The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-12-04
TEN MILLION DOLLARS co
UP IN FLAMES.
Terrible ConfIagration In the
City Of Lynn, Mass.

Terrible ConfIagration In the
City of Lynn, Mass.
LYSx, Mass, Nov 36.-Lynn, the City /
Of Shoes, was this afternoon visited by /
the greatest FIRE in its history, and, with /
but two exceptions, the most disastrous /
which has ever visited New England.
The exceptions are the great Boston fire [
Of 1872, which destroyed between $50 I
100000 and 100000 worth Of proper
iy, and the Portland fire Of 1866, Which /
caused loss Of between s10,eoOOso and
sl2.0oo,00o.
To-dzy's fire started at ! l.55 g. in. ragged
over eight hours, devastated a square
mile Of the business section Of the city
and caused less estimated at SIC, 10000.
In fact the greatest part Of Ward -Four IS
wiped out, as regards the important shoe
manufacturing blocks and prominent
places Of business
BEGISNINs OF THE FIEE
The Ere started in Movers wooden
building. on Almont street. over the boil
er and spreasl with such rspidiiy that
the excellent FIRE department Of the city
was powerless to cope With it. This large
wooden building was soon doomed AMI
the flames leaped across narrow pas
sage way and communicated with the
six-story brick block known as Movers
block When these two buildings got
well under way it was evident terrible
confagration would result
Almost simultaneously the four-story
wooden shoe factory Of Bennett & Barn.
ard, on Central avenue. and the four
story wooden building on Almont street
caught fire, and when under way hur-
ricane Of fame was in progress which
bIanched the cheeks Of all who were
/ looking on.
EIGHT HOURS or rERRoE.
For eight hours the flames had full
sway, the efforts of irsmen and citizens
seemingly being Of no avail.
TERRIBLE SCENES.
Aid arrived from Boston. Salem, Mar
blehead and other surrounding towns bat
the united efforts seemed to have little
effect on the hurricane Of flames. Scenes
familiar in the great Boston and Chicago
fires were repeated in ali their horrors
mothers fleeing with babes in their arms,
express wagons loading at business and
dwelling houses and transferring goods
to places Of safety, in many cases 4 sec
ond removal being necessary, and the
utmost confusion and alarm prevailing.
The excitement increased and became
panic as il became realized that cOnfis-
grafton threatening the entire business
quarter was in progress After the fire
had been burning about two hours every
body agreed that it would not stop until
It had reached the ocean, and this proved
to be the case
TIE PROPERTY DESTROYED
Four daily newspapers are burned out
the Heas, Bee, Nssgs and Press, three af-
terncon and one morning thrse Nation
al banks-the Central, Security and First
National-t0gether with the Lynn Insti-
tuition for Savings, located in the First
National block, are all wiped out Twelve
Of the finest shoe Iblocks in the city are
in ruins, and about . st res. At this
writing it is impossible to say how many
dwellings are burned The houses de-
stroyed were mostly those occupied by
/ poor people, in the vicinity Of Beach
street and the whsrves.
THE Loss 100000.
II is impossible as yet TO estimate the
insurance, but conservative estimates
place the loss on property at ten millions.
There we're many narrow escapes from
sesioas injuries. bat no fatalities are re-
ported The high brick lreVall on the
B. F Spinney block served as barrier
TO the further progress Of the flames up
Union street after that handsome struct-
ure had been gutted-
CHURCHES BECOME PLACES or SHELTER
The First Methodist and Universalist
churches and several school houses have
been throSn open to accommodate burn
ed ont families. Mayor Newhall has
called special meeting Of the aldermen
TO take action and choose relief CON-
mittees-
s. N-Breed & Co, the largest lumber
dealers in Essex county, lose everything,
including their handsome brick structure
at Beach and Broad streets. They esti-
mate their loss at $4,000 with about
sl25,0O0 insurance. They viii open for
business in the morning at the Office Of
the T. A. NeShall Coal Company.
Mt Vernon street was wiped out en-
tirely. On this street were located the
large brick factories occupied by Francis
W. Reed, Healy Bros and VIM Porter &
Son GOodwin's last Eetory on this
street was also burned.
DYNAMITE UsED 70 FIGHT FIKE-
Dynamite and powder we're used al
frequent intervals to blow up wooden
buildings, but with little success. The
IRE virtually burned itself out. and at
80 was considered under control.
Both companies Of the Massachusetts,
miiisia located at Lynn we're called out
and put On patrol duty.
Several vi he shoe manufacturers
burned out have country factories and
viii transfer their business there for the
! present.