Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-12-05
LYNN'S LARGE LOSS.
A Square Mile of the Business Por-
ton of Lynn, Mass, in Ruins.



Loss Estimated at $1O,OOO,OOO.
LYNN, Mass, Nov. 26.-Lynn, the city OF
shoes, was visited this afternoon by the
greatest IRE in its history, and with two
exceptions the conhagration IN the most
disastrous that has ever visited New Eng.
land. The exceptions are the great Bos
ton IRE of 1872, which destroyed 500, 000,-
900 worth of property, and the Portland
tire OF 1915, which caused loss OF be-
tween ten million and 12 million dollars.
TO days IRE started ut Il 80 n. IN, ragged
over eight hours, devasted square mile
of the business section OF the city, and
caused loss estimated ~ about SI0,OO0,-
600. In fact the greater part OF ward four
is wiped out as regards the important
shoe manufacturing blocks and prominent
places of business. The fire started in
Mowers wooden building on Almont
street, over the boiler, aud spread with
such rapidity that the IRE depar ,ment Of
the city was powerless TO cope with it.
This large wooden building was soon
doomed and the tomes leaped across a mar
row passagew Y and communicated with
the six. sto ry brick block known as Now
er's block.
Almost simultaneously the four-story
wooden shoe factory of bennett 81 barnard
on Central avenue and the four story
wooden building on Almont street caught
fire, and after IA time hurricane OF fine
was In progress which bauched the checks
men and citizens seemed OF no avail, al
though they did heroic work.
Aid arrived from Boston, Salem, M rble-
| head and surrounding towns, but their unit
ed efforts seemed to have lit o effect on the
! hurricane CT fame. Scenes OF the great
| Boston and Chicago fires were repeated
In all their hOrrors-motners fleeing with
| babes In their arms, express wagons load
ing at business and dwelling houses and
| transferring goods to place OF safety, in
many cases second removal being neces-
! s.ry. After the fire had been in progress
two hours every body declared it would not
stop until it reach ed the ocean, and this
proved to be the case.
There were many narrow escapes from
! accidents, but no fatalities are reported.
| The high brick fire wall on the b. h. Spin
ney block served as barrier TO tho fur
| Their progress of the flames up Union street
after that handsome structure was Quilted.
The streets were covered with a network
| of fallen wires which somewhat impeded
the progress of the iremeu. The Central
station of the Boston x Maine railroad was
| burned fiat, and the flames then leaped
| across Mt Vernon street.
Dynam lite and powder were used at fire.
qucnt intervals 10 blow up wooden build
| ings but with little effect. The fire virtu
! ally burned itself up, and at 40 was con-
sidered under control. Both companies Of
the Massachusetts militia located at Lynn
were called out and put on patrol duty.
A house blown up with powder at Broad
and Exchange streets at 3 As O'Clock shat
tered windows in all directions, and the
measure was etfectual Ia stopping the
| progress of the flames in that direction
A narrow escape from de tn was that OF
Ernest Williamson who, in the early stage
Of the fire. volunteered to take line OF
hose up ladder in front OF the Dagyr
building on Willow street. He was fol
lowed by several other venturesOme men,
some of whom were irelnen, but almost as
| soon as they reached the roof the intense
! heat compelled them TO beat q hasty re-
treat and the hose fell to the sidewalk.
! Williamson was the last man TO descend
and was nearly suffocated before he could
get footing on the ladder, owing TO its
being "dogged." He finally scrambled
down in an exhausted condition, 10 tho in
! tense relief OF hundreds who expec ed TO
see him perish. A few minutes later the
upper west wall of the Mower block fell
| through the Dagyr building with a terri fic
crash The loft side Of Williams face wa 8
blistered before he started down.
Four daily newspapers are burned GU t.
the Item, Bee, Press aud News. Three
National banks, the Central, Security and
First N tional together with the Lynn
Institution for Savings located in the First
Nation / block, are ali wiped out Twelve
| of the finest shoe blocks in the city are in
ruins, and about twenty five stores. At
this writing it is impossitle to state how
many dwellings are burned They are
mostly occupied by the poor class in the
vicinity of Beach street and the wharves.
II is impossible to give ny es innate OF the
insurance, but conservative estimates place
the loss on property at ten millions.