Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-11
ORCESTEE.
MONDAY. NovEM II, 1879.
The Boston Fire.

and splendid buidings, which were the pride of
the B5stonians in Franklin, Devonshire, Federal,
Congress and other streets and places in that
neighborhood, occupied by importers and whole
sale dealers in dry aud fancy goods, manulac-
urers, agents for the chief textile and other
manufactures of New England, aud commission
merchants, the most costly structures devoted
to mercantile uses in the United States and filed
with valuable goods, besides hundreds of more
modest buildings devoted to other uses, have
been consumed. The chief business portion of
the city is now smouderinS mass of unsightly
ruins. TIE lire began in the large building at
the corner Of Summer and Kingston streets, and
burned over an area extending from Summer
to Mir street on Washington street, and easter
" to the Fort Hill district and the water. The
new post Office, yet unfinished, is badly damaged
butnot DESTROYED; the old post Office was barely
saved; the Old Soath church, one Of the few
relics Of old Boston, was at one time thought
10 BE- doomed, bat the lire spared it.
IN the area Of devastation, and the suffering
and loss OF life attending it, as well as in the
nuAber of persons directly afflicted by the loss
OF homes aud means Of living, this does not
approach the great litigation in Chicago last
year; but in the amount Of pecuniary loss by
the destruction of buildings and merchandise, it
Is not SO much inferior to that. Estimates made
on the spot, which are of course merely rough
gucsses, guided by more or less soundness of
judgment, set the amount of loss at one hun
drel and twenty five millions or more, which
does not fall much short OF the best estimates
Of losses by the Chicago fire 1t seems incredi-
bic thar such enormous values should be con-
centralcd in an area 50 SMALL not much more
than ity acres, but it mast be remembered that
OF the onc thousand or more stores
dcsFoyed, very many were the most sub
stanual and highly ornamented structures
devoted to commercial purposes in
this country ,uud altogether they made business
district which no otler city in America could
match, and that they were filled with costly
merchandise Of much more value, probably,
than the buildings which contained it. After
giving reasonable consideration to these facts,
however, the estimate still seems extrlvagant,
aud its relation to tht whole valuation of the
city confirms this impression. The destruction
OF property doubtless reaches or exceeds fifty
millions, and is less than one hundred millions.
This is ly far the most destructive fire ever
known in New England, and in amount of prop
erty destroyed it exceeds the great fire in New
York nearly forty years ago.
Among the buildings burned or demolished
ale included two newspaper offices, those of the
Transcript and Post, six banks, ione church,
Trinity, and railroad station, that of the Bos- |
Eap |
are homeless and destitute. Their situation |
during Saturday night aud yesterday, as they |
were gathered in the open spaces near Fort
Hill, bcwIldered and deSolate with the flames
aud smoke Of the great confagration in their
faces, stunned with the roar of the fire, the ex-
plosoEs of blown up buildings and
tie shock Of falling walls, was pitiable
indeed. Everybody was too much occupied with
the destruction still going on, and in planning |
and executing measures to check it to give |
thought TO these lorlom and helpless people, |
and they were obliged TO remain all day with
ont food. Fortunately, however, the weather,
though cool, was not otherwise uufavorable,
and by this time means have probably been Or
ganzed for their relief. An extension of the
fire a short distance further to the south would
have destroyed many densely peopled tenement
houses and deprived thousands of shelter.
The direct losses fall mostly upon men who
will not be Impoverished by them, though indi-
rectly they viii be severely felt by many hun
dreds who own no property which the fire has
touched. How many insurance companies win
be able TO sustain the burdens thrust upon them
it is impossible to conjecture, but it is safe to
say that some which barely outliyed the shock
of the Chicago fire are now ruined beyond re-
coyery, and it would be rash 10 affirm this morn
iug Of any New England company, which in
sures property situated like that in the burnt |
district OF Boston, that it is solvent.
The rapid spread of the fire at first is attrib- |
uted TO the delay in getting fire engines at work
until ii had gained fearful Roadway. The tremen
wished to spare their horses as much as posi-
Bile, it is said, and if their lack of promptness
arose from this cause, they erred through a well
meant bat lamentably i'll directed and ill timed
sentiment. But arterward they worked with
admirable industry, faithlulness and courage
What human skill and daring could do with
the resources at hand, was done. Firemen
from all the neighboring cities and towns
were there with their apparatus, and helped |
notably in bringing the fire at last under con-
irol. Even from New York steam fire engines
were seut with such promptness that they ar
nycd in Boston carly on Sunday morning.
Probably at no other fire anywhere were there
ever concentrated so many 1.-THE best appliances
for eXiugushing it, and yet for a long time it
dcfed lhCm altogether, aud drove the firemen
steadily before it. Nearly or quite niue-tenths
Of all the buildings in the burnt district
were several stories in hight. built of solid
materials below, but sIrmounted with a
lofty structure Of timber and boarding, in that
vicious style so popular OF late years under the |
name OF "Freneh" or "Mansard" roof. If it
had been the design of the builders to provide |
for the rapid spread aud difficult eXtinguish-
ment OF htes they could hardly have accom- |
pishcd their purpose better. These abomina. |
tons have proved terribly costly to Boston and |
Chicago, andihey ought not to ongerbe tolerat-
ted anywhere,
his impossible to tell as yet what effect this |
calamity will have upon The commercial and |
financial interests oil Boston and New England, |
That it will be seriously and widely felt is GER
tam Hundreds WHO were rich on Saturday |
are IN Strengthened circumstances now, and the |
arrangements OF all business by the failure of |
merch7nls the destruction Of goods, the ruin Of |
Insurance companies, and the forced conversion |
OF securities, cannot now be estimated.
Is the City saGes