Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1872-11-14
THE LANDMARKS OF THE HUB
STILL INTACT.
A Number of Persons Bad
ly Injured.
Damage Estimated from Ninety
.. to One Hundred Millions
Of Dollars. 3D.
Help from Adjoining
.--... Cities. r....i
BosToN, Nov. 9-Midnight

New England is now raging among
the, large wholesale stores in the
very heart Of the business portion
Of The city, and it will not cease un-
til it reaches the wharves.
OF THE CONFLAGRA-
..s.r .,.. ... TIoN. ~. 4..s.. ...s
There was hardly a breath of wind
stirring when the alarm was sound
ed, about half-past seven O'Clock,
followed by second, third and
fourth in rapid succession. But the
first engine was hardly on the spot
when the fire broke out from the
fourth story of a large granite store
on the corner of Summer and King
ston streets, occupied in the first
story by Tebbets, Baldwin & Davis,
wholesale dry goods dealers. 1t had
caught in the engine room, and the
flames spread with lightning rapidi-
ty up the large elevator and were
first seen climbing underneath the
wood work of the roof. The en-
gines were fairly at work before any
other store had caught. The build
ings in the vicinity were of granite,
four stories high, and each sur
with Mansard roof, none
of them being over five years old.
Detached splinters flew readily as
the air was heated by the terrible
heat, and soon the flames began lick
ing the Mansard roof on the oppo-
site side, far above the reach of the
streams directed upon it from all
quarters. The fire was constantly
in the air, and one building after
another caught on the roof and the
flames skipped lightly along from
one window to another, so that
IN LESS THAN THIRTY MINUTES
every cheek was blanched, as it be-
came evident that the whole city in
one direction. was at the mercy OF
the flames, which were leaping gaily
from roof to roof and from one
building to another. The second
building to succumb was directly op-
posite to that in which the fire first
broke out, and was occupied by
Mullen & Elms, Harding
Bros. IL Co., Bowen, Moore Il Co,
George Lide, Carter d Co., and Co
nant Bros, all wholesale dealers in
dry and fancy goods. This was at
the corner OF Otis place.
THE HEAT NOW BECAME INFERNAL.
The streets ran rivers Of water and
every moment was heard the sound
Of granite blocks exploding and
whole frames falling in the streets,
them impossible. The fire.
men were driven from one station
to another, and many an engine was
kept nobly at work, while the hy-
drant was wetd Iwn by a hand hose,
and the engineer could only keep
his place while stream of water
was kept playing upon him. Blocks of
granite weighing tons were split as
if by powder and hurled across
wide streets, and planks went flying
through the air as if they were
feathers. The firemen erected bar
ricades and worked behind them,
but they were burned almost as soon
as erected. .,............
THE WORK OF AN HOUR.
An hour had hardly elapsed be
lore it was evident that Beebe's
block, the finest business structure
in the city, built Of granite, five
stories in height, with the cursed
Mansard roof over all, must go.
Within thirty minutes the flames
we're coming out in fiery billows from
every window and up the stair way
eading to A. T. Stewards rooms
was a perfect column of flames.
This building served but, as fuel for
;he flames. Pieces of dry goods
vent whistling across the square,
odging on windowsills Of magni-
icent stores on Devonshire street.
Beebe's block stood solid wall of
granite several minutes after the in
,ide fell, but heat warped it and $2,-
)00, 600 soon lay heap of stone,
,rick and mortar. A hurricanenow
aged, and owing to the intense
leat and perfect sleet of Goals,
lrove everything before it. Every
building was now heated as if in a
urnace, and caught like finder.
Four story granite blocks seemed
ike shavings, and deafening ex-
,losions were constantly heard. A
lew terror was now added to the
abel of confusion. The tenement
louses at the upper end of Federal
treet were fast being licked up by
he flames, and women crazed and
ainting, were rushing to and fro,
arrying children, crockery, clocks,
nd bedding in their hands. One
an screaming through High street
nth stove funnel in her hands,
,hile another was Juggling heavy
hest which would have been a !
'eight for strong man. Now and
hen few pieces of goods might be
aped by volunteers, who ran in and
pent five minutes. during which
iey could work, in bringing out,
erhaps, a hundred pieces of cloth.
me man, Marshal Cotter, got out
1000 worth of kid gloves and had
lem placed on the sidewalk in a
condition. He offered a
ackman $500 in vain, to take the
oods to place of safety. In less
ian an hour he had to flee for his
fe, and the flames were not again
leated of their prey. The fire was
DIV in Federal street, and the wool
buses were going like oil factories.
hey could never have been attack
at a more dangerous time; cram
ed from cellar to garret, hundreds
thousands of dollars worth were
i hand that might have been de
,ered to customers had it not {
'en for the horse disease. In one
ore alone there were 800, 900 s
,rth of wool stored, which was |
rafting delivery. Minor, Beal u e
ackett had their store packed full, t
wing only put in the last Of their C
nter's stock three hours hafnra 1