Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-05
BOSTON'S BIG LOSS.
Two Acres of Business Blocks Burned
Loss of SO, 100000 by Thanksgiv
ing Day Fire.

since 1872, and one which In property loss
more than rivals the great con1agration at
Lynn, ON Tuesday. broke out at $40 a. m
to-day In the six-story granite building
owned by Jordan. Marsh 4 Co., and occu-
pied by Brown, Durrel & Co., dealers in
dry goods, ON Bedford street, corner of
Kingston. The great fire of 1872 broke out
at the corner of Kingston and Summer
streets, and the alarm of to-day's fire was
rung In from the same box which did
similar duty at Ills p. m. ON the evening
of Nov. 9, 1872, when the fire fend broke
loose, and before being subdued con-
sumed nearly S100,000,000 worth of prop
erty. The first alarm rung in to-day was
Immediately followed by the first general
alarm in Boston since 1872. To-day's con-
fagration ragged for six hours, burned over
two acres of territory covered by magnif-
cent structures, and entailed a loss now es-
timated at S10,000,000
THE FIRST ALARM
The fire was discovered by letter-car-
rier, who noticed flames bursting from the
top of the Brown building, over the eleva-
tor shaft In which it evidently originated
This letter-carrier notified the nearest
police officer, who sounded the first alarm.
As soon as Chief Weber, of the Pro-
tective department arrived, it became APP
parent that long, hard fight with
the fiery element was before the
department and general alarm was sent
out and this was soon followed by calls
upon all the neighb oring cities and towns
for assistance The flames were soon pour
ing from all the windows and the roof of
of the BrownDurrell building. At 8:45
they had spread to the Shoe and Leather
Exchange building, another large granite
structure adjoining Brown, Durren d
Co., on Bedford street. From both
buildings the flames swept in great
masses across Bedford street to the OPP
posite corner, thence across Kingston
street, along Bedford to Chauncey street.
where 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 Bed
Kingston street from the hot blaze from
Brown, Durrell & Co., to big sandstone
building owned by F. L. Ames and occu-
pied by Taylor Bros, and this was con-
sumed. The great granite building known
as the Mevins block, at the corner Of
Chauncey street, was the next prey for the
Rowe place to Kingston street, was con-
sumed Crossing Chauncey street the fire
soon had good head of all the stores
which are inclosed in Exeter place. a
small street running from Harrison avenue
| to Chauncey street. Here the firemen got
control. At Roe place the fire was partially
| checked from going toward Essex street.
but quickly moved toward the opposite
side to 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 AREA BURNED OVER.
The burned district begins at Columbia
street on the east and extends two blocks
westward along Bedford street to Chauncey
street on the west. On the south side of
Bedford street the fire consumed the ,ntire
block bounded bv Bedford, Kingston Essex
and Columbia streets. Westward of this
the entire block bounded by Bedford,
Kingston and Chauncey streets and Rowe
place, was burned, and westward of this
the buildings on Chauncey street from Bed
ford to Exeter place. 1t also badly dam
aged the building on the southeast corner
of Bedford and Columbia streets North
of Bedford street it consumed the build
ings on both the northeast and northwest
corners of Bedford and Kingston streets,
and damaged the block at the corner of
Bedford and Chauncey.
SHOE AND LEATHER FIRMS BURNED OUT.
The following shoe and leather firms
were burned out, those not otherwise des-
ignated carrying only samples: G. E. Aid
rich & Co., Appleton Shoe company, w F.
A I,oh 4
Shoe company Bunton & Co., jobbers,
Copeland & Hartwell, John S. Foggs & Co.,
carried a stock of shoes In store, Frank S.
Co., Howard & Foster, |. n, Keith & Co.,
Slipper company, Fl. T. Marshall, Adolph
Baker & Co., B. J. Patton, Perkins &
Joyce, Joshua Fl. Putnam, Rogers & Web
Der, Boyce & Calf, Simson, Stephenson
Shoe Manufacturing company, W B. NJ
Tenney jobber; L. w. Tyler, manufactur
ing agent; Walker & Brown, Woonsocket
Rubber company, carried stock of rubber
goods; Myron Woodbury., boot and shoe
findings; Herbert & Rapp company, Ma
tional Thread company, 0. 0. Patton
& Co., shoe manufacturing tools; Blakely
Furnishing Machine company, George H.
Clark, Duprey & Tuagas, Lofts Shiying
Machine company, Shoe Finding Machine
company. Wheeler & Cummings, Wood
ward & Wright
"A Religious Spree.
From George KEENAN, s Adventures In
Eastern Siberia in the November Century
we quote the following: 1--WE had no
difficulty in getting post horses until just
1arlr Monday avapinp