Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-11-20
BOST0N'S CALAMITY
Large Portion of the Business
Ges.ftre Destroyed.
An Area OF Seventy Acres
Burned Oves..
Loss from $50, GOO, 900 TO
$500, 600, 600.
Detailed Account Of the Origin and Ex.
tent of the Confiagration.

Detailed Account Of the Origin and Ex.
tent of the ConfIagration.
A fire broke out in the rear end of a
five story granite building, Nos. 81, SO
and 81 Summer street, directly on the
corner Of Kingston street, Boston, at
7:30 P. NJ, on Saturday, November 9th.
The building was surmounted by htHh
Msnsafd FOOT, overtopping all other
buildings in that immediate vicinity.
Directly as the flames began to spread
through the story beneath this roof,
and before an engine or hose carriage
was on the ground, great volumes of
flame suddenly burst out from the rear
of the lower stories Of the building, and
in less than 90 minutes the whole
broad facade, extending fully one htiti-
dred feet along Livingstone street, was
one sheet of flame, as was also at the
same time the Summer street front, the
heat being SO intense as to force the
firemen away from that immediate
vicinit-.
BY this time strong wind had
sprung up, the flames began to sweep
over Summer and Kingston streets, and
despite I'll tie exertions of the firemen
III every branch of the department, the
fire was communicated to buildings on
the opposite corner of Kingstch and
Summer streets, as well as the great
block on the corner of Summer and
Otis streets, and in less than half an
hour the flames were bursting up and
down the broad sides OF Tie fine struc-
turas. BY this time the wind had in-
creased to nearly gale, and the flames
having entire mastery of everything,
swept from story to story, from roof to
roof, from block to block, and from
corner to corner, driving the fremen
from every vantage ground they could
secure, and rendering all thnit taer-
tions useless
Wherever the flames reached they
rapidly consumed everything of com
bustible character The large block on
on the corner Of Summer and Kinrsten
streets, in wlic,, the ire first started,
war occupied on the first and upper
floors by Tibbitts, Baldwin 81 Davis,
dry-goods jobbers. A. X. Young e.
Co., occupied the third and fourth
stories as a mannfactory for stays ahh
cprsets, employing about 200 men.
The second floor was occupied by
Damon, Temple & Co., furnishing
goods, etc.
Notwithstanding this great building
was III almost an incredibly short space
of time completely leveled til fhe
grcunds its destruction had not pro-
gressed far before the flames and sparks
which arose from it had lodged upon
all the buildings around about, T3u55
the fire srreart almost instantly in
thrGe directions, first to the adjoining
block on Summer street, then across
Summer street to the opposite side of
the block, and then to Kingston street;
In the first named ditectEdn tie adjoin-
Ing hui'ding was occupied by Leland &
Wheelock, gents furnishing goods,
and Sawyer, Mansfield & Co., import
ers of dry goods. The next are Eager,
Bartlett & Co., woelen aocdB 20. Z.
North h Son, MATS, caps and ftlrs;
iieAt Farley, Amsden & Co., dry goods
iobbers and Rhodes & Ripley, whole
sale clothing. The latter firm owned
the building.
The structure al tShe opposite point
6f starting was of granite, four stories
and half high, occupied largely by
Mayfiin, Mullen & Elms, dealers in
trimmings, who used the entire lower
floor. Harding Bros. & Co. and Carter
& Go. occupied the upper floor. From
this building across the square dag
onally was stone block occupied by
Smith, Rice & Corton, and Geo. NJ.
Glazier, dealers III o0rsets and knit
goods. On the corner of Otis and
Summer streets stood the Everett
Block, an imposing granite structure
owned by the Everett estate. IT ihs
cluded Nos. go, 81, Sc, 59, so. SO and
C4 Summer street, and was occupied
by d. Lyons & Co, Neil Brothers and
Dreyfus, Phillips 81 Shumann, G. G..
King and Co., and Marr Brothers,
dealers in clothing, furnishing goods,
fancy goods, trimmings, etc. The
upper floors were used mostly as offices
and occupied by various parties
Now the fire began to creep steadily
up beth sides OF Summer street, crawl
ing along from roof TO roof opposite
the Everett block. The buildings, as
they were engulfed in rapid succession,
were as follows: Bricks, 100 feet front,
occupied by A. Folsom & Sons, floor
cloth, oil and oil cloths. and George
II. Butler, hair goods, and Eugene
Chaplin, commission merchant. The
granite block, Morse, Hammond & Co.,
hosiery and gloves, Stiles, Belts & Som
ers, wholesale clothing; S. Klons &
Co., hats, caps and f1lrs, Strucker
Bros, hat and cap manufacturers, Wy
man & Arklay imported goods and
llueps, Ewing, Wise & Fuller, linens
and white goods, KOthwelI. Suther,
Potter & Co, clothing; Mitchell,
Green y Stevens, clothing
At this time, about 10 o'clock, flames
burst from the top of the buildings on
Arch street, dozen doors removed
from Summer street. Almost before
the existence of flames in this quarter
was known, they had spread down
through the building, and were bursting
IN a perfect torrent from all the VIM
dows IN front of the fancy goods store
Hawley, Folsom & Martin. The fire
spread to each side, enveloping the
stores Of Thos. Kelley and Co., d.
Nj. Hogden, clothing, March Bros,
Pelrce and Co., Mercer, Beal and Hack,
Ill OF which were quickly blazing. At
L0 o'clock the whole roof of the Everett
Block was sheet of flame, sending
lIgh INTO the air a column of fire,
smoke and lurid sparks. This gained
perfect control of the Everett Block.
The fire stretched its arms across mar
'ow Arch street, and moved rapidly to-
Eards Washington street, taking in the
establishments of Geo. I'll. Lane, Brett
Z Co., wholesale clothing, and Messen-
ger & Co., dry goods Edgerton & Gil
mans dining-rooms Chatfee & Whit
ley, sewing silk Lee, Tweedy & Co.,
Try goods Lewis, Brown & Co.,
gloves Moreau & Co., commission
merchants Seayey, Foster & Bowman,