American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-16
The Boston Fire.

The Boeton Fire.
The telegraph wires again bring
the details OF an awful fire. Boston
one OF the oldest commercial cities
In the country, and built up gradu
ally, compactly and grandly solid
has lost seventy acres of her finest
business houses. Those who have
been to Boston cannot have failed
to note the massive appearance OF
the buildings, as if put up to with
stand the march of time, the blast
OF the tempest. aud the fury of the
flames. Yet those granite walls
and iron windows and doors, and
OF such stately proportions, and
mansard roofs, the crOwning glory
OF all, have crumbled down in a
night the goods within have turned
to ashes or been dragged away halt
con- umed, and a hundred millions
Of wealth, accumulated for q ceutu-
~, was swept away in q few event
ful hours. The fire broke out at
seven and q half O'Clock Saturday
night, in the heart of the city, and
was famed by strong wind. The
flames shot from house to house
with fearful rapidly, and were not
brought under control until Sunday
at one o'clock. Its first appearance
was in the rear OF q five story gran
lite building on the corner of King
ston and Summer streets. In less
than twenty minutes both fronts, OF
fully one hundred feet each, were a
sheet of fame, and in less than half
m hour the flames were bursting
ont from the roofs of the immense
buildings adjacent on either hand,
and the terror of the scene was in
creased by the wind springing up
nearly to gale. From this time
on the flames leaped from roof to
roof, block to block, and across the
narrow streets in fiery clouds, driv-
ing the firemen before them at the
peril of their lives. Almost instan-
tane0usly the fire, with fiendish fu
~, shot forth in three directions,
and all efforts to stay its progress
were futile. 1t continued to adj
vance steadily. and at ten o'clock
fifteen or twenty large first class
blocks were in ruins. At this time
the flames broke ont from the top
Of a building on Arch street, a doz-
en- doors away from Summer, where
1t had committed its greatest raw
ages, and from this new starting
point spread as rapidly as from the
first. The Everett block broke out
In flames at the same time, and sent
forth long red tongues of fire and
sparks TO lap into combustion the
handsome blocks IN easy reach.
The Wholesale center of the city
had been reached and melted down
into pyramids and craters of red hot
ruins before eleven o'clock. The
scenes Of confusion, terror, dismay
and suffering among the struggling
mass OF humanity, fleeing for life,
struggling to save Il fragment of
property, or vainly trying to arrest
the progress of tine fire in its flow
like lava from surcharged volcano
may be imagined better than de-
scribed. A portion of the district
thus far destroyed was occupied by
residences, and many families and
single persons had their rooms in
houses occupied as stores. These
all mingled in the crowd trying to
make their escape. Men, women
aud children, dressed and half
dressed, some carrying a load OF
their effects, others caring only. to
save their own lives, rushed frant-
icalfy toward the overcrowdedave-
Dues of escape. The fire reached
the Russian wharf, which was
quickly destroyed, with all the
buildings. a schooner and coal
sheds and lumber yards at Robbins
wharf flashed up like powder AMI
were consumed. The wharf and a
passenger station of the Hartford
aud Erie Railroad Company went
in like manner. But the fearful de.
struction went ON and on, banks,
insurance Offices, publishers, all
vent alike, and hundreds OF resi-.
denees caught fire, and the inmates
had TO fee fiOm the falling roofs
and walls. The space overrun and
destroyed by the fire is about three
quarters IF mile long and huff a
mile wide. The fullest details are
given in our telegraphic columns,
from which it will be seen that the
loss is estimated as high as $3.50
OOO, 900. The loss of life is also re
ported at twenty five, but this is a
doubtful estimate, and may be eli
Their too high or too low.-MempAi,
Ledger.
~The following, from the Mis-