New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-12

once 90 the third story by means or the hght WOOD
elevator, aud then making It's appearance by the
elevator doorway, so that II could be seen from
tho street There - ge''9 Tao to %i of t Gn
building. while nothing was nouceahle below ana " ~
thought the elevator dO of the second were not open
And 10 this IL added the fact that ina few minutes eaoh
Hat was fire. Therefore, ~ IL reasonable To Deneye'
that from an ovcrheatod furnace the Are TO the building
orignated that the eloyaOrway furnished a draIt
Story through tho doors referred 60, ana That me seau
OF the flames Ia the Othor stories was retarded Oy tne
time Orcgpicd in burning through the sheatDn9. 40
stoves or open fires IN use anywhere I'm the building
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS on THE DISASTER
ANY cormcut., mon the confederation writ
ten whc tuo ruins me best Of the business part OF
city Sill smoking and seaming can scarcely DE
our readers woud naturally urn irom them To the more
Interesting lbor OF The reporters describing tue origin
and prOrrcs, Of the famcs ana giving Inc Oh% lstS Oh
The losers The lessons OF this Dire add something to
those az The disastrous cOuilgat0ni in CblcacOlsyear
IL Appear, here 10 appeared therc that Dhdihes OF
Stone brick ma iron are scarcely less COmbustble TIA
those OF wood when cOnlaTatOn gotS beyond inc
conto OF the ire department But the eatc here Is even
stronger than IN Chicago; for in that city the IRE
began in section covered by crowded wooden buildings
ana gained ITS nneonIoiabo hcadw8y am0hg men h,
while mere originated in The most suDsialtaly bulJ
part OF The city and was ted upon material generally
considered lhcomnu'lDe uhuei QiuIaly ICY % nj
OR reporters their description speak or the Wnl
blowing while the IRE ragged IL tbs tney are correct,
bat nearly all the Wind mat tncle VIAL u E a
within two three blocks o. the anes ana wlllNlnd
among thcu-was caused by the fire itself The night
was one OF Inc cdmest or the season ""t nttio hat
raj movement OF tie air there was came from the nOrth
west. ryuOscd situations near the CITY ~ WIS
scarcely sufficient to stir the foliage on the
PROGRESS or TIE FLAMES AGAINST TIE WIND.
II is strange TACT IN TINS connection that te OSiea9
Of the flames against the wind It's true taJ tho
fire spread an directions, more or less but beginning
at The corner OF kingston ana ohlIo -'is'' 1t VIZ VIZ P
seen 10y the diagram IuIliahtd IN llls Issue lIaI ~
swept most helcely UP Fan6ln ana sumhr,T-sts III
western direction, ana nOlth toward otle-'l l sIot
est WOndcriS shat, having pOee' d"d 30 iI IL ula ~
extend s'iayages much farther. Nht preyenItgta
from sweeping down hasmhstgh-si auu m t tH
through tho city to the Common, 1t Is Impossible 10 tell
The reflections OF The course OF tine lime5 mere anu
there are nexpueabe; They seemed 10 move III VDt t
encc 10 no natural law, ana tho great ehorts Ol lno
were futile to check them Tie movement
OF tine fire against the wind possibly may be accounted
formation Of atmospheric cddies the undercurrents
driving the flames backward. In the Chicago as wen as
W.. t , m I'm, brtId. boriie far i'm advance of tho
main body II the fire. In those fires also the ndmea
swept across Wic streets which scarcely arrested their
p,otcss Here lie advance was much less rapid Though
apDdrcH 81 irresistible and TIE Walh OF "hlfert some
times checked tae flames more thana the water thrown
Us, PERSONAL DISTRESS THAN IN CHICAGO.
We fad upon % review Of the burned district that the
heart tho most substantial part OF tie city Is de-
strOyed Those elegant granite blocks Of stores ON
lev Congr.ss Federal and Purchases Which were
pride OF the city, are all FranGu-st., which
was perhaps the uniformly elegant and sub
mot eomPte picture OF deSoaSa The once
massive walls have tumb.cd into snpeles5 heaps.
Every particle OF wood Is eaten out, ana TIC
stones aud bricks crumbled into dust Taking the
burnt district rs IL appears on map OF the cliy ana
comparing 10 with the OF the Common on the same
map, judge It's area to be between 100 ana l5 acres
As IN the Chicago fire, IL comprehend the largest whole
sale houses IA tue elty' ana consequently tle most EaL
able stocks OF goods we'll AZ the most expensive bud
iug IL is particularly disastrous 90 the most important
Interest OF Boston, that OI DOOtS, bIoes anu 4edlh5i'
which was chiefs concentrated Oh Pearl aud the neigh
boring streets, which were destroyed. Most OF TINS
class OF Merchants had unusually L'tSc Stocks on iLu'
they having been accumuatlng RoOus Tor come tliho
duIlng uLI season OF t I"c 80 90 io "" i,,,.. he
much personal distress as thtt Oh OHIe"-' '4
number Of dweiIinghOa,eS burned vas sMdii ID CON
Vlisun; iut there VIII be cases OF hardship numerous
enough to make large demands u2'A ,-e cnatl''D ~
while the heavy losses among te mctctnlie class VIII
homes We nave not suIicient data 20 judge now
She insurance Offices Interested VIII Deif th'
the assets OF tic bank, by reason OF failures
resulting RON the IRE. From ditlduW cases among
banks Will remain Wdisturbed though the surplus funds
oil some of them will be swallowed up. 20 tr we hear
ot,in r, rrrrsIurd about the a6iity OF the lu,iI-
rance Offices stand the drain. Many OF them were
pcd by the Chicago fire, aud nave scarcely recovered
from it, We hope thai the larger part Of TIC insurance
VIII be good aud there is ttlo doubt of tho sOyeucy
OF the older and more conservative companies
The fire yields lessons upon the structure OF buildings
Which capitalists viii Do bind not 10 heed. One point
be settled and mat that the erection OF Man
sara ROOFS constructed largely OF Wool on ue TOP Oh
lofty buildings OF dive six stories, invites disasters like
.sa %gR has 3Ga upon our f; In nearly every
first proved 10 be highly iHhamma bie ana wgig
did not reach the flames u OIce, Tut were converted
INFO spray by the wind; that form being subjected to
ina intense heat the water resolved INTO ITS ele
mcntary gases as II by passing II through super
heated lube and served 10 increase rather n to aDate
the tury OF the times.
AsEHIoUs CHECK UPON THE CTrYS GROWTH
Again, II appears that there were some walls which
offered less efficient obstacle to the nre We
must attribute the confinement Of the flames to the exist
ing limits to such walls much as any Other agency.
There is doubt that the substantial transcript
building which suffered severely ITSELF and the mas
siye walls of the POstOi 20 were Instrumental IN
checking the progress OF the nre on the MashngtOst
side. 10 believe that there Is stl some
virtue IN heavy walls, in spite Of the destruction OF so
many them here and In Chicago Boston has sustained
terrible blow. Whether the actual property destroyed
was one hundred two hundred millions Ctue
best estimate we have Is sl25,0OOCO)D the largest
and best part of the business section VI the city lies IN
suoderiug ruins. The commercial enterprise, nearly
allied important manufacturing interests throughout
NeW-Eug1nd upon which the wealth aud culture OF
Boston was largely founded has lad fearful shock
The growth OF the city, never 50 rapid perhaps rs within
tne last i've years. has received serious check But the
spirit OF enterprise without which elegant warehouses,
large stocks Of goods aud invested wealth would be or
little consequences remains and though the rebuild
lug or Bosom may not be 80 marvellous as that OF
Chicago there IS doubt that II Will be rapid sub
stautI and In form as permanent as human lntelA-
gcuce devise.