid sparks.
ON TOWARD WASHINGTON STREET.
The flames soon leaped across Arch street and
moved rapidly toward Washington street, con-
Stunning the establishments of George IL. Lane,
Brett & Co, wholesale clothing; L. +. Messenger
& Co., dry goods; Egerton & Gilman, dining
rooms; Chaffee Whitney, sewing silk; Lee,
Tweedy Co., dry goods; Lewis, Brown & Co.,
kid gloves; Marean & Co., commission mer.
chants; Seayey, Foster & Bowman, agents of
the Canton silk mills; Kettle & Jones, commits
sion merchants; Royce, Tuck Co., thread and
trimmings; Porter Brothers, commission mer-
chants; Nicholas & Sons imitation hair
AMONG THE DWELLING HOUSES.
Eleven o'clock at night will long be remem-
bered by hundreds Of those people liv-
ing upon Lincoln, Essex, South, Federal
and other neighboring streets. Men, women
and children were seen hurrying in all directions
laden with various articles of wearing apparel
and household furniture, all trying to save some
portion Of their family effects. The more for
tunate who secured job wagons hurried their
goods into them aud carted them out OF reach Of
the flames. Hundreds of families were turned
from quiet, comfortable homes into the streets,
where men and horses were rushing, panic
stricken, in all directions, without warning, all
left to care for themselves and save what they
could from the general ruin.
BURNING or THE HARTFORD AND ERIE DEPOT.
About ten o'clock the passenger depot of the
Boston, Hartford and Erie railroad was one
volume Of fame, closely followed by the de.
structiou OF all the buildings upon Russia and
Robbins wharf. A huge pile Of coal, contain.
ing thousands of tons Of soft coal. such as is
used in locomotives, aud hundreds Of barrels of
oil stored in an adjoining building, we're burn
ing soon after, making heat that no one could
bear. The fremen were Obliged to vacate the
premises, and with such rapidly did the flames
spread that one engine had TO be moved three
times IN. twenty minutes.
AN APPEAL FOR HELP.
BY this time it had become evident that the