St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-22
A FURNACE OF FLAME.
Destruction by Fire of the Metropolitan
Horse Railway Car Shops in
Boston.
Several of the Workmen Unable to Make
Their Escape Prom the Burning
Building.
Nine Known to Have Been Roasted
to Death and Others Miss
ing.
of the ConHagration--The
Victims.
A EStal Eire.

Boston, June 21,-A terrific fire, ac-
companied by loss of life. this afternoon
destroyed the New England institute fair
building on Huntington avenue. The
building was built by the New England
Manufacturers and Mechanics institute for
exhibition purposes at cost of nearly
$500, 600. Last winter it was purchased by
the Metropolitan Street Railway company
for $500, 600, and has since been used as a
place for storing and repairing cars. So
quickly did the flames spread that before
the first engine had arrived the immense
roof had fallen and the building was roar
ing mass OF flames. The workmen sought
to save their tools, and many were badly
burned before they could get out of the
building, while others were unable to eS
cape. In the building were about 400 box
cars, only one of which was saved. The
great barn-like structure, which covered
an area of five acres with floor space OF
nearly eight acres, was so full of flames that
the walls We're blown out. AS soon as it
was learned that lives had been lost in the
building all the streams were turned to the
rear of the structure and the tiremen bravely
forced their way into the blazing ruins to
rescue the bodies. The flames refused to
surrender until they had conquered every
thing combuStible within the building and
the work of rescue was attended with great
danger. The charred remains of two men
were brought out and are thought to be
those of William Taylor and man named
Frost, both carpenters. 1t is believed that
other bodies are buried in the debris, as sew
eral workmen are missing. All is confusion
and 10 correct statement Of the loss of life
can yet be made, The flames are still
burning in the interior of the building. of
which nothing is left standing except the
lower portion of the walls.
THE FIRE CAUGHT
IN the front right corner on Huntington av-
enue directly under the paint shop, ard
when the flames reached the shop the oil
and paints kept therein spread over an i'm
mense space and proved a speedy carrier of
the flames. There were many men inside
when the fire broke out, and all rushed for
the rear windows. Most of them were
helped out, but while a rush was being
made to one Of the windows at which a
scorched and bleeding face was seen the
person who had been looking out fell back
into the Seething mass, and was past all
help. a colored man, name unknown,
went back into the burning building to save
some property, and was not seen to come
out again. While the thousands of specta-
tors were viewing from neighboring roofs
the magnificent spectacle
y HORRIBLE TRAGEDY
was being enacted within, all out of sight
and unknown to the thrOng. After the
flames had been sufficiently eXtinguished
search was begun among the charred ruins
for possible victims and up to p. N. eight
bodies had been recovered, most OF them
burned beyond recognition. 1t is believed
that there are at least four more bodies in
+I,,, IL 10 I,,.1
horse cars fully repaired, each worth $780,
The repairs and refurnishing of the build
ing amounted to $50, 600. The burning of
the vast building was one of
THE GRANDEST SIGHTS
seen in this city since the great fire of 1872.
The wind blew highly and added much to
the power of the flames as they rapidly
swept from one part Of the building to the
other. The experiences Of some of the 100
workmen employed i'll the building were
terrible. The spread Of the flames when
they finally burst forth was something al
most incredible. WOrkmen i'll the opposite
side Of the building from the point where the
fire originated had almost as great difficulty
in making their escape as did those nearer
the first fierce burst OF flames. 1t was
at the east end OF the building in the car
penters' shop that most heartrending Incl
dent occurred. 4 man whose name is as
yet unknown was driven out OF the second
story by the flames. He was about to leap
and had put one foot on the window sill
when the roof fell in and
PINNED HIM FAST
to the spot where he was. No ladder COM
pany had arrived and the crowd outside
were powerless to render aid. The flames
followed almost instantly and the imprs-
oned man underwent agoniZing torture be-
fore the horritied eyes of his friends below.
Two Of his fellow workmen, John Nc
Nulty and j. F. Fallen, were terribly
burned while trying to scale the wall to
reach their dying comrade. His sutferings
were mercifully short. The awful
FURNACE OF FLAMES
soon wrapped him about with fire and
smoke, hiding him during his last moments
from the gaze of the spectators. Not long
afterwards the wall itself gave way and
nothing more was seen. E. l.. Fallen says
he was the last man to leave the wood
workers shop alive. The room is in the
southeast corner of the building. At the
first cry of fire he ran, but turned back at
the door to see if he had time to gather up
his tools. The moments hesitation nearly
cost him his life. He hardly got out of the
building before it was one mass of flames
-Four or five of his fellow workmen. he
says, turned back. They were left behind
and were certainly
BURNED TO DEATH.
Four of the bodies removed were so badly
chaTred and disfgured that Identification is
impossible. The names of the others are
believed to be as follows:
WILLIAM TAYLOR, aged 20 years.
OLIVER FROST, aged 81. married.
PATRICK LYONS, aged 80 years.
At
married.
The body Of the negro known to have
been burned has not been recovered. This
makes nine fatalities known to have been
caused by the fire. The following persons
were seriously burned:
JOSEPH WHIDDEN, car builder seriously
burned about the face and shoulders, taken
to the hospital.
CHESTER L. HAZELTINE, badly burned
about the face, hands, arms and throat.
Il. L. FAVEN, burned about the hands and
arms.
The last two named were employed in the
car shop. Several others had their hair
singed, but escaped serious injuries The
total loss is now estimated at $500, 900, di-
vided as nearly as can be ascertained as
follows:
CaTs- .-----..--. ....-................. 10000
Machinery, tools, Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
The insurance aggregates 81, 1000, as fol
lows:
buHdlnS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S25, 600
Machinery. Observation-Disclosures. %, 900
Jars OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 60, 600
2 a. MT is believed that the building
wsS set on fire in several places by dis
charged employees. No additional bodies
have been taken out. Sixteen persons are
missing. The ruins are still burning.
Brewery Burned.