Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-12
Fire Breaks out Afresh Sunday Night
Caused by Explosions of Gas Pipes.
Origin Of the Fire.

NEW i ORh, NOV. H. n Olsl DbLu
Boston, at midnight, says 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 it will not cease until it reaches
the wharves. There was hardly breath
of wind stirring when an alarm was sounded
about 7:30 O'Clock, followed by the second,
third and fourth, in rapid succession, but
the first engine was hardly on the ground
when fire broke out from the fourth story
of large four story granite store on the
corner of Summer and Kingston streets,
occupied in the first story by Tebbs, Bald
win & 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 woodwork of the roof.
The engines were fairly at work before
any other store had caught. The buildings
in the vicinity we've all Of granite, four
stories high, and each surmOunted with
Mansard roof some of them being over five
wears old. Detached splinters few readily
as the air was heated by the terrible heat,
and soon the flames began licking the Man
sard 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 on the roof, and the flames slipped
lightly along from one window sill TO an
other, SO that in less than thirty minutes
every cheek was blsnched as it became evil
dent that the
whole City,
in one direction, was at the mercy of the
l., H. g. -r,Df
to roof and from one building 70 another.
The second building 10 succumb was di-
rectly opposite tc that in which the fire first
broke out, and was occupied by Mofn,
Mullen & Films, Harding, Bro. & Co., Bow
en-, Morse & Co, George Hide, Carter 4
Co. and Conart Bros, all wholesale dealers
in dry and fancy goods. This was at the
corner of Otis Place. The heatsnow
Became Internal,
the streets run rivers of water, and every
moment was heard the sound Of
Granite Blocks Exploding
and whole francs falling in the streets
making them impossible.
The fremen were driven from one station
to another and many an engine was Rep
nobly at work while the hydrant was we
down by hand hose and the enginee
could only hold his place while, streams o.
water were kept
Playing Upon Kim.
Blocks of granite weighing tons were spli
as if by powder and
hurled Across Wide Streets,
and planks went flying through the air as
they were feathers. The tremen erecte
Barricades
and worked behind them, but they wer
burned almost as soon as erected. An hou
had hardly elapsed before il was eyiden
that
Beebe's, BLOCK,
the finest structure in the city, built {
granite, five stories in height, with tn
cursed Mansard roof over all, must &c
Within thirty minutes the flames wer
coming out in fiery pillows from every vii
dow, aud up the stairway leading to
4. II. Stewards Rooms
was 6 perfect column of flames. TIL
building served but as fuel for the fame
Pieces Of dry goods went whistling acro'
tie square, lodging on the window sils {
magnificent stores on DevOnshire street
Beebe's block stood a solid wall of grant
several minutes after the inside fell, but Il
heat warped it and two million dollars SOC
laya
Hemp Of Stone, Brick and Mortar.
A hurricane now ragged, and owing TO Il
intense heat and perfect sheet Of coal
drove everything before it. Every buildir
was low heated as if in furnace al
caught like ltinder. Four story grant
blocks
seemed Like Shavings,
and deafeniDg explosions were constant
heard. a
New Terror
was now added TO the babel Of confusiC
The tenement houses at the upper end
Federal street were fast being licked up
the flames, and women, crazed and faintlI
were rushing to and fro, carrying childge
crockery, clocks and bedding In their ham
One ran screaming through High STR
with
Stove Funnel
I'm her hands, while another was tugging
heavy chest which would have been 10
for a It ong man.
Now and then few pieces of goo
milbt be saved by volunteers, who ran
aud SD Mt five minut' s, during whey tn
could work in, bringing oat, perhaps
hundred pieces Of doth. One man, MI
stall Cotton, got out $25,OOO worth OF
gloves and had them paced ON the sldeW'
In damaged condition. lie onere'
hscsm N $500 in vain to take the gooos
pioce of safety. In less than an hour
had 10 fee for his life and the flames we
NO gain cheated of their prey.
The fre was now on Federal street a
wcoi houses were going like oil factorl
they could never have been attacked at
NO dangerous time, crsmmed from cellar
garnet. Hundreds of thousands of dolls