Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-11-18
AN AWFUL CALAMITY.

er until 1871 had fire ascertained its
mastery over an entire city. overcome all
resistance, and carried everything before
it. That Boston should have been the
scene of second exhibition of its Won
derful destroying power, that fire could
break out in this city in a granite block,
in the early evening, and sweep whole
district before it. shriveling great blocks
of stone as if they were baby houses;
flying from street to street like light
ming and stopping only when there was
nothing left to burn-none would have
believed. The fire has done it in sim
gle night and whitened heaps of stone,
bricks and mortar are all that is left OF
the magnificent wholesale blocks on
Summer street, the dry goods commits
sion houses on Franklin, Summer, and
Devonshire streets, leaving but three |
standing in the whole city, the whole
sale wool houses and the paper deal
ers on Federal street, the great leather
warehouses on Pearl street, the clothing
establishments of Arch and Devonshire
streets and Otis place, the stations of the
Hartford and Erie Railroad and hun
dreds of smaller stores.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
The first alarm was given at a quarter
past seven o'clock and second third and
fourth followed as fast as possible. The
fire caught first in the engine-room and
ran up the elevator with terrible rapidity,
so that the flames we're first discovered
bursting from the windows in the man.
sard roof of the large four-story new gran
ite building at the corner of Kingston
and Summer streets. 1t was numbered
81, 80 and 81 Summer street, and ex-
tended back on Kingston street about
one hundred feet. The fire ran from
window to window with frightful rapid
ity. In ten minutes flames were burst
ing from every opening in the roof, and
in ten minutes more volumes and waves OF
flame were rolling out from every win
dow on the third story with such terri
bic force that the fate of the building
was decided. Yet there was not spark
in the air as yet nor suspicion of a
} breeze, not even the smallest bit of fame
had appeared on any other building.
Nevertheless it was evident even then
that there was no hope of saving any
, buildings because the fire was up above
IS the reach of the fremen. No stream of
any magnitude can be carried above the
fifth story by an ordinary engine, ex-
!, cept under the most favorable circum-
stances Every hydrant in the vicinity
: had been called into active service, and
the pressure correspondingly diminished.
a Then too the hot flame and the rarifed
= air made a breeze which warded off the
best directed streams So it was that
the fire ran briskly round the cornices
"a a and playfully skipped from one window
It to another entirely undisturbed and re-
gardless of the streams that all but
Il reached them. The heat from the build
ing in which the fire caught was now
= terrible and engineers could only stanc
at the engines for a minute or two at {
time, and not even that unless wet dowr
! thoroughly by hand hose. Meanwhile
another fireman prone in the gutter was
plying the hand hose on the hydran
pipe to keep the flames from attackin!
them.
IS. THE NEXT STEP OF THE FLAMES.
$, s. About eight o'clock, soon after tn
., first store was completely enveloped il
s. flames, the heated window castings of tn
opposite store on Summer street, Nos
sc, 69, 70, and 72 of precisely simila
construction, gave way, and the flame
J.. ran along from one window-sill t
sw another. 1t went round the corner al
most like FASH but was stayed lii
tie when it reached the corner of tn
G building on Otis street. Even then be
Il" fore it had descended to the fourth stor
it was so hot that one could not pass alon
the street with impunity. 1t soon gain
TO ed headway and reached Winthrop block
the magnificent granite structure owne
by J. NJ. Beebe, and the finest block {
: stores in the city. Here Haughtol
Perkins, Wood & Co.. had S8OO,OO
worth of goods, and Anderson, Heath
Co. magnificent stock of dress good
worth million and half, might hay
been bought for old rags. The fire ra
round the caves, descended to the ne1
story, and within fifteen minutes W;
al coming down the broad stairway like
stream of molten lava Already Il
heat from the immense pile was sue
vno that the fremen were erecting barricad
one from behind which they did what lit
they could to diminish the flames, b.
they were soon driven out of their fort
A burning board was carried aero
Devonshire street, lodging in the wi
dow opposite Anderson, Heath & Co..
and the block was soon in flames. Mea
while on Summer street the fire was slo
4 ly but with terrible certainty movi
- down the street, which ran rivers of W
ter and rain of water was dashed ba
D! from the buildings with violence e
ceiling that of any rain storm. Now
es sard Goals began to fly, and drove every 0
cad cad but the firemen from the streets.
sug- THE WOOL HOUSES CAUGHT.
- Extending along Devonshire str,
Sss Iage' the clothing house of Kneeland, Hal
s. ing & Richardson afforded a splendid
= enue, and the fire swept through the 10
passage-ways, coming out at the rear e
which fronts on Federal street, and co
municating with the wool houses alol
side. Here it fairly reveled in destrr
tion, and raised breeze which swep
nv cloud of dirt, dust, and Goals up
NJ, street, in which no human being COZ
The live. There was no time lost here
only thing was to flee for ones life. a
that was done quickly.
re Of From eleven o'clock until midni
Ely. the fire made terrible headway. The
If forts of the fremcn seemed to be baf