, 1873-06-08
BOSTON,.
The Last Great Fine--A Sorrowffall
Holday--Who's to Blame2
The May Anniversaries---La-
bor-Reformers in Council.
a New Project in industrial Art.

a New Project in industrial Art.
From, Our O.rn Correspondent. =.
Bosros, June 3, 1873
The question Of absorbing interest here, just
now, seems to be
HAVE We FIRE DEPARTMENT AMONG Us i
The terr;ble conlagration OF Friday 1ast-the
most destructive, if We except that Of Nov. 8,
which has occurred for a generntion-has had
the effect to awaken a very general feeling Of
alarm and uncertainty in regard to tho future.
After the "g1eat fire" Of last fall, the public
courage quickly rose from it's first depression.
People saw that the case had exceptional .fea-
lures. The horse-disease VAS the cause OF
much fatal delay, and the whole conjunction Of
circumstances was such as would not be likely
to occur twice. Everybody said, We have learned
. Lesson for the future this thing will not
happen again. But the thing has happened
again, and so soon on the heels Of the great
disaster rs to cauae much deeper sense Of in
security than before. The ciroumstan ,es are Of
T. nature to call for grave consideration. a fire
breaks out in the very
HEART OF TIE C1TY
at O'Clock in the morning,-e1 hour when the
Fire Department would be expected to be in
readiness, if erer ); yet fifteen or twenty minutes
ct least Of precious time are allowed to elapse
before an effective stream OF water Is playing
upon the flames. This, too, Nth fierce wind
blowing, and every bit Of woodwork in the city
IN the condition Of tinder from the effects Of tho
recent drought and heat. The real Wonder Is,
not that the conhagration proved 80 destructive,
but rather that it did not assume proportions
utterly beyond the control Of human power. It
is t1uo that the place where tho fire broke out,
surrounded as it Was by narroW courts and alleys,
was one of the most inaccessible in the city Civ
ing to the fiery foe the fearful advantage Of an
enemy in an entrenched camp. It is also true
that there widely conflicting statements as to
the time spent in getting to work, k,-nembers Of
the Fire Department declaring thst it
was not above aeven minutes after
the alarm sounded, while plenty il
persons on the spot at the first are ready to
max oath that it YRS nearly twenty-five minutes
otter The fire broke out. Official investigation il
yet to discover which side is the more correct.
At present, however, truth seems, Like Mahom-
OTIS coffin, to hang between. That there Was
strange delay, first in sounding an alarm, aud
afterward in getting stream on, seems clear,
and there is = strong feeling that somebody
y
Boston has been accustomed to
SPEAK RATHER BoAsTFuILT
OF the perfect organization, equipment and dis
ciplne of her Fire Department. She was
among the first to adopt the chief improvements
of mods1n times: the steamer, the telegraphic
alarm, etc. she has spent money freely and
there has, no doubt, been tima when her
whole Fire Department was q worthy model for
imitation: Unfortunately, ourpeople have fallen
into self -comp1acent way of thinking that these
fn41farn uAr ch Ma a nj
and have ce.sod to watch aa closely ns
much depends. That there is
cuIpab1e 1a1ness somewhere in its ndministra-
nected with Fridays fire. First, the nearest
ala1m-box Was so far away as to consume aeye-
raj minutes Of precious time in reaching it. For
this there would seem to be no excuse, eBpeciAi-
He'd With old wooden buildings. Then, Chief
Oarnreu complains that, at one time during the
fire, he had not water enough to put all his en-
Elnss st work. This, with Coehituate Lake full,
mismspaeement r. a. somewhere. Putting III fhese
things together, and adding thereto the fact that
the fire originated in large furntu1e~mAnutac-
tory. cra1nned With all sorts Of light wood, With
.tE1celsior" stuffing and infammable VarniRhes,
there is little wonder. that it spread with
appalling rnpidity. The Globe Theatre burned
SO quickly it seemed actually to melt away before
the very breath Of the fire. Only Eix minutes
aispsed after the fameB reached tho auditorium
before the roof fell in. The fire seemed espe-
(; cally lawless and eccentric in its progress. It
n paid no heed to the direction OF the wind, Not
even. az in No7ember, backing STEADILY against
:: the current but wh1rIing in all directions wild
tongues of flame and showers, OF. burning
brands carrying on the destruction. The scena
was wild and terrific enough even to one who,
like your correspondent, has had the misfortune
by fire. For little while On Friday morning, it
really looked as though the fate Of Chicago and
Portland was to be ours. The fact that it Was
4 HOLIDAY
introduced into the scene some inoongTu1ties
which we're amusing in spite Of the serlousness
of the scene. The streets we're thronged Tith
country people who had come to sec very diff
ferent show. In one piece might be seen
group Of country damsela, who, drawn by curl
osity too near the rope barrier, were suddenly
So despair 6y e pnsaRested snoies sRq 5o Gf
dsy5nS sy nfsy ~ ssS, Tns sGdisF Sa1
were doing guard-duty in their gala-dress.~ ~ a.,
with bouquets in their button-holea, but with
Emirohed and grimy faces, we're working like de-
mons to get the goods from their places Of busi
ness. Down On the Common, near the corner Of
Boylston street, saW 8 booth with
PUNCH AND JUDY.
performing with much spirit to an enthusiastic
audience Of Children, whose parents, just burned
ont. we're watching close by the few articles Of
their household furniture they had managed to
save.
The beautiful Globe Theatre,
THE "PARLoR HOME OF oomEDY,".
as Bostonians have been fond Of calling it, is 3
serious loss to lovers OF the drama. It is grati-
f5ing however, to learn that Mr. Cheney, it's
energetic lessee, though he loses something like
$780, is not despondent, bnt proposes at
once to erect 1arger and more Convenient
theatre on the same site. While the embers
we're yet smoking, he had An architect upon the
ground to make plans and estimates, and he an
nounced TO his friends that, on the goth Of 0c-
stage.
It is really to be hoped that this second Lesson
will be enough for us, that re shall not wait for
= third. People are at last beginning to see
@ M IN nany rsspects than ave We have t Sith
erto had. The city fo1bids the erection Of new
1,,i7 soFp pfa &rA17