The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1872-11-13


ory aud iauoy goods This was at the
corner of Otis place.
The heat now became internal; the
streets ran rivers of water and every
moment was heard the sound of gran
ite blocks exploding and whole frames
FALLING IN the streets, making them i'm.
! passable. The firemen were driv m
/ from one station To another, and many
an engine was kept nobly at work
while the hy1rant was wet down by a
hand hose, and the engineer could on.
ly hold his place while a stream of
water kept playing upon him. Blocks
of granite weighing tons were split as
if by power and hurled across wide
streets, and planks went flying through
the air as if they were feathers. The
fremen erected barricades and worked
behind them, but they were burned al.
most as soon as erected.
THE WORK OF AN HOUR.
An hour had hardly elapsed before
it was evident that Beebe's block, the
finest structure in the city, built of
granite, FIVE stories i'll height, with the
cursed mansard roof over all, must 90.
Within thirty minutes the flames were
coming out in fire billows from every
window and up the stairway leading
to A. I. Stewards rooms was perfect
column of flames. This building serv.
ed but as fuel for the flames. Pieces
Of dry goods went whistliug across
the square, lodging on window-sills of
magnificent stores on Devonshire
street. Beebe's block stood a solid
wall Of granite several minutes after
the inside fell, but heat warped it, and
$4,000, 900 soon laid heap of stone,
brick and mortar. A hurricane now
ragged, and owing to the intense heat
and perfect sleet of Goals, drove every
thing before it. Every building was
now heated as if in furnace, and
caught like tinder. Four story granite
blocks seemed like shavings, and deaf
ening explosions were constantly
heard.
FIVE HUNDRED ACRES BURNED OVER
AT FOUR O'CLOCK SUNDAY MORNING.
At four o'clock this morning the
fire extended from Washington street
on the west to the wharves on the east,
and from Milk street OH the north to
the Hartford and Erie railroad bridge
on the south, the area of the burnt
district being roughly estimated az two
hundred acres. The estimate of =
well known real estate man is that the
loss on buildings will average twelve
dollars per foot for this area, and
therefore we have grand total loss
in buildings alone of upward of one
hundred million dollars. So fierce is
the march of the flames, and so ire
sistible, that the merchants Oh Oliver
street, when they first were made aware
of the danger, essayed to move their
| goods but could not on account of the
heat, ard therefore they burned where
! they we're.
At an early hour in the evening the
State printing Office was destroyed.
IMMENSE BEYOND DESCRIPTION.
4 A. M.-The fire has reached dimen.
sions that simply defy description, and
the people of Boston find themselves
in danger of their lives, the loss of
houses and other droperty being now
scarcely thought Of Every street in
the neighborhood of the fire is throng.
ed by people endeavoring to save
few valuables as they flee toward Ire
mont and Court streets, where the fire
IS supposed to be unable to reach. But
there 10 no telling where this awful
torrent Of heat and flames will stop,
as the wind has already risen to a gale,
and It seems to have no positive direc.
tion or current. AS the flames in
crease in intensity and power the very
atmosphere lends additional force to
the wind, which rises as it were in our
midst and goes rolling over the track
of the fire, hurling dense showers of
fiery sparks into the air only to send
them over that portion Of the city still
untouched. The rumbling noise of
the torrent Of flame is now and then
relieved by the detonaton of masses
Of gunpowder which have been placed
in untouched edifices in the apparent
track Of the fire, and the awful scene
is rendered more fearful and appalling
by the appearance of the fragments
Of these demolished houses as they fly
upward into the air
WHOLESALE PLUNDERING.
In the early hours of the morning
the plundering by thieves became gen.
eral, aud firms who had removed their
stock to places of supposed security
out of doors, were victims, of these
predatory rascals Arrests by the
( police became so numer,us that it was
: found impossible to accommodate all
the prisoners, and they were there
fore discharged from custody, after
making restitution Of the stolen prop
erty.
, LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED.
7. - IL I ----