Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-11-13
From the Boston Advertiser.
The Great Boston Fire.

From the Boston Advertiser.
The Great Boston Fire.
The awful conflgration OF Saturday
night has but single parallel in American
history Never until 1871 had fire asserted
its mastery over an entire city. That a fire
could break out 10 a granite block, in the
early evening, and sweep a whole district
before it, shriVelling great blocks OF stone a
if they were baby houses, flying from street
to street like lightning and stopping only
when there was nothing lett to burn-nlne
would have believed The fire has done it
in single night and whitened heaps OF
stone, bricks and mortar are all that Is LETT
of the magnificent wholesale blocks on sum
mer street, the dry goods commission houses
on Franklin, Summer and DeV0nshIre
streets. leaving but three stan ling IN tls
whole city. the wholesale wool houses and
the paper dealers on Federal street the
great leather warehouses on Pearl street, the
clothing establishments on Arch and Devon
shire streets and Otis place, the stations OF
the Hartford AMI Erie Railroad and hundreds
OF smaller sto res.
The ORIGIN OF THE FIRs.
The first alarm was given at a quarter
past seven O'Clock The FIRE caught first in
the enginc-ro0m and ran up the elevator
with terrible rapidty, 80 that the fl tmes
were first discovered bursting from the WIN
iows in the Mansard roof . the large four
story new granite building at the corner OF
Kingston and summer streets. The fire ran
from window 10 window with trightiul IA
pidity. In ten minutes flames were bursting
from every opening IN the roof, and in ten
minutes more waves Of flames were rolling
out from every window IN the Jhird story
with terrible force. Yet there was not .
spark in the air as vet nor q suspicion of
breeze Nevertheless It was evident even
then that there was no hope of saving build
ings. because the fire was NJ above the
reach of the fremen. No stream OF any
magnitude can be carried above the fifth
story by an ordinary engine. except under
the most favorable circumstances. Every
hydrant in the vicinity had been callei into
active service, and the pressure correspond
inElv diminished. Then, too. the rlrihei
air made breeze which wariei off the best
streams So the fire ran brIskly round the
cornlces, and playfully skipped from one
window to another entirely undisturbed
The heat from the building 10 which the fire
caught was now terrible, and engineers
could only stand At the engines for q minute
or two at time. and not even that unless
wet down thoroughly by hand hose Mean
while another fireman prone IN the gutter
was plying the hani hose on thc hyica1t
pipes to keep the flames from attacking
them.
THE NEXT sTEP or TIE FLAMES
About eight O'Clock, soon after the first
store was completely envelOped IN imes til e
heated window castings Of 1.-THE opposite store
on Summer street, of precisely similar con-
strucJion, gave way, and the little flames
he.ar running along from one window sill
to another. Ii went round the corner almost
ike a flush IL soon gained Roadway aud
granite structure owned By NJ Beeb p, md
the finest block OF stores IN the city. Here
Hauxhton, Perkins Wood & Co, had
$50, 900 worth OF goods, and Anderson.
Heath Co.'S magnificent stock of dress
goods, worth a million AMI a half, ght
been bought f0s old rs-s rne FIRE ran
round the caves, descending to tne nexs
story, and within fifteen minutes was com
IN down the broad stairway ! ke stream OF
molten lava Already the hea, from the
immense pile was such that the fremen
were erecting barricades from behind which
they did what little they could to diminlsu
the flames, but they were som driven cut OF
their forts 4 burning board was carried
across Devonshirc street, bisjns ia tls
window opposite Anderson. Heath < Co 5,
and the block was soon m flames. Mean
while on Summer street the fire was slowly.
but with terrible certainty. moving down
the street, which ran rivers of water, q nd a
rain Of water was dashed back from the
buildings with a violence excelling that Of
any ram storm. Now the Goals began to ly,
aud drove every one but the tiremen from
u streets.
THE WOOL HOUSES CAUGHT.
Extending along Devonshire atreet the
clothing house OF hneeland, Harding aud
Rico ardson afforded splendid avenue, and
the fire swept through the long passage way,
coming out at the rear end which fronts on
Federal street, and commun icating with the
v DOL houses alongside. Here it fairly rev
elled in destruction, and raised a breeze
which swept cloud Of dust, dirt aud Goals
up the street in which no thurman being
could live. The only thing was to fee Tor
ones lie, and that was done quickly.
From eleven o'clock until midnight the
FIRE made terrible Roadway. The efforts OF
the 6remen seemed TO be blffled aud fruit.e
On every hand the flames were sweeping
away the most superb warehouses aud toe
staunchest business blocks in the city Arch
street, Otis street, and Summer street from
Hawley street to Church Green were one
great mass of fame. The fire did not move
SO fast down Kingston street. A huge force
of steamers was put to work in Avon place,
Bedford street and the streets further east,
and thus opposed great check was applied
to the southerly course of the cOnfiagra1ion,
although it WIS hours afterwards before
the iremen felt sure that they had won a
foothold against the flames The huge mass
of flame which rose from the acres of roofing
now ablaze illuminated the heavens until
every tower and steeple glowed with lurid
ana unelrthly beauty. A vast cloud of
cinders that rose from the great caldron of
fire was carried out upon the waters of the
bay, covering all the intermediate property
between Otis street and the Hartford and
Erie wharves- The great pillars of fame
which doomed far above the burning build
ings admOnished the inhabitants of that
large and thickly settled section known as
South Cove, that their household goods
were in danger. and general movement of
furniture and all portable property into the
streets and southwark began.
Gathering vehemence as they progressed
the flames now began to run down Hieb
tree t, having enveloped the splendid bloek
of granite stores on the site OF Daniel Web
ster's late residence. At the same time the
Hartford and Erie railroad buildings capob,
fire from the sparks which descended unon
them, and being of wood they were speediIv
afame, Then all the buildings on Fede-ei
street from High street to Broad were bnrn-
ing, and as the great torrent of fame swent
Gus from the doomed territory, and Cast