The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-11-22
Terrible COnhagration in
Boston.
One Hundred Acres in the Heart
of the City Destroyed.
Loss Upward Of One Hundred Million
Dollars.
Thrilling Details OF the Confla-
grafton.

The calamity that befell the city of
Chicago thirteen months ago has been
repeated in Boston with almost fearful
exactness. The following dispatches
tell the terrible story of ruin and devas-
tation:
BosToN, Nov "a fire broke ont this even
| ing III one Of the large dry goods warehouses
on Summer street, where large number Of
stores have been burned, with tn cir contents
! Ii spread on Summer street, sweeping in its
course several large buildings occupied bv
dry goods. leather and other Wholesale com
| mission merchants. Thence il spread east.
! ward and southwark. consuming all before it.
The efforts Of the splendid fire department
appeared to be useless, for the confagration
kept on
ITS REMoRsELEss WAY,
as it did in Chicago. reaching Broad street a
! quarter of mile from where II commenced
Ii was soon raging among the wooden build
ings which extend for a mile on the edge of
the harbor toward South Boston, including
coal-yards, wood-yards, grdin-stores black
smth-shops, carpentor-shops, and such tim
der-ike material 1t Will probably soon reach
the gas-work, but the most hcrculean efforts
are making to prevent the flames from reach
! ing II.
The fire has also spread toward State street.
| anu mas swept 10 Mildly ana MIX streets. the
| magnificent granite buildings on Federal,
! Franklin and Water streets seeming to offer
no impeachment 10 the flames. Immense bod
! les OF water are being thrown on the buildings
! threatened, the hremen being powerless to
conquer the flames whore they are raging.
The great granite dry goods house or Becbe
| q Co., and other equally heavy merchants,
have succumbed to the flames. Nearly all the
| agencies and store-hOuses of the various cot
| ton mills and print works of Lowell and Law
renee have been burned with immense stocks
of goods, alone worth
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
In Kilby street the buildings were Of old
fashioned, heavy granite construction, mostly
occupied by the hardware trade, whose losses
are simply immense.
A large number of dwelling houses have
been burned. the Inhabitants barely escaping
with their lives, Their household goods are
nearly all destroyed, either by the flames or
| falling walls.
The different railroads sent special locomo-
tlves to different points on their lines and
brought in engines The fire departments of
Cambridge, Charlestown, and other suburban
| towns, are on duty, and are doing herculeau
service. Worcester, Providence and other
cities have been telegraphed to for help.
The whole population Of the city has turned
out, and
THE SCENE
is one OF the grandest that can be conceived.
The territory which is being devastated by the
flames Is level plateau extending from the
! CustOm-H House, at the foot of State street, to
Dover street bridge, embracing nearly two
miles IN extent, the main portion Of which is
now
A SETTLING HE'LL OF FLAME,
licking up the fortunes of thousands OF our
best citizens. who have struggled hard all
their lives to accumulate a competence. The
flames can be seen distance of fifty miles
out IN Massachusetts Bay.
Up to the present writing the ravages of
the devouring element are confined mainly to
business portions of the city, but it seems
inevitable that the flames will extend to local
lues occupied as dwelling places.
The streets are
| CROWDED WITH VEHICLES,
carrying away from the track of the fire de-
mon the effects of the unfortunates who are
every moment expecting that their home
steads Will be invaded
THE LOSSES.
| To make any estimate of the losses at this
moment would be simply prepostcrous as
millions worth of property has already been
| destroyed.
BosToS, Nov 10. l:30 a. m.-There is no
abatement in the violence of the conhagra-
! ton. The fire Is sweeping everything before
| 1t, stone and iron appearing to offer no I'M
pediment TO its progress. It threatens TO in
Volye the whole city in one common ruin.
! $40 q. m.-Lurld columns Of flame and
smoke, detonations caused by blowing up of
buildings. and the crushing and falling Of
walls make the scene
GRAND AND TERRIFIC.
The whole of Pearl street is in ruins. The
heat Is 80 intense that the remen cannot fight
1t successfully, and the flames are raging
with fearful effect. Building after building is
blown up, with the only apparent effect Of IN
creasing the terrible flame. Every newspa-
per office in the city except one has been de-
stroyed The old State House. the Postoffice
and the Old South Church" dear to all Bos-
tonlans have also been swept away
BosroN. Nov. l0-l2 m.-The district covered
by the fire may be said to include the largest
! part of that improvement of Boston which
has been made necessary by the recent devel-
! opment of the commerce OF the city The
! streets which have been thus far DESTROYED
| include all the new streets devoted to the
wholesale and joDbing dry goods trade, the
! boot and shoe trade, and most of those de-
voted to the wool business. With few ex-
| ceptlons, the warehouses destroyed are those
occupied 10y jobbers and wholesale dealers.
| there being scarcely retail store in the cat
! presently burnt district, and very few
/ dwelling houses. None of the latter, indeed.
! except some tenement houses near the water
| line, at the eastern end of Sumner street and
! in the neighborhood of the Old Colony Sta
! ton. Persons who have not lived here for
some years will remember Summer street. Arch
street, High street, Franklin street. and Pearl
street, a. occupied by the residences of some
! of the best citizens of Boston. They con-
! tanned at one time some of the most elegant
| mansions in the world. The recent advance
IN the business OF Boston. and, IN particular.
/ Its development since the war, has rendered
| II necessary for the shoe trade. the dry goods
trade, and the wool trade, to overstep the
! bounds TO which they were formerly confined
and to establish themselves on these streets
once the fayorlte dwelling places Of the citi-
Zens. Ii is but six years since Sumner street
was changed from street Of quiet homes 10
one OF the most active wholesale business
streets. As late as 1865. Gov. Everett. Rev.
Mr.. rockingham, and other gentlemen of
cuiet literary tastes. resided IN Summer street.
but for the past two or three years. there has |
not been single dwelling house in that street.
IL has been wholly rebuilt with the most sub |
stantial granite warehouses. TRINITY Church 1
still stood in Summer ST, but arrangements !
had been made for its reconstruction in an |
othar part Of town.
The destruction of Pearl aud High streets
has wiped ont the largest boot and shoe mart
in the world. for this industry in this country |
was centered there. \ very large part Of the
leather trade, of the trade in shoe-fndings.