The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-23
BURNED TO DEATH.
Destruction Of the Old New England Institute
Fair Building.
Eight Dead Bodies Removed From the
Ruins Charred Beyond Recognition
Others Believed to Have
Perfshed.

Boston, June 21.-A terrific fire, accom-
panied by loss of life, this afternoon
destroyed the New England Institute Fair
building on Huntington avenue. The build
ing was built by the New England Manufac-
turers and Merchants Institute for exhibi-
tion purposes at a cost. of nearly $500, 600
Last winter it was purchased by the Metro
politan Street Railroad Company for $780, 700
and has since been used as place for stor-
ing 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 a roaring mass of flames. The
workmen sought to save their to )ls, and
many were badly burned before they coold
get out of the building, while others were
unable to escape. In the building
were about seventy box cars. The barn.
like structure, which covered an area
of five acres with floor space
of nearly eight acres was so full of flame
that the walls were blown out. As soon as
It was learned that lives had been lost In the
building, all streams were turned to the rear
of the structure, and the fremen bravely
forced their way into the blazing ruins 10
secure the bodies. The flames refused to
surrender until they had consumed 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 VIM. Taylor and a 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 no correct statement of the loss of life
can be made. The flames are still burning
in the interior of the building, of which
nothing is left standing except the lower por-
ton of the walls.
The spread of the flames when they burst
forth was something almost incredible.
Workmen on the opposite side of the build
ing from the point where the fire originated
had almost as great difficulty in making
their escape as did those nearer the frey
burst of flame. 1t was at the east end of the
building in the carpentershop that most
heart-rending incident occurred. A man,
whose name is as yet unknown, was driven
out of window of the second story by the
flames. He was about to leap, and had put
one leg over the window sill, when
the roof fell in and pinned
him fast to the spot where he was
No ladder company had arrived and the
crowd were powerless to render assistance,
and the man underwent agonies of torture
before the eyes of his friends below. Two of
his fellow workmen, John McNulty and J.
F. Fallen, were terribly burned while trying
to scale the wall to reach their dying COM
rade. His sufterings were mercifully short
The awful furnace of flames enwrapped
about him with fire and smoke, hiding him
during his last moments from the gaze of the
| spectators. Not long afterward the wall it
self gave way and nothing more was seen.
Four of the bodies removed were so badly
charred and disfgured that indentification
is impossible. The names of the others are
believed to be as follows:
William Easter.
P. Oliver Frost, aged sixty-seven years,
married.
Pat Lyons, aged thirty years.
Alex. Campbell, aged seventy years. mar
r1ed.
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 foreman of the re-
| pair shop says that ali of the eighty-eight
Workmen in that department are accounted
for. The following persons were seriously
| burned:
Joseph Whidden, car builder, seriously
burned about the face and shoulders; taken
to the hospital.
Chester /. Hazeltine, badly burned about
the face, hands, arms and throat.
L. L. Farren, burned about the hands and
arms.
The last two were employed in the car
| shop. Several others had their hair singed,
but escaped serious injury. The total loss is
now estimated at $500, 900, divided as nearly
| as can be ascertained as follows: Building
and fixtures, $1S0O00; cars, $40, 900; machin-
cry, tools. etc., $4,000. The insurance ag-
| gregates $4,000, as follows: Building, $25,-
| 600; machinery, tbs, 900; cars, $4,000.
The fire caught in the front right corner
on Huntington avenue, directly under the
| paint shop, and when the flames reached the
| shop the oil and paint stored therein spread
| over an immense space and proved 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 blistered face was seen, the
person who had been looking out fell back
into the seething mass and was past all help.
| colored man, name unknown, went back
into the burning building to save some prop
erty, and was not seen to come out again.
| Chester l.. Hazeltine and e. Farren had
| plenty of opportunity to escape, but tried
to pull out some cars and were badly burned.
While the thousands of spectators were
nifcent spectacle, horrible tragedy was be-
ing enacted within, all out of sight and un-
| known to the throng. After the flames had
| been sufficiently extinguished, search was
begun among the charred ruins for possible
| victims and up to p. m. eight dead bodies
| had been removed, most of them burned be-
yond recognition. 1t is believed that there
| laa for,r ;r,t t1,a