Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-11-18
BOston's Great Fire.


tidings of one of the greatest calamities
that has ever overtaken an American
city. Sixty acres of the city of Boston
in ashes :" ''two hundred millions of dol
lars worth of property destroyed" and
1.-THE fire still raging, as the dispatch
es read-were more than enough to cause
the most firm to shake with dire dismay.
Even the disinterested foreigner could
but stand appalled, at the announcement
of the news, which seemed almost in
credible. 1t is not to be wondered at,
then, that every New Englander-scarcely
one but who had friends and acquaint-
ances in the smoking city-should at
first be almost overwhelmed and dis
heartcned by the sad intelligence
The fire originated at about o'clock,
Saturday night, in the basement of a
large five story granite building on the
corner of Summer and Kingston streets,
and soon found its way up the elevator.
to the top, where the fames,5 above the
reach of the engines, skipped and danced
among the Mansards, from one tarred
roof to another, like so many little red
demons sent by his satanic majesty, to
be lord of all they surveyed. At each
stroke of the clock, the aroused and wide
awake Bostonians saw the flames grow
ing brighter and the s'Fire- King COM
ing nearer to their homes:
Scarce passed they the archway the threshold
When the flames from the four points of heaven were
abroad
They made each steel portal to rattle and ling,
And, borne on the blast came the dread Fire-King
Uumeasured in height undistnguished in form,
HIS breath 1t was lightning his voice it storm;
All, then, the stout heart of Old Boston was tame
AS 1t saw, in his terrors, the Monarch of Flame"
Few, we venture to say, were the clos
ed eyelids in Boston on that fearful and
memorable Saturday night; and, as the
wires carried the news to every part
of New England-and further-for the
next two nights, long seemed the restless
hours passed by many friend outside
of Boston, until they could hear by let
ter. In the small towns like Barton
If, indeed, the larger towns were better
served-the telegraph gave no particu-
lars, except that the best part of the
city was burned and fair prospect of
the rest following suit. Hence the great
er the anxiety until letter or news.
paper could be had to give full particu-
lars. Thanks to the long-winded loco
motive and Uncle Sans mail bag ar
rangements, the particulars came at last.
Although, as the wires said, sixty. and
four more acres of the best part of the
city were burned, the loss was over est.
mated by one hundred millions. AS in
Barton, so we presume it was in every
country town on the arrival of the mai
"a crowd gathered around the man with
daily paper, and some one was detailed
to read "the news"
Although large portion of the bes
business blocks in the city, and some o
the finest in the country, are DESTROYED
and the calamity is sad in the extreme
few, compared with the great fire in Chi
cage of little over year ago, are zen
dered homeless from the fact that Their
were but few dwelling houses in tn
burnt locality. The loss of life is ais
slight compared with that of Chicago
and considering the height of the build
ings, the narrowness of the streets an
the rapidity with which the fire spread
Boston merchants, although some al
ruined, as general thing. unlike man
Of those of Chicago, are old in bushes
and have been making money for years
were not working so much on borrowe
capital, and very many have enough
the glittering coin laid aside to con
mence anew as soon as time will allo
them to erect new buildings. The gre;
loss of wool and wooden goods as well
that OF boots, shoes and leather, hoy
ever must be felt to some extent q
over the country. Already, while tt
embers are still smoking, the rubbish
being cleared away, and the stone brea
ers' hammers are heard at work upt
new foundations, and while relief
pouring in from every quarter, the pro
poets are that Boston, like Chicago,
a few years from now, will be none Il
worse off for { having hadJ a thorous
warming up. Of the friendly han
which is being extended by neighbour
towns and cities, the Boston Globe saw
In the midst of the appalling disast
which has befallen Boston, there a
many sources of good cheer and encou
agement to lift up the hearts of our CT
zens. Not the least of these is the wid
spread and generous sympathy which
manifested toward us in all sections
the country. From Chicago in the We
and from Portland in the East, cal
early and hearty expressions of conc
lence in this great calamity, and fir,
handed offers of aid. These noble Sc
timents were stimulated by the RENE
brance of the prompt and efficient succ
extended to these two cities by Bost
when they were stricken down by 81
liar disaster. But these kindly ma
festations do not come from these cit
alone; they are emulated in the libe
proffers of cordial sympathy and ma
rial aid from many other cities a
towns. far and near; and on all sides