The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1872-11-20
ANOTHER GREAT FIRE
1lG City Of Boston DGlldt4l
Granite Palaces Crumble
Into Dust.

BOSTON, NCEeMDeF J.-MlGnlgDt.
The greatest Ere ever known in New
England IS new raging among the
large wholesale stores in the very
heart Of the business portion Of the
citv, and il vii. Got cease until it
reaches the wharves.
There was hardly breath Of wind
stirring when the alarm was sounded.
about half past seven o'clock, follow
ed by a second, third and fourth in
rapid succession. But the first engine
was hardly on the ground when the
FIRE broke out from the fourth story Of
large granite store on the corner Of
Summer and Kingston street, occu-
pied in the FIRST story by Tebbets,
Baldwin and Davis, wholesale dry
goods dealers Ii 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 fairly at
work before any other store had
caught The buildings in the vicinity
were of granite, four stories high,
and each surmounted with a Mansard
roof none of them being over FIVE
years old. Detached spiinteIs few
readily, as the air was heated by the
terrible heat, 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 an
other caught on the roof and the
flames skipped lightly along from one
window 10 another, so that in less
than thirty minutes every cheek was
blanched, as il became evident that
the whole city in one direction was at
the mercy of the flames, which were
tapping gaily from roof to roof and
from one building to another The
second building TO suceumb was di-
reetly opposite to that in which the
FIRE first broke out, and was occupied
by Maffin, Mullen & ElIns. Harding
Bros. & Co, Bowen, Moore & Co,
George Lide. Garter i Co, and
COnant Bros, all wholesale dealers in
dry and fancy goods. This was at
the corner Of OTIS place The heat
Row became internal. The streets
ran rivers Of water and every moment
was heard the sound of granite blocks
exploding and whole frames falling in
the streets. making them impossible.
The fremen were driven from one
station to another, and many an en-
gine was kept nobly at work, while
the bydrani was wet down by hand
hose, and the engineer could only
hold his place while stream Of water
was kept playing upon him. Blocks
of granite weighing tons were split as
if by powder and hurled across wide
streets. and pIanks went flying
through the air as if they were
feathers. The fremen erected barri-
cades and worked behind them, but
they were burned almost IS soon as
erected.
An hour had hardly elapsed before
il was evident that Beebe's block, the
finest business structure in the city, !
built of granite, five stories in height,
with the cursed Mansard roof over
all, must go. Within thirty minutes
the flames were coming oct in FIRE
pillows from every window and up
the stairway leading to A. T. |
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, lodging on window sills Of
stores on Dev0Eshire /
street. Beebe's block stood a solid 1
wall of granite several minutes after
he inside fell, but the heat warped it,
md $2,000, 600 soon laid heap Of
stone, brick and mortar 4 hurricane
bow ragged. and owing to the intense
neat and perfect sleet Of Goals, drove
before it. Every building
was now heated as if in 4 furnace,
md caught Ike tindeF. -Four story /
granite blocks seemed Ike shavings, /
md deafening explosions were con-
SANITY heard. A new terror was
low added to the babel Of confusion.
rhe tenement houses at the upper
md of Federal street were fast being
licked up BY the flames. and women
.razed and fainting were rushing to
and fro, carrying children, croekery.
docks and bedding in their hands
0ne ran screaming through the streets
with a stove funnel in her hands,
while another was tugging a heavy
hest which would have been a
weight for strong man. Now and
hen q few pieces of goods might be
.aved BY volunteers, who ran in and
;pent FIVE minutes during which they
,ouId work in bringing out perhaps a
u