The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-11-14
in FLAMES
The Fire King Pays a Visit to
the Metropolis Of New
England.
Terrible Scenes and Incl
dents Of the Mighty
COndspFatiOus
A SECOND CHICAGO.

of the rear end Of the large five STORY
granite building Nos. 81, SO and 81.
Summer street, directly on the cor
ner of Kingston street. This build
ing was surmounted with a high
Mansard roof, overlapping all the
oti er buildings in that immediate
vicinity.
Directly as the flames began to
spread through the story beneath
the roof, and before an engine or
hose carriage was on the ground,
great volumes of flames suddenly
burst out from the rear of the lower
stories of the building; and in less
than twenty minutes thewhole broad
face, extending fully one hundred
feet along Kingston street, was one
sheet of fame, as was also at the
same time the Summer street front,
the heat being so intense as to force
the fremen away from the immediate
vicinity. BY this time a strong
wind had sprung up.
The flames began to sweep over
Summer and Kingston streets, and
despite all the exertions of the fire
men in every branch of the depart
ment the fire was communicated to
the building on the opposite corner
of Kingston and Summer streets, as
well as to the great block on the
corner of Summer and Ohio streets,
and in less than half an hour there
after the flames were bursting out of
the roofs and all up and down the
broad side of these immense struc-
lures. BY this time the wind had
increased to nearly a gale, and the
! flames, having entire mastery OF
everything, swept from story to
story, from roof to roof, from block
to block, and from corner to corner,
driving the fremen from every want
age ground they could secure, and
rendering all their exe-t ions useless
and futile. Wherever the flames
reached they rapidly consumed eve
rything of a combustible character.
1t had caught in the engine room,
and the flames spread with lightning
rapidity 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 all OF
granite, foGr-stories high, and each
surmounted with Mansard roof, none
of them being over five years Old
Detached splinters few rapidly, as
the air was heated by the terrible
heat; and soon the flames began
licking the Mansard roof on the Op-
posite side, far above the reach OF
the stream directed upon it from al
quarters.
The FIRE was constantly in the air
and one building after another
caught on the roof, and the flames
slipped lightly along from one win
dow sill to another, so that in less
than thirty minutes every cheek
was blanched as it became evident
that the whole city in one direction
was at the mercy of the flames, which
were leaping gaily from roof TO roo
and from one building to another.
Tbs heat now became Internal
The streets ran rivers Of water, anG
every moment was heard the SOUND
of granite blocks exploding and
whole fronts falling in the streets,
making them impossible.
The firemen were driven from one
station to another, and many an en-.
CINE was left nobly at work, while
the hydrant was wet down by hand
hose, and the engineer could onlt
hold his place while stream OF wa
ter was kept playing upon him.
Blocks of granite weigh ing tons
were split as if by powder and hurl
ed across wide streets, and plank;
went flying through the air as i
they we're feathers. The firemeI
erected barrieades and worked be
hind them, but they were burned al
most as soon as erected.
Pieces of dry goods went whist
ling across the square, lodging OF
the window-sills of the magnificent
stores on Deyonshire street. Bee
bees block stood a solid wall o
4 granite, several minutes after the
inside fell, but the heat warped it
and two millions of dollars soon lay
heap of stone, brick, and mortar
A hurricane now ragged, and, ow
ing to the intense heat and the per
feet sheet of Goals, drove everything
before it. Every building was nov
heated as if in furnace, and caugh
like tihder. Four story grants
blocks seemed like shavings, anC
deafoning explosions were constant
| " heard.
A new terror was now added Il
the babel Of confusion. The tene
ment house at the upper end Of Fed
eral street was fast being licked al
by the flames, and women, crazeS
and flinting, were rushing to an,
fro, carrying children, crockey
clocks and bedding IN their hands
Now aud then a few pieces o
goods might be saved by volunteer
who ran in and spent the few min
utes during which they could worl
in bringing out perhaps a hundre,
pieces of cloth.
The fire was now in Federal street