The Helena independent., 1889-11-30
MILLIONS co UPIN SMOKE
Fire in the Business Section OF Bos-
ton Does an Immense Amount
of Damage.
Theatres, Hotels and Fine Business
Blocks Wiped Out in Few
Hours.
The Loss Ten Millions. with About one
Third Insurance--Iircmcn Aided
by Heavy Rain.

BosroS, Nov. 29.-At sil5 q, m.yesterday an
alarm of fire was sent in from the corner of
Redford and Kingston streets. The FIRE
started in the Shoe and Leather Exchange
building a large. imposing structure. The
lower part was used an exchange and the
MINER stories we're directed to various
wholesale purposes. In this building was
the wholesale department Of Jordan, Marsh
& Co. The spread of the flames was SO
rapid that those in the lower hoor had
barely time 70 remove valuable papers
Three alarms and general alarm were
runc in rapid succession, but the hre de |,
partmeut officials realizing the danger and !
the impossibility of being able to cope with !
the rapid spread of the flames, sent tele-
grams 10 all the large towns and cities With
in a radius of fifty miles of Boston, urgent
ly calling for help. The fire, mp 90 IL
o'clock, was confined very nearly TO the
district composed of Bedford, Kingston and
Chauncey streets with the streets branching
from them. Ii is mostly filled with whole
sale dry goods and other whosesale estab-
lishments. but little business being done in
that vicinity. Among tho buildings de-
stroyed were the new and elegant. Ames
hr,Iding Hud Brown, Dnrell a Co.'s uev
hnildine.
The fire started shortly before a. m. on
tho unner hoor of "A sit story granite block,
No. 10 TO n Bedford street, owned by DOR
dan, Marsh 4 Co., and occupied 10y the
Shoe and Leather Exchange, Brown, Dur
rejl &Co.. Woonsocket Rubber Co. Solo
mon uerbert a Knaup. Johns Fopg a. Co.
md branch Office of the Western Union
Taleranh ca which WAS ON the ground
a. and ahont fiftv Offices of ont az town
hoc, shoe and heather manufactures which.
rere on The uppsr floor. Before il was dis
covered the fiasnes had begun bursting from
eli the unper windows. An alarm was
,aronn,lv ans,gared. but before the streams
eonld he got an the two upper stories they
,yaro .ouring forth flames which reached
saresl padfsra street and set Gre 10 the front
~ tbsneS shoe and Leat her Exchange build
mo in nrocess of erection. second, third,
and general alarm followed each other in
an;ct snccsssion- before an additional AID
aaarstrs had arrived. However. the flames
had leaned across Bedford, Kingston and
Cainmhps streets. and had also attacked
tha hniIdinos i'm the rear ON the same
hlocks. and the engines already in position
were OBLIGED to retreat 10 a new position ON
scconnt ~ the GREAT heat and abandon the
isdders a nd long lines af hose Bv g:l5 the
handsoma hrown STONE Times building ON
tha onnosite corner of Bedford and King
-. IT,, ,,,aa !, ,,,nse ~ Are Great sheets
% aa,ne were nonring from every window
and rescbing across bedford street.
crack;ng the olass IN the windows
- Go h,i1J;nos ,rnosi,. and
sa,,;,o ,haro mn ar. IN all the MINER stories
nv g..sl a M the rear Of aIl the buildings
on Channcev. ON either side of Bedford
straat were an Z; ra and .be fire depnrtment
u,as annsrontIv unable IN cone with IT,
The chef enoinaer nnpreciated the situa-
t;on. and about g90 o'clock sent 10 all the
suburban cities and town for help and by
I0a m ENGINES from the nearer points were
dasbino in from ali sides. Details of police
were aiso arriying from the outer districts
md soon Ind ali that section bounded by
Sumner WASHINGTON. Essex and Lincoln
streets roped of
A walk completely around the section
roped of by The police Just before noon
showed the fire was under control Out-of-
town fire annara,us continued to dash in,
their horses reekinp with foam and wild
with excitement There were probably
seventy 1--WE steamers surroundinG the fire
NV l9.D The stnrtinp point was only a
short block from the proat fire of November
=. 1872. and the alarm was rung in from the
game hnv |, hnTnt nearly mn 10 the edge
% -
did not enter IL. The fire did not quite
reach Summer street nor Lincoln street,
but burnt half way through the block
bounded by kinesan, Sumner and Bedford
streets. and also thut bounded by Bedford,
Lincoln. Essex aud Columbia streets. IL
also appears 10 have reached Essex and
Chancey streets NJ one or two points. but
not TO have crossed theu.
The fremen were nided 10y pouring rain.
which lasted from early last night till Just
about the time they got the fire under con-
troll at noon. Otherwise there is little
doubt that other fires would have been
started by the storm of emhers, some Of
them ms large rs huff , brick, which fell
like snowstorm IN all directions, but prln-
cipally toward the great dry goods stores
on Washington street The soaked condi-
tion of the roofs, however, and the pouring
rain extnguished them before they could
do any damage. There is but little doubt
that but for the deluge poured from the
clouds the fire would have swept through
the common.
There was also large fire in East Bos
ton which got beyond control of the depart
ment.
The fire was caused by the crossing of the
.eleCtflc LIGHT wire and the wire of the ElCc-