Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-12-05

Business Buildings-TwO Hundred Resi-
dent Firms and 100 Agents Suffer Loss
boston telegram.l
The most disastrous fire from whicl
Boston has suffered since 1872, and on
which in property loss almost rival
the great confagration at Lynn
broke out about s:2O o'clock Thurs
day morning in the six-story gran.
ite building owned by Jordan, Marsl
& Co. and occupied by Brown, Durrei &
Co., dealers in dry goods, on Bedford
street. corner Of Kingston. The first alarm
was Immediately followed by she first
| general alarm in Boston since 1872 Thurs
| days confagration ragged for six hours,
turned over two acres of. territory covered
by magnificent structures, and entailed q
loss now estimated at 81, 900, 600.
SO far as known no fatalities occurred.
but several persons were seriously in jur-
| ed Among them are:
MICHAEL ATKINSON. policeman, head
crushed by falling granite.
JoHN HALEY, hoseman, laceratcd by plate
glass.
THOMAS #. QUIGLEY, inhaled flames,
burned.
der dislocated.
EDWARD FRoHAN, fireman, hand nearly cut
or.
j. DACY. fireman, leg crushed.
FIREMAN RUSSELL OF engine 3, leg broken.
The burned district begins at Columbia
street on the east and extends two blocks
westward along Bel ford street to Chaun.
cey street on the west. On the south side
OF Fedford street the fire consumed the
'sitire block bounded by Bedford, Kings.
ton, Essex and Columbia streets; westward
OF this the entire block bounded by Bed
ford, Kingston and Chauncoy streets, and
Rowe place. and S~osSs~a.d of -.Lis tha
buildings on Chauncey street from Bedford
to Exeter place. IL also badly dana ged
the building on the southeast corner OF
Bedford and Columbia streets. On the
north side of Bedford it consumed the
buildings on both the northeast and north
west corners Of Bedford and Kingston
streets and damaged the block at the cor
ner OF Bedford and Chauncey streets.
The territory founded by Kingston,
Bedford. and Chauncey streets was the
principal theater of destruction. Here
the confagration leveled everything.
Within an hour after the first alarm
sounded the whole structure Of Trown,
Durrell & Co.'S building collapsed with a
ing from doors and windows. and the
interior OF the block was glowing fur
mace Dry goods and other combustible
materials with which the floors were
packed burned to white heat. Granite
crumbled, and iron girders melted away
like ice. The streams from the engines
were dissipated in vapor before
they touched the fire. Suddenly the cry
arose: "The walls are fallingi Back
Backp' Tho crowd surgad bach Tor thsi.
very lives, startled by the shout. Fire.
men dropped their nozzles ind ran to save
the apparatus Great gaps opened in the
walls, and bricks from cornices dropped
into the street with an Uminous crash.
There was a confused and deafening roar
and dense cloud of smoke and dust
mounted heavenward. When it cleared
away the luxurious palace of trade had
vanished, only fantastic heap 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
stood upright amid the wreck, but ruined
beyond repair The boiler OF No. % had
burst as monstrous stone fell directly
upon it, flattening it out like mass of
tin. The machinery was broken and
bent and the wheels and woodwork were
burned entirely away The ladder truck
was charred and splintered into thous-
and fragments and the water tower was
smashed into an indistinguishable wreck
Viewed from this point of vantage the
scene was one OF thrilling grandeur Di-
rectly opposite the towering Ames block,
OSeuPiOd by Taylor Bros was ahIaso from
roof to basement From this building the
fire was steadily eating its way through to
Chauncey street. despite the thousands of
gallons of water thrown upon it.
The immense stone and iron block oc-
cupied by Samuel Williams and Brigham
d Co., on the corner of Chauncey street
and Rowe Court marked the farthest pro-
gress of the fire in that direction. AL
though apparently fire proof it was en-
tirely gutted. On the corner of Chauncey
and Bedford streets the large block occu-
pied by Smith, Hogg a. Gardner and 9TH
ers was in almost as had plight and the
buildings between these two were utterly
destroyed. The leaping flames succeeded
in crossing Chauncey street to the upper
stories of the huge Allen block, largely oc-
cupied by Farley. Harvey q Co., aud
those adjacent as far as Essex place.
1t was hard to direct streams Of water
effectively, and for time 1t seemed as
though Warren street might yet be
reached. The firemen here made a grand
rally. Many lines of hose were carried
through the stores OH Harrison avenue,
the extension of whose rears was opposite
the reers of those already burning, and
the foe was strongly fought. Other hose
was taken up stairs and used underneath
and from windows across on Bedford street.
Still other streams we're directed upon the
flames and finally the further progress Of
the fire was staid.
Here is the record of the fires ravage:
Fifteen fine brick, granite, and sandstone
blocks were destroyed beyond repair,
while half dozen structures were left
with their top stories gone. From So.
500, 600 to 1900, 900 worth of merchan-
disc was burned to ashes. The assessed
valuation of the buildings destroyed is
about $7DG, 600.
The insurance companies, so far COM
piled by the insurance agents make total
of $8, C6S, 925. The fire, coming as it DOS,
on top of the great blaze at Lynn, is a
crushing blow to many OF the smaller in
surance companies, and it Is not at all un.
likely that it will cause the suspension OF
many of them
There are about 200 firms burned out
and 100 agents Of New York and Western
firms have had their headquarters destroy
ell. The seventy mine insurance compan-
les known to be interested carry an aggre-
gate insurance Of 81, 600, 00p on the burn
ed property.