The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-11-30
BOST0N'S CALAMITY,
Large Portion of the Business
Centre Destroyed.
An Area of Seventy Acres
Burned Over.
The Loss fem $50, 600, 900 to
g1Oo,ooo,occ.
Detailed Account Of the Origin and EX.
tent OF the C0niia.rati0n.

Boston, November 10.-At $50 o'clock
last evening. a fire broke ont in the rear
end of five story granite building,
Nos. 81, 50 and 81 Summer street, di-
rectly on the corner of Kingston street
This building was slirIiiounted with a
high Niansard roof, overlapping all
other buildings In that immediate vi
cinity. Directly as the flames began to
spread through the story beneath this
roof, and before an engine or hose car
riage was on the ground, great volumes
of flame suddenly burst out from the
rear OF the lower stories Of the build
ing, and in less than twenty minutes
the whole broad facade extending fully
one hundred feet along Livingstone
street, WAS one sheet of flame, as was
also ut the same time the Summer street
front, the heat being So intense as to
force the firemen away from that i'm
mediate vicinity.
BY this time a strong wind had sprung
up, the flames began to sweep over Sum
mer and Kingston streets, and, despite
all the eXertlOns OF the tiremen in every
branch of the department., the fire was
communicated to buildings on the OPP
poslte corner of Kingston and Summer
streets, as we'll as to the great block on
the corner of Summer and Otis streets,
and III less than half an hour the flames
were bursting ont Of the roofs and all
up and down the broad sides OF the
immense structures By this time the
wind had increased to nearly a gale,
and the flames having entire mastery
| .Nf r.,,tI In l.
story, from roof to roof, from block to
block, and from corner to corner, driv-
ing the firemen from every vantage
ground they could secure, anu render
ing all their exertions useless
Wherever the flames reached they
rapidly consumed everything of a
combustible character. The large block
on the corner of Sumner and Kingston
streets, IN which the fire first started,
was occupied on the first and upper
floor by Tibbitts, Baldwin and Davis,
dry goods jobbers. A. X. Young and
Co, occupied the third and fourth
stones as mandatory for stays and
corsets, employing about 200 men.
The second floor was occupied by Dam
on, Temple and Co, furnishing goods,
etc
Notwithstanding this great building
was III almost anincredibly short space
of time completely lcveIcd to the
ground, its destruction had not pro
crossed far before thesfames and sparks
which rose from 1t had lodged upon al
the buildings around about. Thus The
fire spread almost instantly in three
directions, first TO the adjoining block
~ SI1t o4r 10, H., -.
, of the block, and then to Kinesto,
street. In the first named direction
| the adjoining building was occupied by
! Leland and Whaelock, gents furnish
, ing goods, and Sawyer, Mansfield and
+ Co, importers Of dry goods. The next
are Eager, Bartlett and Co, wooler
goods O. b. North and Son, hats caps
and furs next Farley. Amsden and Co,
dry goods iobbers; and Rhodes and
Ripley, wholesale clothing. The latter
7 firm owned the building.
The structure at the opposite point
, OF starting WAS of granite, four stories
y and a half high, occupied largely by
! Mayilln. Mullen and Fins, dealers il
trimmings, who used the entire lower
floor, Harding Bros and Co, and
Garter and Co, occupied the upper
floor From this building across The
square diagonally was stone block
d occupied by Smith, Rice and Corton,
5 and Geo. NJ. Glazier, dealer in corsets
! and knit goods. On the corner of Otis
b and Summer streets stood the Everett
: block, an imposing granite structure
l owned the Everett estate It includ.
ed Nos. 81, "a, 56, So, so, 81 and 60
I Summer street, and was occupied by D.
Lyons and Co, Neil Brothers and Drew
: tus, Phillips and Shuman, c.. G.. King
: and Co, and Mari Brothers, dealers in
clothing, furnishing goods, fancy goods,
> trimmings, &c. The upper floors were
used mostly as offices, and occupied by
: various parties.
Now the fire began to creep steadily
up both SIDES OF Summer street, crawl
ing along from roof to roof opposite
Everett Block. The buildings as they
were engulfed i'll rapid succession, were
as follows Bricks 100 feet front oc.
: cupied by A. Folsom and Sons, floor
u cloth, oil and oil cloths, and Geo. HI
+. Butler, hair goods, and Eugene Chaplin.
Il commission merchant. The granite
block, Morse, Hammond and Co..
: hosiery and gloves, Stiles, Belts and
5 Somors, wholesale clothing; S. Klous
and Co, hats, caps and furs; Strucke,
Bros. and Co, hat and cap manufac
turers, Gyman and Arklay, imported
goods and linens, Ewing, Wise and
: Fuller, linens and white goods, Roth
well, Suther, Potter and Co., clothing
Mitchell, Green and Stevens, clothing.
At this time, about 10 O'Clock, flames
burst from the top OF tie buildings or
= Arch street, dozen doors removed
from Summer street Almost before
the existence OF flames in this quarter
. was known, they had spread down
through the building and were burst.
! ing in perfect torrent from all the
= windows in front of the fancy goods
store OF Hawley, Folsom & Martin. The
. fire spread to each side, enveloping the
stores of Thos. Kelley e Co. D. Nj.
Hogden, clothing, Marsh Bros, Pierce
: ~ Co, Merser, Boal & Hack. ell OF
which were quickly blazing. At &c
o'clock the whole roof of the Everett
block was a sheet of flame, sending
high into the air a column of fire,
smoke and lurid sparks This gained
perfect control of the Everett Block.
The fire stretched its arms across mar
row Arch street, and moved rapidly up
! towards Washington street.
About eleven o'clock the scene IN
Lincoln, Essex, South Federal, and
other streets In that immediate neigh
borhood, was enc of the saddest of the
night. Hundreds Of men, women and