The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-03-06
Terrible Catastrophe in Boston

| Terrible Catastrophe IN Boston,
On the 27th, al noon, fire broke out in
the mattress and bedding mandatory OF
George A. Sammet, on Hanover street
corner OF Blackstone, causing the loss OF
many lives The Boston papers give the
following account
The very intiammable material will
which the building was filed caused the
flames 10 spread rapidly. First. dense
cloud OF smoke burst from the windows
and then the full flame, until in a very
short time the building was all alight
| There were some sixteen girls at wolk
| for Mr.. Sammett, and the imminent dan
ger which appeared to threaten them
threw them into the utmost fright Some
| OF them ran to the roof screaming. and
| We're about to throw themselves into the
| street, hut were warned by those stand.
ing below not to do so, and by several
men rushing to the top of the buildin Q
they were al last brought in safety to the
ground. One girl, however, threw her
self from the third story, and striking
first the railing Of the awning in front OF
the building, and then the sidewalk was
| picked up, it was thought at first. fatally
injured. She was Immediately taken to
an apothecary's store, and in short time
her mother and others Of her relatives
were at hand. The girl proved to be
| Mary Ellen More. She is about IS wears
OF age, and has been employed by Mr.
| Sammett for some time.
A physician arrived, and after care
| full examination of the girl came to the
conclusion that she would probably die
| from internal injuries. Her face was
| badly smashed, and although no limbs APP
| peared to be broken, still at every move
ment the poor thing groaned in the most
heart rending way
The scene when the girls came upon the
roof was one which struck every heart
with a spasm of terror. They hudded
together, and then kneeled praying to
heaven to spare their lives, while their
mothers and other relatives in the street
knelt or stood praying also That every
heart went up with these PRAYERS is GER
tain, and the answer came when nearly
all the girls We're taken to an adjoining
roof and then brought safely away. Miss
| Mary Keefs seemed to be the only one
who had not wholly lost control OF her
faculties. She called upon her associates
TO be calm; aided them not alone with her
words but with her hands, and was main
y instrumental in preventing them from
eaping to the ground below and findino
| one death while Fastening from another.
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
| At fifty minutes past ten o'clock a terri
| bic scene was presented. Altar up on the
outer-walls Of the Hanover street side of
the building were fire ladders, like slender
h9pl, limos cd I'll,
perilling their lives in work. The walls
seemed strong, and the danger hardly APP
peared to outsiders or lookers-on. At the
time mentioned above however, those who
stood in the street saw the upper wall
shake a little, then more and more, until
with crash they came tumbling outward
into the street. Back against the ladders
with resistless force, appalling every be-
holder they fell in Il mass of crumbled
bricks and mortar. 1t seemed hours to
those who were compelled to witness the
spectacle. The ladder slowly reached a
perpendicular position and then, in sway
ing to and fro, they came to the ground.
On the largest Of them all,-that which
seemed rs if it We're to find lis destination
on Blackstone street there was Il single
hoseman, named Stowell. AS the ladder
fell, he stood like a statute, with one hand
grasping the ladder and the other out
stretched as if in gesture When it turn
ed and began to fall he grasped the top
round with both hands, and swung. sus-
pended between heaven and earth, until
near the ground, wh en- he released his
grasp and fell against the curb stone. kill
ing him almost instantly. The walls of
the third and fourth stories bulged out
ward and fell upon the sidewalk Had
they followed the course of the upper Dor
ton, the fatalities would inevitably have
been much greater.
The following is a list OF the killed and
wounded:
killed-John Price, Jr James Sturns,
of Engine Company No. Is B. P Stowell,
of Engine Company No. u.
Iniured-Mary Moore, seriously injured;
q. A. Sammett, Dedham, probably fatally
injured; Mary Keves slightly injured;
Thomas Merritt, Hose No. 2, scalp wound,
sprained ankle and leg injured not seri-
Gus; George Lecaine, Hose No. 4, badly;
Q, L. Woods, Steamer Is. badly injured;
c. H. Smith, Steamer Is. slightly injured
&. Scott, Hose 2, head and face badly
injured Charles lngersol, Hose 2, slightly
injured; Sylvester Stone Hose 3, slightly
injured; Edward Martin, Hose 1, hurt in
the face, not dangerous; H. D. Demery.
Hose 2, seriously injured, left arm, left
leg, scalp wounds; Samuel Harrington,
Hose 2. slightly injul ed; Moses A. Pack
ard OF the Insurance Brigade, slightly in
iured. One man from Hose 3 and an
other from Hose are missing, as is also
a substitute named Hayes. Harry L.
Smith. of Cambridge, a young man, badly |
injured.
John Prince. who was killed, was at the
time OF the accident working as sub
stitute on the roll of the company. As
the top of the wall fell out he commenced to |
descend the ladder, not being hurt by the |
brick and stone. A second later and the |
outcrles OF the crowd mingled with the |
noise of the fallen masonry, and Prince
went in with the falling debris. When |
taken out with the rest he had received |
fatal injuries.
The building is described as man
trap 1t was five stories high, and the |
front walls were only eight inches thick
two bricks in width. These walls, ex-
tending perhaps sixty feet high above the
stores, supported a heavy mansard roof,
whose weight alone was enough to crush !
the building to the ground. Some five
years ago the building was remodeled,
and three stories built upon the old super
structure without any additional support
being given.
The bodies of two girls have been found
in the ruins, burned almost beyond recog
milton, and third is believed to be still
there. Thus far three firemen and three
girls are known to be dead.