, 1872-11-12

i y
maSnlhe.ent nlock N which they have carried or
sp1ehala estapilshment Nearly everybody in
thls dlstrlct, "here therp nre no dwelling houses
anI 10" tGta'i a.; shops mad gone away for. the
''lSn1 anu Tue nto might have been burning long
nave caught In N tue engine room and cropt up the
F.r 1.s - very probable theory, for
~" ttoAents M t't'a1 Inc time 1t was first seen it
T1e od;S a afon eve1y noor IN the building
iMe eolnSe "ab crowned by that cutec of all our
ornament or: vas III blaze, and the flame was leap
~ actoa1 lne ualto" eereets TO meet similar
mnanmaoie 1n rooi On the other side, while show.
eis eift ~ c'nue1S anu Duln1ng fragments, carried
a.olt ~ tne piast created IN the hatchsay, fell
upon tne lower buildings on either hand The
alarm vas Va promptly sounded but there occurred
one OF tnose latai mlBhaps which nobody knows
exactly how to account for. It was thirty-six
minutes before qe, an engine arrived upon the
gfonnd. Inc boaton Fire Department had a
9y aays nave proved that its members in general
nave much OF the true heroic stamp in danger,
ana DO their duty silently, as matter Of course,
t aay anu 11ent, Until they tall to tha ground
shrougn sneef exhaustion. The reason given
1or tue delay is that tho horses were all
sick, and the engines had to be drawn by
nann; Even so, the delay was unreasonable,
BESIDES there were we'll horses right in Boston,
ana, # hacks s and horse cars wero all running, it
can only % through grave acknowledgement that
time the water was brought to bear the fire had
become q conhagration. Both sides Of Kingston
street and both sides Of Summer street were
blazing, making two fire lanes in which the heat
was absolutely insupportable. Then the cor
ner building fell, scattering fire in every
direction, and tile disaster began to as
sume 8 threatening aspect All the
engines in Boston were summoned, and tele-
grams for aid from the neighboring towns. The
great height Of the warehouses and the narrow
raa s,f4
In hardly any case could stream of water be
thrown upon tile back part of the roofs. and it
WIS on the roofs that, after the first outbreak,
the fire almost invariably caught. Nor was it
the burning buildings The 6remen put up
barricades for their protection; but the bar
1icades we're soon consumed. They carried
hose up the roofs, but the height was
80 great that very little water could be forced
through them. After while, some large estab-
up. This did no good. The flames followed 10
particular path. There was moderately strong
wind, but they travelled right in the path of it.
They made their OWL current of air, and fol-
lowed that, now to one side, now to tho other.
Wherever they went they found Mansard roof
to feed upon. Wherever brand was shot into
the air, it had q good chance of falling on q
Mansard root. It is the common belief That the
Mansard roofs have cost Boston 525O00 600.
sss3s rs ss ss ire assd IT Sn%f5 saassa ss e
directions. Southward. it burned about nalf q
block. Westward, it took both sides of Surnmer
street, past Arch, Chaancy, and Hawley; and
then ran diagonal1y to near the northeast corner
Of Summer and Washington, sparing tho corner
building, occupied BY Robbins. Appleton i Co..
OF the american Watch Company. and Andrew
C. Mudpes. fancy goods. hut taking everything
at the rear and side OF it. Thence it ran along
the east side of Washington street, as far NORTH
as Milk, that is to say, within few feet Of
School street, where the Parker House, the City
Hall, and the old corner book store are sit
nng n vas shS S1s but et ms %nn of ths Sss soes
were scorched, and the glass was nearly all
broken. From kingston street eastward, the
fires took both sides Of Summer street and
Bedford, and never stopped until it reached
the water, destroying the wharTes and
depot OF the Hartford j. Erie Railroad.
Meanwhile, it had swept northward along
DeVonshlre, Federal! and Congress streets
houses, liquor shops, and other buildings Of the
poorer class, and before midnight the wretched
occupants we're turned into the street. The
general direction OF the flames at the time was
northwest, and from about Congress street to
Washington it formed one impossible barrier,
moving closer and closer toward State street,
and the great financial centre OF New
England. MILK street was destroyed by ~ o'clock,
and towards morning the tire reached the rear OF
the Post gthce, the front Of which
~AAo *A1A"A'
we're removed to the Custom House,
and thence taken last night to faneull Hall,
where the distribution of letters began this
morning, nothing having been lost What
stopped the flames IN thus quarter nobody seems
to know, The buildings we're no whit more sub
stantlal tnan those which had crumbled to frag-
ments behind them, but they were not seriously
menaced until evening. South Of them was a
mere heap Of Goals and ashes, and the fremen
were able to concentrate their efforts here. At
any rate, nothing was injured except the Post
Office and the Merchants Exchange.
On the corner of Washinrton
and Min, streets were +uo curTanta
of f1ames one sweeninc nort1vard from Frsnt.
In tha n{har wast1:erd a3o,,r Nit atran+ ma
of the choicest Istor;cai bniid;nna of Roa+on is
fha 036 eo1th cI,,rch so11ar o;t37aI, W. 1ebo i,a5
borne the loss OF their own fortunes without
word, we're seen absolutely frantic with distress
as the conhagration approacbed this yenerable
pile. It is modest brick buildine with wooden
blinds, and it seemed impossibIe that it should
escape: but here the fire. which has DESTROYED
stone and iron as if they had been straw. was
strangely stopped. Save for q few broken vim
dows. and little bUstered paint. The old church
is unhurt. and battered safe lies in the door.
Further along on MIX street the fire encoun-
tered another barrier. Thia was the new nnfin-
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