The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-12-06
DESTRUCTION ATBOsTON
cwo HUNDRED FIRMS DAMAGED BY
FIRE.

Burned Over-The Fury OF tho Flames
Continues Six H0urs-A loss of $4,000.
OO0-lnsurance Companies Wrecked.
Boston telegram.l
The most disastrous fire from which
Boston has suffered since 1872, and
which in property loss almost rivals
he great confegration at Lynn,
oroke out about s:2o o'clock Thurs
day morning in the six-story gram
tie building owned by Jordan, Marsh
& Co. and occupied BY Brown, Durrel &
Co.. dealers in dry goods. on Bedford
street, corner of Kingston. The first alarm
was Immediately followed by the first
general alarm in Boston since 1872. Thurs |
days confiagration ragged for six hours,
Turned over two acres OF territory covered
by magnificent structures, and entailed a
loss now estimated at S., 600, 0o0.
80 far as known no fatalities occurred,
hut several persons were seriously injur-
ed Among them are:
MIcHAEI. ATKINSON. policeman, head
crushed by falling granite.
JOuN HALEY, hoseman, laccra1cd by plate
rlass.
THOMAS +. oulGLEY, inhaled flames.
DIsrRIcr ENGINEER BARrLErT. right shout
dcrdtslocatcd
EDWARD ROWAN. fireman. hand nearly cut
on.
j. DACy. fireman. leg crushed.
FIREMAN RfssEIf. of engine 3, leg broken.
The turned district begins at Columbia
street OH the east and extends two blocks
westward along Bedford street TO Ciiaun-
cey street on the west. On the south side
Of Iedford street the fire consumed the
entire block bounded hv BEDFORD, Kings
ton, Essex and Columbia streets; westward
of this the entire block bounded by Bed
ford, Kingston and Chaunccy streets, and
Ecwe place, and westward of this the
buildings on Chnuncey street from Bedford
to Exeter place. II also bndly damaged
tho building OH tho southeast corner of
Fedford and Columbia streets. On the
north side of Bedford it consumed the
buildings on both the northeast and north.
west corners of BEDFORD aud Kingston
streets and damaged the block at the cor
ner of Bedford and Cliaunccy streets.
The territory rounded ly Kingston,
Bedford. and Chaunccy streets was tho
principal ticater of destruction. Here
the conllagration leveled everything,
Within an hour after tho first alarm
sounded the whole structure o; !rown,
Durrell Il Cos building collapsed with a
tremendous crash. The flames was DART
ing from doors and windows. and the
interior of the block was IL glowing fur
mace. Dry goods aud other com5ustibls
materials will which the floors we're
lacied burned to u whit heat. Granite
trumbled, and iron airiers melted away
like ice. Tho streams from the engines
were ~dissipated in vapor before
they touched the fire. Suddenly the cry
arose: ''The walls arc falling. sack
Back The crowd surged bncl, for their
very lives, startled by the shout. Fro
mon dropped their MOBILES and run to save
the apparatus. Great gaps opened in tho
walls, and bricks from cornices dropped
into the street with an luminous crash.
There was u confused and deafcning roar
and a dense cloud of smoke aud dust
mounted h~eavcnward. When il cleared
away the luxurious palace of trade had
vanished, only u fantastic leap of brick,
shattered stone. twisted iron beams, and
broken columns marking the site.
Two engines which had been stationed
at Chauncey and Bedford streets still
STOOL upright amid the wreck, but ruined
beyond repair. The boiler of No. % had
burst as a monstrous stone fell directly
upon it, tiattening it out like n mass of
tim. The machinery was broken and
bent and tho wheels and woodwork were
burned entirely away. Tho ladder truck
was clarred and splintered into n thous-
and fragments and the water tower was
smashed into All indistinguishable wreck.
Viewed from this point of vantage the
scene WINS one of thrilling grandeur. Di-
rectly opposite the towering Ames block,
occupied by Taylor Bros, was ablaze from
roof to basement. From this building the
fire was steadily eating its way through to
Cha,ncey street. despite the thousands of
gallons of water thrown upon it.
The immense stone and iron block oc-
oupied by Samuel Williams and Brigham
Il Co, on the corner OF Chauncey street
and Rove Court, marked the fartllest pro.
gress of the fire in that direction. All.
though apparently fire proof it was c.-
tirely Quilted. On the corner Of Chauncey
and Bedford streets the large block occu-
pied by Smith, Hogg e Gardner and 9TH
ers Was in almost rs bad a plight, and the
buildings between these two were utterly
destroyed. The leaping flames succeeded
i'll crossing Clauncey street to the upper
stories of tho huge Allen block, largely oc.
cupied by Farley, Harvey Il Co., aud
those adjacent as far as Essex place.
1t was hard to direct streams Of wate,
effectively, and for a time it seemed as
though Warren street might yet 10
reached. The fircmen here made O grand
rally. Many lines of hose were carried
through the stores OH Harrison avenue,
the extension of whose rears was opposite
the rears of those already burning, and
the foe was strongly fought. Other hose
was taken up stairs and used underneath
md from windows across on Bedford street.
Still other streams were directed upon the
flames and finally the further progress of
the fire was staid.
Here is the record of the fires rayace:
Fifteen fine brick, granite, and sandstone
blocks were destroyed beyond repair,
while half a dozen structures were left
with their top stories gonc. From So
200, 600 to 81, 600, 900 worth of merchan.
disc was burned to ashes. The assessed
valuation of the buildings destroyed is
about 500, GOO.
Among the firms burned out are Lamb
son d Hubbard, Brown, Durrell & Co..
Armstrong. Brainard n Co., George A.
Quinn \ Co., Walker, stetson & Co,
Farley, Harvey y Co., Wilson, l.arrebee
y Co., Q. A. Sampson Il Co., George
Foster Il Co., Barnes. Hutchinson, Il
Manning Il Co, Jordan, Marsh q Co.,
Nevins & Co., Woonsocket Rubber 20. 4
Walker, Stetson, Sawyer Is Co.
The heaviest losers are rs follows:
Brown, Durrell y Co., dry goods, $780,
QUO, insurance, $50, 600: Jordan, Marsh
4 Co, shirt factory, 5000, 900, insured;
Woodsocket Rubber Co., $3.50, 600, in.
sured; Taylor Brothers, hats ana caps.
500. OoO, insured for $15, 900; Walker.
stetson, Sawyer IS Co, $500, 600, insured
for $500, 900; Allen building, $3.50, 900.
insured.
The insurance companies. SO far com.
piled BY the insurance agents make a total
of 50 92h. The fire, coming as it do,s,
rn an ne tLn ~.n1A Lf---