The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-11-19

rlgut pe1Orc the eyes OF tnc crown, anu
no effort was made to stop them. This
morning | stood in Westinghouse, at the
outskirts Of tho burnt district and could
look plainly out upon the harbor, some-
thing that has not been done in years.
As VIC left the city the smoke overhead
could be seen plainly until we were miles
away.
HOW DID TUE FIRE DEGiN1
Boston, Nor. ll.-lIow the great fire
began will perhaps always remain a
mystery. The first alarm was given
about o'clock on Saturday evening, when
the flames were discovered bursting from
the fourth floor of a large five.story granite
building on the corner of Kingston and
Summer-sts. The building was occupied
by Tablets, Baldwin & Davis. dry goods
jobbers; A. X. Young & Co., manu-.
facturcrs of stays and corsets; and Damon,
Temple & Co., dealers in fancy goods. 1t
stood in part Of the city which is as
desolate after dark as Board.st. is in
New ork. The heavy dealers in domestic
and foreign dry goods had their head.
quarters near here. A. T. Stewards
great branch concern was within stones
throw. Jordan, Marsh & Co. have their
wholesale and retail houses close by.
James M. Beebe & Co. gave their name
to magnificent block in which they have
carried on magnificent establishment.
Nearly everybody in this district, where
there are no dwelling-houses and few
retail shops, mad gone away for the night,
and the fire might have been burning
long before it was discovered. 1t is sup.
posed to have caught in the engine.room
aud crept up the hoist way. This is a
very probable theory; for in few
moments from the time it was first seen it
was bursting from every floor in the build
ing. The edlice was crowned by that
curse of all our cities, Mansard roof.
Instantly the finder box ornament was in
a blaze, and the fame was eaping across
the narrow streets to meet similarly in
fammable roofs on the other side, while
showers of cinders and burning fragments
borne aloft by the blast created in the
hatchway, fell upon the lower buildings
on either hand.
GOOD ORDER.
Every one speaks in the most enthus.
iastic manner of the excellent order which
was preserved and tho perfect manner in
which the fire was managed.
The streets were patrollcd, through the
night, by two hundred and fifty mounted
soldiers, and no one, not having official
authority from the commandant, was per-
mitted to pass tho lines Of infantry, and
one man who attempted to enter store
on Winter street, and who refused to
+ leave the depot after being repeatedly
, ordered, started to run when he was about
to be arrested, aud was shot by one of the
, guards and quite severely wounded.
Tho city authorities granted to the dry
goods merchants the privilege of using
, the Common as repository for such Of
their property as is saved, and to erect
shantics and other structures from ten.
; porary use. Each night the historic
ground presented the curious picture Of
: immense quantities of property piled W
, on the grass under the shade of the old
? trees, with guard of twenty mounted
men as 4 precaution against the thievinl
, depredations Of the ruffians who struggled
through the streets that nre without the
? military pale in drunken, Keeling groups
. Three men of this character were discov
/ cred in an attempt to break into room
( in the Parker House, but when discover
Q ed made their escape.
A rumor was abroad in the city las
g week that drunken wretch late in tn,
evening attempted to set fire to the ga
house. near the Charlestown bridge, anC
t he was seized. An infatuated Grove
r collected upon his capture, and he wa
/; upceremouiously hung to lamp pos
near at hand.
8 HORRIBLE AFFAIR.
a terrible scene took place at the fur
nishing store of Hickman, on Washington
street, where the walls had been wrapt il
!, a fiery embrace by the flames and hat
, become weak and tottering through tn,
+. intense heat. At length they fell, ant
. three men were buried up to the shoulder
in the heavy fragments OF brick and stone
e The terrible physical agonies of their erie
of anguish which they suffered filled tn,
frightened crowd with horror, but at frs
. no one advanced to their succor. Ate
! few moments two or three men crosse
E the street to where portion of the wal
q was still overhanging the spot where th'
!. poor victims were begging aud shrieklnl
, for help, aud tried with the utmost exer
4 ton of main strength to pull and wrercl
. them out of the horrible vice, but thes'
4 efforts only made greater their sutferi9gs
- and the bricks and debris were still fill
q ing at every moment. The men relinqu4h
a a ed the perilous and truitcss task and Re
. treated from the dangerous spot, ap'
!, shortly afterwards, in frightful paroxysh
y q and with cries that will ring in the cd
y Of many of the spectators to their dyilI
!. day, the crushed masses of humanity gav
! up the breath Of life aud we're momsd
. afterwards buried by another crashin
!. fall OF the walls.