Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-11-21
Correspondence Of the Yorkville Enquirer
LETTER FROM "DOWN EAST"
Boston, MASS, November IA, 1872
The old SAYING

Ihe old saylng:-
TROUBLES NEVER COME sINGLY,"
Has been fearfully illustrated by recent events
in this city. First came the small pox, leav-
ing traces of its terrible rsvsses on many Of
the fairest faces in the community. This hor-
rible enemy to the "human face divine" hav.
ing been checked in its epidemic career, and
believed to be under control, the horse dis
temper made its appearance, causing great in
convenience and serious loss to many people.
The horse disease abating, Grants reelection
to the Presidency was a new calamity to many
of the "unterri6ed," and hopes were expressed
both cloud and Deep" that the ghost of Nick
Whifle's dog had disappeared from the num-
dane sphere, and old Calamity" would give
us short season of rest. But not 80. There
seems to be mo rest for the wicked" for the
LAST CALAMITY
Was the most terrible and serious Of any that
preceded it. I have reference to the
GREAT FIRE
Which broke out in this city on the evening
of the 9th-the most terrible and destructive,
to both life and property, with probably one
exception, that ever occurred in the United
States. The flames swept over about eighty
acres Of territory, nine-tenths of which was
occupied by the finest business buildings in
this city. All that portion, described in my
last letter as the headquarters of the wholesale
merchants, and large portion mentioned as
the marts of the retail trade, is now burning
and smoking pile of ruins. The wealthiest
portion of the City Of Boston exists no longer,
and it is estimated that the actual loss of real
and personal property will amount to
ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
Notwithstanding this great loss there will not
be 80 much personal suffering as was expe-
rienced by the recent disastrous conAagration
at Chicago, from the fact that the greater por-
ton of the city over which the flames swept
was devoted to business, and but comparative
ly few residences were destroyed, The hor-
rors of the Chicago fire, to some extent, were
repeated, and as strange coincidence, both
fires broke out on the same day of the month
and the same day Of the week. The Chicago
fire commenced on Saturday night, October
9, and the Boston fire on Saturday night, No.
vember 9. Nearly all the buildings destroyed
first caught in the roof and burned downward,
the roofs falling in, carrying with them such
an intense heat that everything infammable
was soon a burning mass. By midnight the
streets were one vast sea Of men, women and
children, and teams were moving in every d.
rection, with great piles Of merchandise, seek
ing places of safety. The Common was trans
formed into a vast store-house for rescued
goods, while the City Hall yard, the City Hall
and the principal hotels in the vicinity were
turned into temporary dep6ts.
It was soon found that the fire had got be-
yond the control of the fre.department, and
telegrams were sent to lneighboring cities for
assistance. By means of extra trains engines
from Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence, Worcester,
Springfield, Providence, R. l., Hartford and
New Haven, Connecticut, arrived here early
on Sunday morning.
It is said that at distance Of hundred
miles the glare of the fire could be seen. The
dome on the State House and the taller church
steeples stood out in brilliant magni6cence,
and every street within the radius of mile
was beautifully illuminated. The adage,
"riches take to themselves wings and fly away"
was very truthfully verified in one instance,
at least. A fifty dollar note, considerably
crisped and blackened, was picked up twenty
miles from the city, and almost as soon as it
came in contact with the hands of the finder,
crumbled to ashes.
The fire got under considerable headway
before it was discovered, and owing to the
continued prevalence of the distemper alaong
the horses of the fire department, most Of the
engines had to be drawn to the scene of the
conAagration by hand, and the delay thus
caused made the control of the burning build
ings matter of considerable doubt. Afresh
breeze was blowing, which caused spread of
the fire after the walls of the building, in
which the fire originated, fell. The walls
parted and tumbled with terrible crash in
three parts, scattering the fire in all directions,
while the fearful heat of the burning building
soon caused the ignition of neighboring stores.
The flames, being entirely beyond human con-
troll, soon swept block after block and engines
became almost useless. Great sheets of flame