The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-11-16
GREAT FIRE IN BOSTON.
n Half Quarter Sectien Of Land
Suddenly Cleared of Granite
Business Pal aces.
SIS, 100000 Worth Of Property De-
stIoyed.

ont his continent, always excepting the great
Chicago fire gear age, occurred at Boston
commencing about half o'clock last Satur-
day night and raging about 90 hours.
The fire began at the corner of Summer and
Kingston streets. 1t began in furnace, and
buried up through the wooden flue of a store.
house elevator, so that 1t was discovered IN the
basement and at the top of .he structure at
occe- A s O'clock, the edticc where it started
vas ell blazing and trembling with inward
heat A light fresh brisk wind blowing from
the northwest and west favored it, but did not
give it direction. for Instead of blowing to-
ward The water side, it preferred, without
known incentive, to start westward aud north.
ward and devoured the Wholesale business
portion of the city. 1t had three lines Of ad.
vance, all burning simultaneously from the
same general centse. At the corner of sam.
mer and Otis street, near Winthrop squareone
line of fire burned IN the eye OF the wind up
Summer street to Washington, and thence
along to the corner of Milk street, where they
stopped it with gunrowder at daylight on
Sunday second line of fire proceeded with
the wird down Summer street to the Hartford
& Eiie wharf and depot, and then travelled up
The hsrbor docks, doing good deal of work.
At about midnight the greatest line of FIRE,
receiving reinforcement from the other two,
edged along to the northward, as if to reach
State street, and burned down the line of
Central and LinGall streets, not being very
nice about street lines, but creating topo-
graphy OF its own.
The whole space of ground made bare by
the fire is not eighty acres, and the whole of
the burned district is very plainly and com
tortaby to be seen from any elevated pile of
waste masonry. ".rhe general shape of the
burned waste" says an account before US, lis
| that ola jug-pitcher and handle, the bottom
| OF the pitcher resting on the harbor, and be.
ing there about 800 feet long, and the pitcher
itself rising up to Washington street about
100 feet from the harbor From side to side
the total width of the burned space Is also
about 100 feet What l have called the
handlepart of this pitcher is the space north
OF Water street, outside of the main waste
made by the fire. The new Pos: Office gran
! lite building, which is two hundred feet LONG,
still stands almost intact between the top of
the pitcher and the space burned back of it,
which have called the handle, and r, ght op.
posite that, is the spout of the pitche."
The time of the greatest fire was about
twelve hours, although some hours of Sunday
| morning were required to insure its non.ex-
| tension, and there was bat single return of
the confagration, which happened at mid.
night on Sunday night, at the corner of Wash.
ington and Summer streets, threatening Jor-
dan, Marsh Co., and burning out half dozen
firms in the course Of three hours. This last
fire was caused by explosions of gas
The Boston fire literally meant business. 1t
spared residences, although it passed into
tenements of the south side and gave them a
warming. 1t despised what commerce is lett
to Boston, and, kindling coaster or two, lit
the coal-heaps along the piers, and then al.
lowed itself to be played on by hose carried
aboard of tugs, and 1t was a very crcumspect
fire about taking life, and was scrupulous az
to shrines. Two churches contented it, Trini.
ty and st. Stephens both Episcopal. 1t left
the Old South Church unsecured from the old
gray brick walls to the top of the vane, and
great is tho devout MARBLE of Boston thereat
Ii made dive towards old Faneuil Hall, but
left it in all it's maguifcence to be tempora.
~ fost Ofice. And not theatre, nor spot
Of amusement, and scarcely hotel worth con.
sidering, did the fire consume. Its victim
was solely the wholesale business of Boston,
and the sufferers are nearly all business men
AS far as these interests were concerned, the
fire was a memorable success. It swept off
seven banks, ell the boot and shoe palaces, the
wool aud leather, crockery, iron, and dOmcs-
tic dry goods establishments. 1t made such
= hole in the acquisltive bump of Boston, that
very costlyltrepanning WILDE rcquireduto mend
1T, but the loss by this will not probably reach
the figure Of s6O,OOo,0OO.
the Boston Adeertiser and the Boston Her.
aM were cool enough on Monday to state the
loss at from S5,0oO,0 600 to Sl2j, 100000, while
the Journal was insisting upon 100000, 900.
On Monday evening the Tracelter reduced this
amount to S70,OOO,O00. The other papers of
Tuesday morning hang on the figure of $751;.
100000. Better experts say that $4,000, 900
is high estimate and $4,000, 900 more near
ly the correct amount. The assessed value of
all the sulldings DESTROYED is 81. 100000 and