Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-11-13
TIM uOsTOY cOyFLlenlrrOy.
LOss on nuXpnED MLIIOY poLLAns
LlRGE 100 IA ~.
INTERESTING PARTICULARS

MIN % IfcfrTNp pA ppIrIrI - &
About mllpost seven O'Clock on Saturday
evening, fire broke out in the store on the cor
nor Of Summer and Kingston Streets, in Bos-
ton which, before 1t was extinguished, extended
into one Of the largest and most destructive con-
iograiions which has ever visited this continent.
Although the fire department was promptly
on hand, it was not until This store was all
obloze that it could be got to working This
store was situated in the heart Of the business
portion Of the city and despite The efforts Of the
bremen, the flames extended along the entire
length OF Summer street. Although there was
a calm at the time the fro broke out fierce
wind soon sprung up from The Northwest, which
/ mpidly drove the iamcs into Other streets, by
four O'Clock in the morning twenty-five blocks,
covering an area OF seventy.hve acres were de-
suoyed' ms portion OF the city included the
heaviest business portion aad the destruction of
j.. perry WV, Immense Inc nre su's'q uonuy
/ eAituicIi ana pei1ro DO was hnailY controlled,
lad burned over eighty ncres destroying prop
Icitg Ia tic om,pnt M over one hundred mil.
r1u tt, 4,
''" '''''''' ''' "''''''' ""''.. y "'"n'''
/ ny BEDFORD SUMMER Washington Mi6, Ocvon-
shire Water. Congress, Liudall ard Kilby
Streets TIE nrincipal sngtrers nre ON Devon
i; ma, -, nj At ,fut ~
.'''' ''1'' ~. .i''" '"""
I'M, SUMMER Ni"A9''hi feuefRl' bedford and
/ lindall Streets and the ll-, iucudes most OF the
heavy houses I'm the CITY.
~ t.,ti,..... ......1 . e. c
nV ','i' sNe
Z Nib'9' N'l- i""'1 7u'7'""Il"'F 'HHl NNchs ouer-
ing hut lit'lo resistance tl the advance of the
flames
,... o.. l. f.t ,r.-,
"'' 'N'"i.'
I square, I4@hAin square heeuc blJcA, Tie
/ post-olhce, and the Hartford 6 Erie Depot
The fire denartr,ont ,,prc eripnled hv tle nrc,,-
~
' ~ "'' "'N "'' ''''
gFaphcd ior from tie neshl0riny cities as lar as
/ New York, and was promptly answered, although
I the r reirn engine companies were al Grat unable
$1,000.
' REUTER- oin'i'it service aI.or 'heir arrival
/ The following graphic dcscripiionof the ORR
4 pin and progress 0f the great fire we CLEAN from
/ tho Jt.,..t.ls.s b., tt, No,,. V,i .p,,,.
/ ihete was hardly breath OF wind stirring
when an alarm was sounded, about "a O'Clock,
] followed by second, third, ana fourth in rapid
succession but tie iirst engine was hardly on
the ground when The fire broke out from the
fourth story ol tue large iour-snry granite store
/ on the corner OF summer and Kingston streets
! occupied M the hrsi story by lebbets Baldwin Il
Davis, wholesale dry-goods dealers IL had
caught IN the engine-rDom, and the flames sped
with lightning npidity up the large elevator,
and were trst seen climbing underneath the
/ woodwork OF the roof The engines were fairly
No work before any pf the stores bad caught.
The buildings in the vicinity were al Of granite
four stories high, and each surmounted with a
Man-ard ROOT, none OF them being over five years
old TIE detached splintcrs flew rapidly, rs the
air WAS heated By the terrible heat and soon the
flames began licking the Mansard roof on the op-
posite side, far above the reach Of the streams di
rected upon it from All quarters. The fire was
constantly in the air, and one building after an
other caught on the rOol, and the flames skipped
lightly along from one wind0w-sill to another, so
that ia less than thirty minutes every cheek was
blanched as it became evident that the whole city
in one direction was at tie mercy of the flames,
which were leaping gaily from roof 10 roof, and
from one building to another.
The second building 10 succumb was directly
opposite to that in which the FIRE first broke out
and was occupied hy wholesale dealers in dry and
fancy goods. This was at the corner VI Otis place
The beat now became Internal the streets ran
rivers of water, and every moment was heard
the sound of granite blocks exploding, and whole
frames fell in the streets, making them impai--a-
bic. The hremen were driven from one station
e. another, and many an engine was kept nnbly
at work. while the hydrunt was wet down by n
hand-hose, and the engineer could only hold his
place while q stream Of water was kept PLAYING
upon him. Blocks Of erente weighing tons were
split as if Ny powder and hurled across the wide
streets and planh- went flying through the air
as if they we're feathers. TIE fremen erected
barricade- end worked behind them. but they
wore barns = almost AZ slAn a. crested AZ hass
had hardly elapsed before it was evident that
}eobes Block, the finest business structure in
the city. hullt of gInnitc, i've stories in height,
> witt the cursed Mansard raos over oil, must 70.
: Within thirty minutes the flames were coming
out 10 fiery pillows from every window, and up
the stairway leading 70 a. I. Stewart's rooms
was perfect column of il1mes. This building
served bat as fuel Tor the iames pieces Of dry
goods went whstng across the square lodging
on the window-sills OF the magnificent stores on
peyonshre st. Bcebe's Block stooda solid wall of
granite several minutes after the inside fell, but
the heat warped il, and 100000 00 soon lay a
heap OF Stone bricks. and mortar. \ hurricane
now ragged, and owing to the intense heat and
perfect seet of Goals drove everything before it,
Every buildiug was now heated as il in furnace
and caught like finder Fuur-stOry granite blocks
seemed like Shavlng~, and deaiening explosions
were constantly heard.
new terror was now added to the Babel OF
confusion. The tenoment-houses at the upper
, end of Federal-stIcet were fast being licked up
by the flames, and women crazed and faintne
were rushing to and fro, carryingi crock
, cry, clocks and bedding in their hands. Now
and then few pieces of goods might be saved by
volunteers, who ran in and spent the five min
utes during which they could work in bringing
out perhaps q hundred pieces of cloth. One mar
C. got out sos GOO worth Of kid gloves, and had
them placed ON the sidewalk in a damaged con.
diuon. lie offered hackman 500 In vain. Ia
take the poods To a place of safety In less than
e an hour ne had to flee for his life, and the flames
were not again cheated Of their prey. The fire
was now in Federal-street, and the wool house.
were going like oil factories They could never
have been attacked at more dangerous time
t filed from cellar to garrett, hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars worth were on hand that might
bnye been delivered % customers Ind il not beer
j. for the horse disease.
r In one store alone there we're 500 600 worth
d of wool stored. which was awaiting delivery
4 Minor. Beal Iluckett had their store packed
mi. having only mt in the last of their winter
. stuck three hours before the fire enyelopcd il ali
T. March Brothers & Pierce had lust nut their win
t fer FOODS in the cellar. and sent their summer
II Goods up-stairs 10 be madeup. The paper-bouse,
came next. and with the end of Federal stree
. went tho majority of the large city dealers 1
b bod been boned tbot the ire could he stonpe,