Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-11-21
BOSTON'S CALAMITY
LARGE Portion of the Business
Centre Destroyed.
An Area of Seventy Acres
Burned Over.
Loss from Sso,oo0,OoO to
S1oo,ooo,ooo.
Detailed Account OF the Origin and EX.
tent OF the COnilagra,ion.

fve.story granite building, Nos. 81, 80
and 81 Summer street, directly on the
corner Of Kingston street, Boston, at
! 1880 p. NJ, on Saturday, November 9Th.
| The building was surmounted by a high
/ Mansard roof, overlapping all other
/ buildings in that immediate vicinity.
Directly as the flames began to spread
/ through the story beneath this roof,
and before an engine or hose carriage
was on the ground, great volumes OF
flame suddenly burst out from the rear
of the lower stories of the building, and
/ IN less than 20 minutes the whole
broad facade, extending fully one hun
bred feet along Livingstone street, was
one sheet of flame, as was also at the
/ same time the Summer street front, the
1 heat being so intense as to force the
! firemen away from that immediate
vicinity.
BY this time a strong wind had
sprung up, the flames began to sweep
over Summer and Kingston streets, and
despite all the exertions of the tiremen
! in every branch of the department, the
1 fire was communicate ed to buildings on
1 the opposite corner Of Kingston and
| Summer streets, as well as the great
| block on the corner of Summer and
! Otis streets, and in less than half an
! hour the flames were bursting up and
/ down the broad sides OF the fine struc-
lures. BY this time the wind had in
creased to nearly a gale, and the flames
! having entire mastery of everything,
swept from story to story, from roof to
roof, from block to block, and from
corner to corner, driving the Aremen
/ from every vantage ground they could
secure, and rendering all their exer-
| tons useless
/ Wherever the flames reached they
/ rapidly consumed everything of com
| bustible character The large block on
on the corner of Summer and Kingston
streets, in which the fire first started,
was occupied on the first and upper
floors by Tibbitts, Baldwin & Davis,
dry-goods iobbers. A. X. Young Il
Co., occupied the third and fourth
stories as manutactory for stays and
corsets, employing about 200 men.
! The second floor was occupied by
Damon, Temple & Co., furnishing
goods, etc.
Notwithstanding this great building
was in almost an incredibly short space
of time completely leveled to the
ground, its destruction had not pro-
crossed far before the flames and sparks
which arose from it had lodged upon
all the buildings around about Thus
the fire spread almost instantly in
three directions, first to the adjoining
[ block on Summer street, then across
Summer street to the opposite side of
the block and then to Kingston street.
IN the first named direction the adioin-
ing building was occupied by Leland &
Wheelock, gents furnishing goods,
and SAWYER, Mansfield & Co., import,
ers of dry goods. The next are Eager,
Bartlett & Co., WOODEN goods; o. b.
/ North Il Son, hats, caps and furs
next Farley, Amsden & Co., dry goods
/ jobbers; and Rhodes Il Ripley, whole
sale clothing. The latter firm owned
/ the building.
The structure at the opposite point
of starting was of granite, foul stories
ana half high, occupied largely by
! Mayhin, Mullen x Elms, dealers in
/ trimmings, who used the entire lower
/ floor. Harding Bros. q Co. and Carter
Il Co. occupied the upper floor. From
this building across the square dag
oually was stone block occupied by
Smith, Rice & Corton, and Geo. NJ.
Glazier, dealers in corsets and knit
goods. On the corner of Otis and
Summer streets stood the Everett
Block, an imposing granite structure
owned by the Everett estate. 1t in
ciuded Nos 81, 81, Sc IS, 60, g. and
Ct Summer street, and was occupied
by ID. Lyons 4 Co., Neil Brothers and
Dreyfus, Phillips Il Shumaun, c. G.
King and Co, and Mari Brothers,
dealers IN clothing, furnishing goods,
fancy goods, trimmings, etc. The
upper floors were used mostly us offices
and occupied by various parties
Now the fire began to creep steadily
up both sides OF Summer street, crawl
ing along from roof to roof opposite
the Everett block. The buildings, as
they we've eugulfej IN rapid succession,
were Us follows: Bricks, 100 feet front,
occupied 10y g. Folsom Il Sons, floor
cloth, oil and oil cloths. and George
Il. Butler hair goods, and Eugene
thapn, commission merchant. The
granite block, Morse, Hammond Il o..
hosiery aud gloves, Stiles. Bolts ~ SOM
ers, wholesale clothing, ). Klous &
Co, hats, caps and furs Strucker
Bros, hat aud cap manufacturers, Wv
man * Arklay, imported goods and
llpens, Ewing, Wise IL Fuller, linens
and white goods, Kot. well. Suther.
Potter y Co, clothing; Mitchell.
Groom A. SfaNaps aplDfEtrte-