Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-11-20
From the New York Herdld)
THE FIRE FIEND.
Furious Struggle and Fina
Triumph.
Graphic, Thrilling and Comprehensive
Picture Of the Scene.
A WelI-TOId Tale Well Worth
the Reading.
Boston, Nov. IL. 1872.

I
the most sadly celebrated. The stOr,
has been told, so far as cataIoguing tn
losses goes and sketching under tn
fearful pressure of the moment tn
impressions felt by its splendor ant
its awfulness. Now, thank God, tina
the well-woTn phrase that the "fire
men have got it under eontrolp ha
become a reality, may be allowed t.
lead you back over the track of desc
lation.
On Saturday evening, as night be
gen to fall, nothing had occurred t
alter the easy way of things in thiI
city. Saturday night in this city o
the Puritans is the gayest, the mos
care-forgotteu of the week. In con
trast of the holiday of rest which tbs
Sabbath is, Saturday night mean:
cheerful household cares in some cases
and light-hearted hilarity in others
1t had been a delightful day, and the
snn never shone on Boston in pleas
anter mood. 1t sunk away in the west
to the music Of light breeze and the
life hum of the city. Boston, as
America playfully knows, is a city ol
narrow, quantity crooked streets the
two which may be called princi.
pal are Washington and fremont, as
they run generally east and west throi
the greater length of the city. On
the north of Washington street are
the dwellings of the middle classes
and those of the richest lying beyond
fremont street and around the far
famed Common. Along Washington
street are the fancy stores, jewelry,
millinery, retail dry goods. boots and
shoes, and all the other businesses
which create and are created in turn
by the fair prOmenaders, who in the
bright afternoon, in all the cities OF
the world, go shopping On it, too,
are situated most of the daily newspa-
per offices. If fremont street is the
more fashionable of the two, Wash
ingtOn is close rival, though more
TINGED WITH COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY
fremont street may be described as
the Regant street or the Boulevard
des Italiens, while Washington is the
Oxford street or the Rue de Rivoli.-
Running from Washington street
south in the direction of the water
are certain streets-Summer, Frank
lin, Milk, Water and State. These
are crossed irregularly by other streets
-HawJey, Kingston, short street,
| but, not to be forgotten, Devonshire,
Federal Congress, Pearl, Oliver, ,Kilby,
| Purchase and Broad, which latter run
ming down in a sOuth-westerly diree
/ ton from State until it reaches
wharYes, continues along the water
| front and behind the wharves. With
in the limits have mentiOned-that,
is bounded by Washington. State and
part of Broad on the north and west,
and by Summer, part of Bedford and
! the water front portion of Boston on
the west and south lies the great
wholesale trading portion of the city,
and this is where the fire ragged, de-
Youred and conquered. Fortunate it
is that the great beehives, where peo-
pie of the poor and struggling classes
nestle and huddle, lay far to the east
and west of this circle have marked,
which, too, was indicated for a dis
tructiOn second only in American an
nails to Chicago, or perhaps to Portland.
On the streets within this circle were
the proudest and cOstliest structures
which the hard toiling city had reared
great palaces of granite, piled up so
as almost to shut off in their very am
bition to reach the skies the daylight
from the narrow pavements beneath.
1t would be useless to detail these
buildings or their thrifty owners in a
sketch. 1 merely wish to set the
scene in the capital of the Bay Island
State, the so-ealled Athens or the Hub
of the Universe, as in half jest, half
earnest, its deniZens love to style it,
When on last Saturday evening, Nov.
9Th, at seven O'Clock, the fire bells !
pealed out TO ring up the curtain on
its greatest drama in night one hun /
dred years, clang, elang, elang, they |
sounded; but Boston, outside the Fire |
Department, little needed. All! it |
was in tones that would not be denied. !
In large granite building, on the |
corner of Sum mer and Kingston
streets, some hand, in carelessness,
perhaps, or by that strange thing
called accident, had
KINDLED A LITTLE HUNGRY FLAME.
Inside the massive granite walls it
fed fatty on the timbers, roared up
through the elevator shaft as through
a furnace chimney and leaped up to
Mansard roof, tapping it around and
glaring redly out to the gaze of the
silver moon, as fiery Sappho, pulsed
with hot, passionate blood, would glare
and gloat beside the ice-cold chaste-
hess of Diana. Cracking, Kissing and
it poured its burning passion
forth and piled dense clouds of smoke
between it and the clear, cold light
above. II would have all the great
piles around for its own or none. 1t
was the work of but a few minutes
Men drawing steam fire engines along
came rushing down to the spot, and
The kissing OF the water, the painting
Of the engines and shouts of the men
soon mingled it all, but the hungry ,
flame had grown into giant and upon (
high rolled scOffingly along the para |
pet, clapping its huge hands in glee.
That pigmy man below could not i
master it-nay, could not reach it
Out of every window it came peeping !
ill the thick walls glowed with its I
fierce embrace. The men below still Z
came trooping in to beat it down. 1t ]
Inly rOared the more, as it would say, :
I'VE shall see." 1t 1slled to the light |
northwest wind for help, and the {
wind rose responsive at every breath. {
An atmosphere of black, binding
imoke, interviewer and interlaced l
With living fTe, was swept upon the
low brisk breeze over the streets at ]
land, burning the wooden hOusetops [
md seeming to scorch the very air
ALL this while it was OIL ly playing
Irash after crash was heard within I
he pile Of glowing granite. The fire q
men fled before the pOrtent, and only {
II time, for, putting forth at once its f
force, it hurled the solid 0
walls out before it and behind t,send- i
ng them trembling in a thunderous t
umble all around its feet. Then in. S
THE NAKED MAJESTY OF HE'LL
{ leaped forth a very Lucifer upon Q
he city around. 1t was scarcely half o
n hour from the booming of the bells v
hat this happened and happy Boston
My turned and gaped and passed on. 1
t was not for long, however. Once
eleased from its prison of stone, the c
Ire crossed Kingston street with a v
ound to the westerly corner of b
and Summer streets, then c
yer Summer street to the corner of b
)tis street, taking the whole block d
ounded by Otis, Devonshire and /
summer streets and Winthrop square, d
nOwn as the Beebe block. Then il a
assed up Summer street towards d
on both sides of Sum- -
ler street; on the south side of Sum- v
ler street it was stopped by the large Il
tore of G. F. Hovey & Co., a few "
oors west Of Chauneey street, on the p
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