Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-11-29
THE FIRE FIEND.
A TENMILLIoN DOLLAR FIRE
IN BOSTON.
TEE Widest 7 XcITEMEP PREVAIL S
Twenty of the Finest Business Houses
I'm the City Now n Mass Of
Ruins Work of the Fire.
men.
BY Associated Press.


from Boston says: The fire bells rang
out through the driving rain at S.15
this morning, and in less than half an
hour there was foundation for another
Boston fire. The flames were discov-
cred in the mammoth stone building
at the corner of Kingston and Bedford
streets. This is a building hitherto
thought to be fireproof and was re-
Gently built, but Notwithstanding this
it burned like finder box and the
flames rose hundreds of feet into
the air. The fire apparatus which
had first responded was wholly incapa-
BILE of handling the fire, and they saw
the fact very plainly when the flames
began to leap up and out af the roof
and windows toward the Buildings on
the other side of the street and to the
buildings back of the mammoth struc-
lures on the Rowe place. The second
alarm was sent in about $50, and when
the apparatus responded to this more
was needed. A little after 0 o'clock
the third alarm was sent out and in
half an hour there was issued o gen.
eral alarm, which brought the appa-
ratus from Cambridge, Somerville and
Chelsea. From the very start there
was little hope of the fire being
stopped before it had consumed sew
eral buildings, and the firemen,
who had recently returned from
the great Lynn fire, and Won
dered how in the world it could have
gained such Roadway, found out how
it is themselves. at 945 o'clock steam
er No. and hose No. 9 were on their
way from Stanton, in answer to
Chief Webbers call Shortly after 8
o'clock it looked as if the flames would
advance, without hinderance, up
Kingston to Summer street. Brown,
Dunell g. Co, that fine block which
a few minutes before had stood in
all its magnificence, was now heap
of glowing ruins, upon whose edge
stood steamer, aerial ladder and
hose carriage which had been aband-
oned in hot haste at the time the
building collapsed. The old building,
| No. 30 Kingston street, now began to
| light up. and the Brainerd q Arm
strong company'g building at No. 30.
was just catching. A group of des-
perate fire-fghters were being forced
TO recede inch by inch. Stories were
afioat Of men who had been caught
in the falling walls and other fatal
accidents, but there was no time to
verify these reports.
The building occupied by Bradford
s. Thomas and the Ames building
were involved in the general destruc-
tion. The fire thirty minutes later
| Il
on the corner of Lincoln and Brad
ford streets, while towards Washing
ION street. its limit, at the same time
$50, was Chauncey street. Just be-
fore ~ o'clock assistance reached the
scene from Cambridge, both in en-
gines and look and ladder trucks.
From the buildings of Brown u
Dunell, where the fire caught, it
spread across the street and back
through the burning buildings into
J Ghauncey street. In few minutes it
had extended along Chauncey street,
on the left hand side, eating into the
next binding on the south occupied
by Cludetr, Koon s. Co. In less
than ten minutes the flames were
tearing into the building occupied
ny Williams & Co. on the next corner.
From the other side it caught at once
upon the buildings on Rowe place,
and the wind favored the supposition
hat the whole south cove and the
wholesale district were doomed.
Already every building had gonefron
Bedford street along Kingston and
Chauncey streets, and the flames were
eating up all those on the south side
of Rowe place.
A later dispatch from Boston says:
Before 10 o'clock the whole population
| filled the streets and the owners and
proprietors of the buildings and
stores, who saw their possessions melt
ing away, helplessly rushed hither
and thither, and pandemonium pre-
vailed. The fire started on Summers
street, near Washington, right in the
heart of the business portion of the
city. Working westward it soon
licked up the immense stores of Jor-
dan, Marsh s. Co., on Washington
street. This place was soon mass of
ruins The wind blew the flames fur
uher westward and they soon reached
Bedford, Hawley and High streets,
destroying all the buildings in their
path Washington street is very mar
rev, and right in the vicinity of the
fire were the Adams house, Gaiety,
Bijou, Park and Globe theatres. The
wind veered a little by 1890
o'clock, and the path of the fire was
turned mainly backward, and it now
looks as though it would devour all
the territory devastated by the gleat
conf1agration of 1872.
The Globe theatre is nearly de-
stroyed, and Francis Wilson's COM
pany, who were playing The Oolah''
there, lose all their costumes and
scenery The widest excitement pre-
walls, and the firemen are greatly
hampered by the narrowness OF the
streets and velocity of the flames.
At 1855 the fire was under control.
The loss will amount to $4,000, 900.
Twenty of the finest buildings in the
city were destroyed. Firemen have
4 arrived from all towns within fifty
miles of Boston. No lives were lost
as far as heard from. It is reported
II that four or five were injured, though
none fatally.
extraordinary Bone Scratching.
| Herbert Sperry, fremont, Ill, had
:. I<,cr.,iT ftonfipad tn