Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-12-04
Dos ofl'S MISE oRTlJNIE.

o. oh's MIS- oRTulsE.
3 Visited on giving Day ~ : rirs
s vhiclt Lays Waste to Two Acres Cow
81 cred with Fine Business Structures The
Loss Estinaatcd q $4,000. 900 -slx Per-
h sons Missing Several BADLY Hurt.
BosToN, Nov. 80. The most disas-
trous fire from which Boston has suf-
fered since 1879 broke out about 500
Thursday morning In the six-story
granite building owned by Jordan,
Marsh 4, Co. and occupied BY Brown,
5DnrreN Co., dealers IN dry
goods, on Bedford 3 street, corner
OF Kingston. The great Are Of 1879
y broke out at the corner OF Kingston and
Summer streets, and the alarm Of Thurs
days fire was rung in from the same box
that did similar duty ct that time, when
nearly $1oo, 200, 900 worth OF property
was consumed. The first alarm rung in
was mediately followed by the drst
general alarm In Boston since 1879.
The burnt area covers only about two
and one-half acres, and embraces por-
tons Of Bedford, Kingston, Chauncey#
and Columbia streets, the section where
are massed the large wholesale dry and
fancy goods establishments. Some
twenty large granite and brick blocks
We're destroyed. These with their con-
tents will involve loss of $4,000, 900.
Six persons are reported missing.
The fire was discovered by a letter
carrier, who noticed flames bursting
from the top of the Brown building over
tho elevator shaft, in which it evidently
originated. As soon as Chief Weber Of
the protective department arrived it
became apparent that long,
hard fight was before the de-
partment and a general alarm was
sent out, and this was soon fol-
lowed by calls upon all neighboring
cities and towns for assistance. The
flames were soon pouring from all the
windows and the roof of the Brown-Dur-
rell building. At s:15 they had spread
to the Shoe and Leather Exchange
building, another large granite struct-
ure adjoining on Bedford street.
From both buildings the flames swept
In great masses across Bedford street to
the opposite corner, thence across
Kingston street, along Bedford to
Chauncey, whore it was stopped in
the store OF Farley, Harvey &
Co., the upper stories of which
were burned. Three stores along
Chauncey street toward Summer were
burned. On the south side of Bedford
street the flames jumped across Kingston
street to big sandstone building owned
by +. L. Ames and occupied by Taylor
Brothers, and this was consumed. The
great granite building known as
Nevin's block, at the corner of
Chauncey street, was the next victim for
the flames, and the entire block, clear
around Rowe place to Kingston street,
was consumed. Crossing Chauncey
street, the fire next attacked the stores
which are inclosed in Exeter place,
small street running from Harrison
avenue to Chauncey street. Here the
firemen got control. At Rowe place
the fire was partially checked from
going toward Essex street, but quickly
moved toward the opposite side of the
immense Allen and Larrabee buildings,
occupying the square between Bedford
street, Harrison avenue extension and
Exeter place, at which point their
further progress was checked.
The scenes about the fire were replete
with excitement and activity. The
police were prompt in roping of the
streets and keeping back the crowds.
On every corner engines emitted tor
rents of black smoke, while hose lines
by the score lay in tangled web up and
down the streets for blocks on all sides.
The territory bounded by Kingston,
Bedford and Chauncey streets was
the principal theater of destruction.
Here the conflagration leveled every
thing. Within an hour after the first
alarm sounded the whole structure of
Brown, Durrell & Co.'S building col
lapsed with tremendous crash. So
unexpected was the fall of the building
that several pieces of fire apparatus
had to be abandoned as they were
placed. They are imbedded now in !,
mass of brick, stone and iron fully six
feet deep lt-- -.t ~e.:;s ysSs,s.
. Directly opposite, the towering Ames
block, occupied by Taylor Brothers, was
ablaze from roof to basement. For a
time it looked as though it, too, would
fall. Floors fell in with stunning noise,
leaving but mere she'll. The
immense stone and iron block oc-
oupied by Samuel Williams and
Brigham & Co., on the corner of Chaun-
cey street and Rowe court, marked
the farthest progress Of the fire in
that direction. Although apparently
fire-proof as the Alps, it was completely
Quilted. On tho cornor Of Chauncey and
Bedford streets the large block occupied
by Smith, Hogg & Gardner and others
was in almost as bad q plight, and the
buildings between these two were utter
~ destroyed. The leaping flames sue
ceeded in crossing Chauncey street to the
upper stories Of the huge Allen block.
largely occupied by Farley, Harvey 4
Co., and those adjacent as far as Essex
place. 1t was hard to direct streams of
water effectively, and for 3 time it
seemed as though Warren street might
yet DO reached. The firemen here made
q grand rally, and finally the further
progress of the FIRE was staid.
A Thrilling rescue from immediate
death was made by Officers Charles
Maynes and Benjamin and ''Sleepy,"
the colored attache Of the city hall, in
50 o.