Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-11-28
Terrible Fire In Boston.

Terrible Fire In Boston.
Boston has suffered frsm fire which
devastated acres of the finest buildings
in America, and occasioned loss greater
than that of the Chicago confagration,
although happily, it falls on richer class
OF citizens, and thus cannot occasion as
much suffering. The flames which COM
menced the awful work of destruction
were first discovered about u o'clock
Saturday night in the engine-room of
the large four-story granite store, at the
corner of Summer and Kingston streets,
occupied by Tebbets, Baldwin & Davis,
wholesale dry goods dealers. The fire
must have been smoldering for some
time, as when it was first discovered the
flames had gained such volume as doom.
ed the entire building. There was
scarcely any wind stirring when the
first alarm was given, and though the
light of the fire was soon bright one,
nobody imagined that it would prove to
be so appalling disaster. When the
iremen arrived on the ground they
found that the flames had reached the
fourth story of the building, and before
they could get fairly to work they were
driven from their posts by the intense
heat. The buildings in the vicinity were
all of granite, four stories high, each
surmounted with Mansard roof. The
detached splinters flew readily, as the
air was heated by the terrible heat, and
the flames began licking the Mansard
roof on the opposite side, far above the
reach OF the streams directed toward it
from all quarters. The fire was constant
ly in the air and one building after an
other caught on the roof, and the flames
skipped lightly along from one window
sill to another, so that in less than thirty
minutes it became evident that the whole
city in one direction was at the mercy of
the flames.
Alarm followed alarm in quick sue
cession, until the whole fire department
was on the ground, and the men were
doing all possible for human beings to
do, to stay the fury of the flames. They
erected huge barricades out Of the frag-
nents laying so plentifully about, and
endeavored to carry their hose within
effectual distance. But the effort proved
abortive, for the barricades became heat
ed, then scorched, and finally caught
fire, thus giving additional food for the
flames to feed upon.
The wind rose as the conAagration in
creased and was now blowing fercely,
carrying the flames madly along in their
work of destruction. Roofs fell in with
crash every moment, carrying with
them the floors beneath, heavily freighted
as they were with large stocks of valua-
BILE goods. AS the interiors thus fell q
prey to the element, walls began to bulge
and to quiver, finally sinking to the
pavement in huge masses of heated and
blistered stone. Huge blocks Of granite
burst like bombs, and added their deton-
ations to the horror of the scene.
When the tenement houses at the up.
per end of Federal street began to catch
fire, the scenes were intensified by the
affrighted actions and loud cries of the
inmates of those crowded edi1ces. Fly
ing hither and thither in their frenZied
terror, men, women and children only
added to the confusion, without in the
least helping themselves. Furniture was
carried into the streets only to be
broken and abandoned; from every
window were thrown perishable articles,
causing new dangers for those on the
pavements. Pale faces rendered still
more ghastly by the glare of blazing
buildings, peeped from high windows.
in abject terror at the prospect. Loud
cries for help were frequently heard, and
it is quite certain that many of these
piteous appeals where wholly in vain,
for many lives were undoubtedly lost,
all trace of the missing persons having
utterly disappeared
When it had become evident that the
flames could not be stopped by the exer-
tons of the fire department., the Chief
Engineer adopted the costly remedy of
blowing up buildings, and soon was
heard the measured tlamp Of U. S. ma
rines as they marched to the assistance
of the police to take charge of the streets
in the vicinity. Charges of powder were
laid in the cellars in Milk street, and in
few minutes the roar of numerous ex-
plosions was heard, and those terrible
sounds were dearly welcome, for they
indicated that the position was fully real
lied and that the confagration was be-
ing fairly choked. Three more explo-
sions were heard, and Immediately a
large block in Devonshire street was
blown partially into the air. Then came