The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-12-11

Detached enders few readily, and the air was
heated and soon the flames began licking the Man
sard roofs on the opposite side of the street above
the reach Of the streams directed upon them, and
from all quarters fire was constantly in the air. and
one building after another caught on the roof and
the flames skipped lightly along from one window
sill to another so that in less than thirty minutes
every cheek blauched, it became evident
that the whole cityn directionwas at the mercy
OF the flames, which were leaping gaily from roof
M 10 roof, and from one building to another.
The second building to succumb was directly op
posite that in which the fire broke out, and was
occupied by Main, Mullin & Bins, Harding Bros. &
n Co, Bowen, Moore & Co. George Lido, Carter &
Co, Couant Bros.-all wholesale dealers in dry and
fancy goods
NJ This was at the corner OF Otis Place The hear
now became internal. The streets ran rivers Of
water, and every moment was heard the sound of
granite blocks exploding, and entire walls fell into
the streets, making them impossible.
n The fremen were driven from one station to an
M other, and many engine was kept nobly at work,
" while the fremen were wet by hand. The engineer
II could only hold his place while a stream of water
H was kept playing on him.
Blocks Of granite, weighing tons, were split as If
by powder, and hurled across wide streets. Planks
u were flying through the air like feathers Women
"A erected barricades and worked behind them, but
H they were burned almost soon as erected.
An hour had hardly elapsed before it was evident
that Beebes block, the finest business structure in
the city, built Of granite, five stories high, with
that cursed Mansard roof over all, must 90 within
NJ thirty minutes. The flames were coming out il
" fiery pillows from every window, and up the stair
NJ way leading to A. T. Stewards rooms, perfect
81 column Of flame. This building served but as fuel
to the flames. Whole pieces OF dry goods went
X wbistling the square, lodging the window
N stills Of tue magnificent stores on Devonshire street
and Beebc's block Several minutes after the inside
FELL but the heat warped it, and two millions soon
N lay heap of stone, brick and mottar.
A hurricane of wind now ragged, and owing TO the
intense heat every building caught like finder Four
story granite blocks caught like shavings, aud deaf
enng explosions were constantly heard
A new terror was now added to the babel OF con-
fusion. The tenement houses at the upper end of
the street were being fast licked In by the flames,
and women, crazed aud faintiug, rushing 10
II and fro, carrying children crockery, clocks, bed
n ding, etc One woman ran screaming through
High street, with stove funnel in her hands, while
another was Juggling away at heavy chest, which
4 would have been a weight for strong man.
N Now and then few pieces of goods might be
saved by volunteers, who ran in and remained n few
4 minutes, during which they could work in bringing
h out perhaps hundred pieces OF cloth,
il The scene ct the corner of Milk aud Deyonshirc
Streets down towards Federal, and up in the drec.
n tion of Washington street, was terrible Nobody
n could stand within three blocks of the burning
masses the FIRE had full possession of the build
iugs within its grasp. AS each caught fire the flames
n seemed to devour the contents in u single moment
i and SO the torrent Of flame grew in length and
q power with terrible velocity.
The falling roofs sinking every minuete, and
4 carrying with them floors one by one, until walls
1 became Isolated and also fell with crash. Whole
q blocks of buildings disappeared in this manner
n crumblng like cardboard. Huge masses of mate
rial choked the streets, and taking fire. created al
Y solid body of flames. Fire engines were utterly
useless for no human being could stand near enough
4 to send streams Of water where needed.
4 The iremen are utterly exhausted already, and
unless help speedily arrives they will be compelled
Il to desist. We are expecting trains every moment
! from Portland and Springfield, with more assist
4 ance, though they not safely up to the city
1t was terrible Sabbath that to-day dawned upon
4 Boston, and we can not tell when or where the de
c structfon will cease. During the confusion hun
hreds of thieves piled their villainous trade and
many thousands of dollars worth of goods wereI
\ carried off. The police did all in their power
+ which at best was little. Some two hundred mem
; and boys, and several women have already been
1 arrested aud Jailed.
Up M.-The fire broke out in the rear of the large
& fve.story granite building Nos. 81 to 81 Summer
4 street, at the corner of Kingston. The building
was surmounted with high MGnsard roof, overtop
ping all the buildings in its immediate vicinity Dill
rcctly the flames began to spread through the story
q beneath this roof, and before the engine hose
Z car riage the ground, great volumes suddenly
burst from the rear lower stories, and IN less tha
twenty minutes the whole broad facade, extending
Il fully hundred feet along Kingston street, was
sheet of fame, as was simultaneously the Summer
street front The heat intense to force thc
fremen away. By this time a strong wind sprung!
up, and the flames began to sweep over Summer.
and Kingston Streets and, despite the eXertons of
z the fremen communicated to the buildings at thet
opposite of Kingston and Summer streets, AS
well the great block at the corner of Summer
and Otis Streets and in less than half hour famcs
burst out from the roofs all up and down the broadE
and immense structures. By this time the windi
had increased to nearly gale, and the flames, hav
ing entire mastery, swept irresisibly onward, driv
ing the fremen from every vantage ground render.
all their eXcrtiOns futile
n The block in which the fire started occupied
by Tibbetts Baldwin & Davis, dry goods dealers
A. X Young and Co.'s skirt and corset factory Il
and Damon Temple & Co., furnishing goods. Not
withstanding that this great building was in an in
credibly short space of time completely leveled, s
destruction had not progressed far before the fames
and sparks it had lodged upon all the buildings
round about it.
The fire spread almost instantly in three direc-
tions, first TO the adjoining block, then to thcl
I Kingston Block, where were number of fine brick
and granite buildings occupied BY wholesale dealers
in various kinds of light merchandise. All thesef
were engulfed in rapid succession About 10 o'clock
the flames burst from the tops Of some buildiDgsE
Arch street, dozen doors from Summer street,
and almost before the existence of the flames in hsf
quarter was known they had spread down through
several buildings, and were bursting in perfect tor
tents from all the windows in front of the fancyt
goods store of Hawley, Folsom & Martin. The
buildings in either direction were immense stone
and granite structures, occupied mainly by largeH
wholesale dealers in dry goods, clothing, fancy
goods, furnishing goods, millinery goods, etc
The Everett Block, imposing granite block, at
the corner of Otis and Summer streets, was soon in
flames and the fire began to creep steadily upE
both sides of Summer Street crawling from roof to
roof opposite the Everett Block, and envelOpingE
the adjoining buildings almost in moment
By this time the entire roof of the Everett Block
was sheet of flame, sending high into the air i
lurid column of flame and burning brands The
flames then stretched across the narrow part of Arch
street, and moved rapidly up towards Washington
street. sweeping away a score of wholesale houses
situated on this thoroughfare Winthrop Square,
the very centre OF the wholesale trade Of the city
and embracing of the most costly mercantile
buildings ever erected in this country and occupied
1v firms las & N