, 1873-03-04
THE BOSTON FIRE CALAMITY.

ANC10Cnt6 nnu scenes 03 tNCrr0f D1arlnY
tho ConfInErntton.
Rosson feb 49, Corrtspondenraaf the Nto PORT Uord
Naroly on my proViouB ocoaslOn Of tito Kind
Which yoaerday resulted il, so dreadful loss Of
lifo at tho burning Of tho samonot Building, at
162 Hanover street, In this city. Tho moro
details OF tho origin Of tho fro md tho progrcss
OF tho flames are OF small momont, oxcort in 80
tar nH thny nre connected With tho HccneH Of snf-
foring and doatll which wero brought about by
their ngenoy. When 1t was known to tho hum
droth WHO had gathorod to look on ut tho fro
TINT thoro wore nt loast alxtoon girls employed
Whon ocular evidence Of this fact wna givon to
tho observers by tho sight OF tho terrified girln
rushing to and fro npon tho roof Of tho burning
building, as II preparing IN their panto to throw
supposed that tho aono Of tho horrible had boon
roachod But this scono, thrilling as it was, was
only the beginning OF norieH Of still moro pain
full Incidents, gradually Increasing IN intensity
until the olimex Y w9s reached n tho falling Of the
devoted and daring tiron1otl.
While nearly all the inmates Of tho building, In
oluding tho girlR on tho roof, had managed to es~
ccapo, either by the stairway leading to tho en-
Of tho neighboring houses, thoro wore at loast
three Of tho unfortunate women whose fate aur-
tic yonng girl, Mary Mooro, Who s IN 1 n,oment Mf
VI leaIUEy ulRcu OIL Dg tuC uul&lea UeQln0 nGrs
lcapod from q third-story window, through tho
volumes Of black smoke TINT envolopcd hor, and
foil n mauglod mass, first upon tho iron work Of
tho awning mud thenco to tho stroot below. For
tnato Wng it for tho too oagor multitude TINT
tho police, forming \ GORDON noar tho building,
kept back tho .pressing throug who sought to
crowd cloao mp to tho fironlon. But for this pro-
cantion on tic part Of tho police, tho list Of
enauoa would hnvo swollod probably to hundreds.
Bad as It was, tho result might lavo boon i'm
moaAurably worse. -
Whom the moment was reached That Witnessed
the falling Of tho roof and tllo wall tho scono
WAS agon{zing to those who wero thore to mark
tho dreadful effoct. It was not enough tint two
womon-hIiBs Mary Babb and Miss L{zzo IIanlsH
should hare poriBhod with tho fall Of tho form
Or, Thoy had failed to mako thoir oacapo when
tho others did. Miss Babb was woman nd
vanccd in yours, md WAS employed In tho fourth
story. Wien hiddon to mako haBto in order to
aecurc her escape, with that fntuity and atton-
tion to triTialtioH which frequently mark tho COLI
duo. of persons thus imrorilaa, she wasted tho
prcciouB moments in running to another room
to got hor bonnet aud shawl. But It was too
lato. Dy tho time that nho iasued from tllo
room tho stairway wns .gone, or was proy to
tl1e 1ames, md titus, With her young companion,
Miss HankB, Bho poriahed n.isorably.
The last and most heartranding incident Of tho
catastropho WAS now at hand. Barely had tho
roof fallen In, and wllio the crowd was yot con-
templnting the Objects, boforo d shnddering
eonso OF horror crept over all at tho conscious
ness that q Wholesale scene Of death was upon
tho verge Of unfolding itaclt. Grouped upon
the long ladder lonning against tho willis Of tho
building, aud chiefly thoao Of tho Hanover stroot
Htle, woro number OF f3rcuen who, with hoso-
pipe in hand, woro playing npon tho 1amoH.;
Suddenly, with tho dying away Ut tho echo Of
tho sound Of tho fnlling root, this fro-Btory
brick wall WAS soon to wavor. Some rnon-tho
most Of those preaont-nyertcd thoir gazo 9TH
ers looked down fow moro indifferent than
the rest to human suffering Or moro devourcd
by n hidoonB sort OF curiosity, looked up and aaw
tho vast wall nlowly Bwaying outward. No 1lt-
man agency could now save from death or grioy-
GUS wounds those courageous mon who.Wer bat
ling tho flames. Tho wall with increased romon-
tu1n bore outward, carrying with 1t tho Aremon-
freighted ladders. A shock and o laundering
souna as the mnss Of brick md mortar, Of lad
dora and humanity. came to tho ground In q
promlscuous heap, followed by dense aud
sitting cloud Of dust, arising from tho pulynr-
lied mortar, told tho story OF tho calamity. From
that ruin strong hands soon bore tho dead, dy-
ing, and wounded-~-threo dead mud cghtcon
wounded, and tho climax OF tho tragedy WAS
completed.
To-day'a developments In this melancholy dis
aster are that tho bodies Of two Of tho vctlmB OF
tho fire hnve been removed from tho rling.
These arc Miss Hunks and nllothor girl, supposed
to DO Ann McDonough. The remains OF Miss
Babb hnvo not as yet haen recovered. Tho dead,
20 fur aB is known, arc Confined to these three
girls and to tho three flromon killed by tho fall
ing Of tho wall. Tho wounded flremen oil nre
doing we'll with tho exception of two, whoso
condition Is doomed precarious. There aro still,
however, q number missing, and whoso names
are unknown, from among the firemon who woro
working Us substitutes whom the roof and wall
fell In.