The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-11-11

Boston, November 10.-The greatest fire
ever known in New England is now raging
among the large wholesale stores in the
very heart of the business portion of the
city, and will not cease until it reaches the
wharves.
There was hardly breath of wind STIR
ring when the alarm was sounded about
halfpast o'clock last night, followed by
a second, third and fourth in rapid success
sion ; but the first engine was hardly on
the ground when the fire broke out from
the fourth story of a large four-story granite
store on the corner of Summer and King
ston streets, occupied in the first story by
Tebbetts, Baldwin & Davis, wholesale dry
goods dealers. 1t had caught in the engine
room, and the flames spread with lightning
rapidity up the large elevator, and were
first seen climbing underneath the wood
work of the roof. The engines were hard
ly at work before another store had
caught. The buildings in the vicinity were
all Of granite, four stories high, and each
surmounted with Mansard roofs, none of
them being over five years old. The de-
tached splinters flew readily, as the air was
heated by the terrible fire, and soon the
flames began licking the Mansard roof on
the opposite side far above the reach of the
streams directed upon it from all quarters.
The fire was constantly in the air, and
one building after another caught in the roof
and the flames leaped rapidly away from
one window-sill to another, SO that in less
than thirty minutes every cheek was
blanched, as it became evident that the
whole city in one direction was at the
mercy of the flames.
The second building to succumb was di-
rectly opposite to that in which the fire
broke out, and was occupied by rJeafin,
Mullen & Films; Harding Brothers & Co.;
Bowen, Morse Il Co.; and Conant Broth
ers-all wholesale dealers in fancy and dry
goods. This was at the corner Of Otis
Place.
The heat now became internal. The
streets ran rivers of water, and every mo-
ment was heard the sound of granite blocks
exploding and whole frames falling in the
streets, making them impossible. The
firemen were driven from one station to
another, and many an engine was kept
nobly at work while the hydrant was wet
down by hand-hose, and the engineer could
only hold his place while the stream Of
water was kept playing on him.
Blocks of granite weighing tons were
split as if by powder and hurled across the
wide streets, and planks went flying
through the air as if they we've feathers.
Firemen erected barricades and worked be-
hind them, but they were burned almost as
soon as erected.
An hour had hardly elapsed before it
was evident that Beebe's block, the finest
business structure in the city, built of
granite, five stories in height, with the
curved Mansard roof over all, must 60.
Within thirty minutes flames were coming
out in fiery pillows from every window,
and up the stairway leading to A. L.
Stewards rooms was perfect column of
flames. This building served but as fuel
for the flames. Pieces of dry goods went
whistling across the square, landing on the
window.sills of the magnificent stores on
Devonshire street. Beebe's block stood a
solid wall of granite several minutes after
| the inside fell, but the heat warped it, and
| $4,000, 900 soon lay heap of stone, bricks,
and mortar.
The hurricane now ragged, and owing to
the intense heat and perfect shower of Goals,
drove everything before it. Every building
was now heated as if in furnace, and
Caught Ik6 IlisueT. TOuT.SlOry granite
blocks seemed like shavings, and deafening
explosions were constantly heard.
A new terror was now added to the Ba-
bel of confusion. The tenement-houses al
the upper end of Federal street were fast
being licked up by the flames, and women,
crazed and fainting, were rushing to and
fro, carrying children, crockery, clocks
and bedding in their hands. One ran
screaming through High street with stove.
funnel in her hands, while another was
Juggling heavy chest which would have
been weight for strong man. Now and
then a few pieces of goods might be saved
by volunteers, who ran and spent five min,
utes, during which they could work, in
bringing out, perhaps, hundred pieces O
cloth. One man-Marshall Cotter-goi
out s25, 900 worth of kid gloves, and hat
them placed on the sidewalk in damaged
condition. He offered a hackman $500 il
value to take them to place of safety. Il
less than an hour he had to fee for his life