The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-11-16

phaticaly, but said that some one had
blown up'a few buildings and thereby aid
ed the flames. While reviewing the ac-
tions of the Department. Chief Damrell
said that he had done his best, and he was
sure that his men had worked like heroes.
There were so engines i'll use during the fire,
and from 500 to 600 tiremen.
A especial" on the ground telegraphs
to the Tribune, on Monday last:
Between 10 and o'clock, Monday morn
ing, a fresh alarm was. sounded at the cor
ner Of Washington and Sumner streets,
where a terrible explosion of gas threaten
| cd for Il time to carry the disaster across
| Washington street, in the direction OF
| Music Hail. IIovers's dry goods establish
ment, and the two buildings of Jordan,
Marsh q Co., were menaced by tins occur
renee, but the firemen succeeded, aiter sew
eral hours hard work, i'll conilhlnS the
destruction to four or five stores, one Of
which was the great jewe!ry store of
| Shreve, Crump & Low. BY Sunday noon
| the fire was said to be under control. By
3 o'clock this morning 1t was entirely
| checked, and we were able TO consider the
losses.
| In the whole district | have described,
embracing 60 to so acres, not 4 building
/
universal. Here and there totttrinr wall
or A tall chimney rises above the mass of
cinders. blackened with the smoke. but
there is nothing that can be saved in the
process Of rebuilding, except bricks and
foundation stones. The granite especially.
which was the favorite material in this dis
trict, is reduced to dust and Fragments
1t will only be tit to grind up for garden
walks. When Chicago was burned the
fire caprlclously spared many edtices in the
very midst of the ruined district, but it is
not so here. AS far as | can learn every
thing mas gone as completely as if the
whole region had been converted into a
furnace
The buildings thus swept out of exist
ence IN day were the grandest of their
kind in the United States. In Chicago
there We're acres Of wretched wooden struc-
lures destroyed, whose removal was in one
sense 4 benefit to the city; but here the loss
has fallen upon the most substantial Dart
OF Boston. With the exception Of the re-
g!oa over toward the water, of which |
have already spoken, there were no DOOR
quarters in the blackened waste. The
great dry goods houses wool houses, and
leather houses were all here. For years
past the pride of Boston business men has
been the erection Of commercial palaces in
this district, and, except for the terrible
fault Of coustruction-the use of bad ma
terial and the prevailing disorder of Man
sard roofs-the result has been Inagniti
cent. There was Winthrop-sQuare, with
Beehe's splendid building and other struc.
lures of the same class. There was Frank
Inst. with its famous architecture. There
were numerous imposing blocks along
w rs l;nBtOn-St- of late yparS Lo Il
goods .iobbing houses have been gradually
moving toward Chelsea and many OF them
escaped this disaster. Bat
the heavy commission houses, which sell
entirely by the package. all remained, and
all have gone down. with perhaps one or
two exceptions. Pcarl-St. was the chief
leather mart of New England. and that,
too, is swept. The most of the wholesale
clothing establishments were here, and
those that have gone, employed no fewer
than 10000 girls. The great wool houses
were all in the burnt district, and held
enormous quantities Of wool, no less than
a million pounds, for trade had been dull.
The same thing may be said Of the dry
goods houses. which still held large GUAM
titles Of Unsold Winter goods, and had just
taken il an extensive Summer stock also
WOOL, dry goods, and leather are the sta
pies of Boston trade. How complete is the
destruction, you may imagine from the
statement made to me on good authority
that there remains not one wholesale wool
house. not one Wholesale establishment in
Shoes or leather, or hides. or hardware, or
paper; not one type foundry and only one
wholesale crockery warehouse. Printing
houses and periodicals have gone by the
score.