Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-11-15

Hackett had their store packed full,
having only put in the last Of their win
ter stock three hours before the fire en-
veloped it all.
A New York dispatch says that the
fire is still raging at 1850 a. m. The
main telegraph office, all stations and
buildings in its vicinity have been blown
up to check the progress of the fire.
EVENING REPORT.
CHICAGO, Nov. 10.
A Boston dispatch says, the scene at
daylight, at the corner of milk and Dew.
onshire streets, down toward Federal
and up in the objection of Washington
street was terrible one. Nobody could
stand within three blocks of the burning
masses SO that the fire had full posses
sion Of the buildings within its grasp,
and as each edifice caught fire from its
neighbour, the flames seemed to devour
its contents in single moment, and so
the torrent of flames grew in strength
and power with terrible velocity-fall-
ing roofs were sinking every minute, and
carried down with them floors, one by
| one, until the walls became isolated and
| fell with a crash. Whole blocks of
buildings disappeared in this manner
| crumbling up like so much cardboard.
Huge masses of material choked up the
streets. and taking fire created solid
body of flames. The fire engines were
useless, for no human being could stand
near enough to send streams of water
where they were needed to do service.
The extreme limit of devastation in a
southwark direction is the Hartford &
Eric Railroad depot, extending, howev-
er, out on the road and burning bridge.
1t then runs along Broad street to India
wharf, taking a!f the intermediate
wharves and destroying few vessels
No one branch of business suffers so
extremely as the boot and shoe, and hide
| and leather trades.
All the residences in Fort Hill, so
called, including Gridley, High and
Broad streets, bave hecn destroy cd, rem
dering hundreds of families homeless
and destitute.
The Washington street fire was check
cd by five o'clock this morning, and in
southern direction it had not reached
beyond Summer street The buildings
on the southerly side of the latter street
| remained standing, and west of them the
buildings were untouched by flames,
with the exception of the three nearest
Chauncy street, which were burned
out thouglleth walls remained standing
and there was no further danger in this
direction on Washington street
The building of the American Watch
Company on the north easterlv corner of
Washington and Summer streets has
been completely Quilted, but the walls
remained. North Of this on Washing
ton street on the same side all were de-
stroyed as far as the Transcript building
though portions of the walls of some Of
the buildings were left standing to the
height of thirty feet
Washington and Summer streets are
filled with bricks, morter and huge
stones to the depth of several feet.
A portion OF the front of Trinity
church is standing alone to mark the To-
cation of the late beautiful clifcc.
The banks destroyed are the National
Bank of North America, No. IS Frank
lin street, and the National Revere
Bank, No "A Franklin st.
After repeated solicitations on the
part of business men, owners of real cs
tate and others, Chief Engineer Daniels
Just before 2 o'clock gave orders to rope
off the streets leading into Milk St.
preparatory to blowing up buildings on
the south side Of that St
A body of L s. Marines from the Ma
w Yard marched up Washington st.
about 5 o'clock and rendered their ser
vices on police duty which was imme-
diately accepted.
The reports of buildings being blown
up, indicating that gunpowder was be
ing used to stop the fire, was heard at 5
minutes past o'clock, and was a most
welcome sound, for it betokened fear
less, honest and radical effort to save
Boston from Chicago's fate. Three dis
charges were made in a block on Devon
shire St. and three buildings partially
blown down, but without any apparent
benefit, for the flames jumped over the
gap almost instantly. These buildings
were close to the fire, and unless blocks
more distant are speedily Frustrated the
effect will of course be nothing. The
trains were laid in Federal St about 9
o'clock and the street Immediately clear
for action. At 3:45 this morning the
destruction of buildings in the path of
the confagration, by the explosion Of
gunpowder, was begun in good earnest,
the shocks shaking the city to its foun-
dation.
At o'clock this morning the fire ex
tended from Washington st. on the west
to the wharves on the east, and from
Milk st. on tho north to the Hartford &
Erie railroad bridge on the south, the
bnrnt district being roughly estimated
at two hundred acres. The estimate of
a well known real estate man is that the
loss on buildings will average $l2 per
foot for this area and therefore we have
grand total loss in buildings at up
wards nfSlOO, 100000.
So fierce is the march OF the flames
and so irresistible that the merchants on
Olive st. who. when they were first
made aware of the danger. cssayed to
move their goods, but could not on ao-
count of the heat, and therefore they
burned where they were
am sorry to say that Boston is no
better than other Cities for in the midst
OF the terror and confusion that exist IN
our streets, thieves are busily Mt work
and frequent arrests are made. Indeed,
it is difficult to tell friends from foes.
and many owners are compelled to see
their valuables carried off by unknown
despcradoes without even venturing to
demonstrate or stop the lawlcss proceed
ings. Nearly 200 men and boys have
been already locked up, and several wo-
men All of these prisoners are Of the
lowest class and come from the purlicus
of the city,
A terrible Sabbath is dawning on Bos-
ton; we cannot tell where or when the
work of destruction will cease. People
talk of the loss Of millions as readily now
as they did Of thousands at midnight
Men and women from every part Of the
city came from their homes to see the