The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-11-16
BOSTON BURNED.

and the greatest ever witnessed in Amer
ca after Chicago, which stands pre-emine
among the great contlagrations of II
world.
About half past o'clock on Saturda
evening, Nov. 9th, the fire broke out in Il
large dry good establishment of Tihbett
Baldwin " Davis, on the corner of King
ton and Summer streets. II started i'll ii
engine room, and soon the entire buildiu
was i'll flames. The fire department WI
very slow i'll getting to work; all the hors
were sick, and the engines were drawn |
men. 1t was a long time before any watt
was poured upon the flames, which 500
swept across Summer street. At the san
time it moved in the other direction dow
Kingston street, and in both directions o
Summer street. The fire engines were Il
nally all got to work, but they could
nothing. Engines were brought frol
Cambridge and the other neishboring elite
but altogether their efforts awaited nothing
As soon as the flames were fairly undo
way the air, which had been still before
| began to move in swift currents up tn
narrow streets toward the fire. Soon
was like whirlwind.
The fire seemed fairly to run down Sun
mer street towards the wharves. sweepin
away the brick and wooden buildings i'll il
path like so much stubGle.
The flames spread from the corner wher
they broke out, down Kingston street, dies
troying several large wholesale dry goo
stores. Northward, however, toward Frank
lin street, they swept with most force
From Winthrop square they took north
erly direction, and by eleven O'Clock the.
cut through the middle of one Oft splen
did blocks on that street halfway from
Washington street to Devonshire street
From that point to the corner of Devon
shire street half dozen blocks were con
sumed in an hour. Then the flames jump
ed across Franklin street and attacked tllt
equally splendid buildings Oh the nortLer'
ly sides.
/ They spread across Winthrop square and
worked rapidly down to Pearl street, cross
ing Congress and Federal streets. Here Is
concentrated the wholesale trade OF the
city. On Congress street the great six
story granite wool-houses went down like
cob houses.
From Summer street High street extends
in an easterly direction across these great
streets to the wharves, and here, too, the
fire made appalling progress.
Before eleven O'Clock the depot build
ings of the Boston, Hartford and Erie
Railroad Company on Boston wharf were
utterly destroyed, and the flames swept
down toward the bay in great, broad
sheet, making Broad street impossible.
The buildings on Summer, Franklin, and
High streets were nearly all new five and
six story granite warehouses, most of
which had Mansard roofs which gave the
flames easy way from one to another.
As last desperate resort to stay the
progress Of the fire fiend it was resolved
to blow up with powder the buildings in
the path of the flames and at 3. As o'clock
on Sunday morning heavy explosions be-
gan to shake the city. At P. N. having
ragged for IS hours destroying hundreds
of the most costly and substantial ware
houses in the country, the fire was checked.
About midnight the fire again broke out.
caused by explosions of gas in the building
OF w. II. Stone & Co., in Summer-St.
Nine hundred and thirty buildings were
burned, covering about CT acres. Loss. as
near as it can be estimated, 800. 900. 600
it is placed as low as $50, 000, 600.
The entire loss of the insurance interest
of the world is placed at $40, 600, coo of
which $50, 600, 600 will be paid.
The plucky Yankees of the Hub, did
not allow the embers of the great conila-
grafton to die out before they set to work
plans to rebuild their burned
city. Wooden Mansard roofes are TO be
sent to tie coventry, and the crooked streets
and narrow lanes are to give place to wide
avenues and straight streets, cutting each
other at right angles.
Gen. Alexander Shaler, Commissioner of
the New York Fire Department, visited
Boston on Monday, and a reporter gives
the substance of the Gen. IS opinion:
Itwould not do for me to criticise the man
ner in which buildings have been put mp in
Boston, OF the workings of the. Fire De-
partment of that city. Boston has always
been considered safe from any extensive
ravages by fire. Its buildings were thought
to be iire-proof; It's Fire Department the
most efficient, and best organized: while
the Chief Engineer, Mr.. Damrel, is one of
the most experienced men i'll the SERVICE
| arrived in Boston Monday forenoon, and
the fire was then entirely out. | went
the ruins and made many import
ant observations. | am of the opinion
that the fire was caused by the delay of the
Fire Department in reaching the scene in
of the sick horses. When the
firemen arrived the building in which the
fire originated was almost destroyed, and
the combustible roofs lent material aid to
the progress of the fire. A stream of
water when thrown upon an immense flame
has no effect, and in fact the heat trans
forms it to vapor before it reaches the root
AZ y 4
was great intolerance to the firemen. 1t
was actually impossible to work in many
of the narrow streets. Had they been
wider the men could have worked to bet
ter advantage. There were few points
where a company could get under cover
and battle with the flames with some eff
feet, but the heat would not permit fire.
men to venture within 4 proper distance of
the fire. In some cases, the tiremen ven-
tured quite close. but had to be constantly
showered with water by comrades with
hand hose. Large numbers ofcitizens lent
aid but were something of hinderance
to the men, for small force of organized
firemen, W it'll plenty of elbow-room, is bet
ter than horde of excited though we'll
meaning outsiders. The report that a
strong wind was blowing was erroneous
llc iiSdJ ClCdtSb IL StiiSAip VI s'ii."
The wind blew, fortunately. toward the
water, and the fire cleaned out everything
to the harbor. Had the breeze blown in
an opposite direction, the flames would
probably have swept to the city limits on
the other side.
noticed, in walking through the ruins,
that for mile around the outskirts of the
burned district the buildings which had
withstood the heat and checked the pro-
grees of the flames were the old fashioned
brick houses and stores, with slate roofs
| believe that it was such structures as
these that checked the contlagration, for,
in fact, the fire stopped itself, being I'M
able to proceed because barred out by the
old houses. Regarding the Mansard roof.
which is now SO generally condemned,
many false impressions may be created
The Mansard roof is Il good and service
able house covering, and has many advan-
tages. There can be no objection to the
style of the roof. 1t is the material Of
which it is composed that is Objectionable.
The iron Mansard roof is perfectly fire
proof. but the wooden Nansard is no safer
Than lumber yard. Unfortunately most
of the Mansard roofs i'll this city are con-
structed OF wood. SO they were in Boston,
and so they are in nearly all other cities.
The law in this particular is very imper-
feet, and unjust to every citizen. 1t pro-
vides that buildings must be constructed
of brick, stone, iron, or other mason-work,