The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-11-19
Terms, py Mail, in Advance
THE GRE1T FIRE.

HE 0ktEAI FIRE.
Inierview With . -Ra rned.0ut Bos.
! taa-- tOniAn. = - . Is. Ii b
From the New York SUM-
| A SIN reporter was passing rapidly
through the cars hunting for the mus
tard seed. He inquired on all sides fol-
q Boston man, but on all sides the
answer was, There are some on board
but we don't know them" Twice the
reporter went the rounds, and twice he
failed to find a Bostonian. But the
third attempt was more successful. As
he entered the second car two men were
standing on the platform. The reporter
asked the usual question. "Are there
any Boston men aboard?'
81 am from Boston," replied one oil
the men,.
He was a tall man, with command
ing, diguified air. His face was very
pleasant, and he wore long, heavy
whiskers OF a blonde color. He had on
a heavy overcoat and brown kid gloves,
and carried small valise in his hand.
He said, This is all there is left OF
Spauldiug & Co., of Boston" holding up
the valise and smiling pleasantly.
Reporter-Are you Mr.. Spaulding ?
Bostonian-No, l am the Go" My
name is Barney O'Neil. I've been
flooded in Sacramento, earthquaked in
San Francisco and bnrned out in the
same city; and here Am burned out
iu Boston, and left with valise and
nine cents. Well, (laughing,) guess l
can stand it. I'm not 80 young as |
used to he, but l think can work it out
again. En-, John?
81 guess So" said John, who was the
other man.
TALK WITH THE BOSTON MAN.
Reporter-Mr. ONeil, can you tell
me an intelligent story of the fire?
Mr.. O'Neil Now, my dear fellow,
don't talk of intelligence in a case OF
this kind. Men cant be intelligent or
stop to calculate causes and effects
when they see their all reduced to ashes.
I was in the very heart of the fire, and
lost my all there. l can probably tell
YOU as intelligent a story a. anybody.
Reporter-Can you throw any light
upon the original cause Of the calam.
ity?
Mr.. ONeil-No, l can't. Nothing
was known about that when LETT Bos-
ton this morning. / live IN Somervllie,
about seven minutes by steam rom the
CITY. Saturday night about half-past
o'clock I was sitting in nav dining room
reading a paper. My little boy rushed
into the room and cried "Oh, pa, come
and see. Boston is on fire" Invent out
and saw a great light which turned the
whole sky scarlet. 1t was in the direction
of nv store, and knew it mdst be fire
of great size. Invent to nv observatory,
from which the Old South Church can
be seen. The flames seemed to wave
to and fro on either side Of it. / am
used to this sort Of thing. | have been
burned out before. and when fire Is IN
nv ighborhood I act in an instant
In fifteen minutes from that time l was
at my store.
| GUNPowDER SHOCK.
Reporter-Where was your store,
Mr.. ONeil?
Mr.. ONeil-At 81 Congress street,
three doors from Milk. When | got
there the surrounding streets from Sum.
mer to Milk. as far as the corner OF
Kingston street, were developed in the
flames. Some Of my men were already
there, and we entered the store. We
had two safes belonging to the firm
One was a Lille safe, and we went to
work to remove that, if possible. We
managed to get it "a far as the door,
when a heavy sound smote our ears.
Every window in the building was
shattered and the broken glass fell
crashing about us. l am an old Call
fornian' and it takes a good deal to scare
me, but / was as much frightened
az the rest. We thought only Of
saving our own lives, and hurried from
the building. 1t was we'll that we did.
Before we had gone ten rods, the flames
swept down upon the place we had de-
serted like an avalanche. They fairly
licked it out OF existence. 1t melted
like so much lead.
Mr.. o'NEIL's OPINION.
Reporter-At how much do you esti-
mate your loss? g,
Mr., ONeil-That depends a good
deal upon our insurance. In any event.
it cannot fall short o. $4,000. We are
insured in the Liverpool, and Globe OF
| London, and the North American, OF
Philadelphia. l Judge from the Sun
of this morning that the first two are
sound, but | am very doubtful about the
North American. l think the loss to
the city of Boston is very much under
estimated in New York. "Only hun
dred acres" you say; but, my dear TEL,
low. every acre represented millions. i
don't believe a hundred millions will
cover the real estate lost, and the value
of stock destroyed by fire and water will
foot up millions more. That beautiful
curve forming Winthrop square contain
ed the most magnificent buildings In
Boston, They were all fire-proof, but
thew melted down in an incredibly short
time. You can have no idea here OF
the intensity of that heat which was
melting a city. Subject that building
| (pointing TO the Grand Central dePop to
The same temperature, and it would melt
like snow. Our new postoffice ls, IN de-
sipn. exactly like your own. 1t fronts
Mil otrest and was lust about as far
advanced as this one in New York.
The f-ontis absolutely ruined, the gran
lite having chipped and cracked in every
direction. $4,000 will not cover the