New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-29
THE GREAT FIRE OF 1872.
WHEN NEARLY EIGHTY MILLIONS WENT Up IN
SMOKE AND DOWN IN ASHES-THE BoS-
TON FIRE DEPARTMENT.

TON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
J, was at about O'Clock on the pleasant. moonlit
evening Of saturday. November o. 1872. that a fire
occurred In building at the corner Of Kingston and
summer SIS, in Boston Just block from wher,
the conlasraton Of yesterday began. 1t started in
the lower story and quickly spread through the entire
structure, until the mansard roof of
hames. Thence it extended IN three directions, i'm
PEELED by the gale which Itself had caused. and soon
oummcrst.. Franklln-S. and Winthrop square were
ablaze The heroic efforts Of the fremen avaied
little 10 check It's fury. and indeed their labor was
seriously handicapped by the then prevalent epzootc
which rad disabled large proportion Of their horses
When midnight past and the con1agratiOn was
Increasing its headway, desperate means were resored
TO. Block after block was blown up with gunpowder
and special brought Ia the fire companies Of the
cities and towns OF Eastern Massachusetts. The
chief stand made against the northward progress
OF tho fire, and the work OF the fremen on washing
ton-sL. from to O'Clock ON sunday morning. has
never been surpassed III heroic energy. Thus they
saved he Old South Church. though scorched and
scared with cinders Then they fought tho flames at
the new postofce DevOnshre-st., az the Merchants
Exchange, and in the narrow streets between Broad
and kilby sts state-s was literal wall Of engines
from which Niagara Of water was poured upon the
nie All through Sunday morning the struggle was
Continued but by noon the flames were well IN cheek
and by the middle OF the afternoon the visiting IRE
companies began to return home.
Thus. within twenty four hours the business hears
Of Boston consumed. The tract bounded by sum
mer Washington and STATE and the water front
comprising about sxty-nve acres, was almost WhoiS
devastated. The number OF buildings burned was
T76, Of which 81 were Of wood and 100 OF DICK ana
stone. Very few Of them dwelling houses Inc
assessed valuation of them all was Sl3 o9l 300 ana
It was estimated that 10 replace them Wou'd COST
fully Sla,OO0.OC0. The value of personal properly
destroyed rather none than S6O.OoOoOO zap
ply few lives wcr,, lost the total number reported was
fourteen. seven of the victims being aremen, dead
on the field OF honor The only public buildings oI
importance injured the poStoflces' the ola one
on staest, and the unfinished new one at De'ohsno
and Water STE To save the remnants OF plope'S
from thieves and 10 keep the citizens from peru anu
the crumbling ruins three regiments OF state u0oPS
were summoned 70 the scene, and they heh uic eh'o
district undcr martial law for many days Inc eA'ra"
dinay losses brought ruin To many Insurance com
NAMES and the LEGISLATURE wa thus lei after to
enact a new general insurance law Another law an
thoriZed the CITY Of Bos 10 issue bonds 10 inc eA-
tent Of S2OOOOOOO to aid landowners to rebuild ana
a th.rd provided for new and lmplO'N e9'""i VI
drainage for the entire city and s lnnledla~ suOurD'
This Wa done at an extra session OF the LEGISLATURE
called specially for the purpose
In the year following this prodigious catastrophe
quickly recovered. tho present IRE Dcpdi u.pu. Va
Boston Organized, under ne auulHHs,' s.N n.
Mayor Henry l.. Pierce There Is a boaru OF IuI0e
on miss iOners under which are chef engineer,
.upe intendent Of aarms thirteen engne anu nearly
700 other There are thirty Two IekuIsI e.cau
ar+englue companies and seven engines III resriNc,
tx regular chemical engine companies anu liIce
Engines fn reserve: twelve horse hose coHlpanleN'
fourteen regular hook and ladder companies, one
nm af,us an reserve and aerial ladder company
me nrcboat one watertOwor fifty feet high, twonty.
hre, fun wagons. 100 horses, and 'o,oOO feei OF
- The engine houses are thoroughly equipped.
I'D when all the men are IN bed the average time
- eI,useS between the sounding o. An alarm and
be- issuing of the engine. fully manned. upon the
rect is loss than rwelve seconds. The city IS
vde.I into ten nre districts. with t1 regular alarm
ives 47O3 hydrans and 80 special reservoirs, and
100 miles OF telegraph wire. Boston was, IN 1eJ2,
he first city IN the world 10 adopt the Geographic
There have been sl other great fires in Boston
cn Indeed 10 which that adjective has been APP
olied That OF 1850 destroyed 34D buildings, aud
,mrned the Town House. the first Church. and 100
IWeIngs. THAI o. 1902 was only checked by the
'lowng up OF three large warehouses. Ihe fire OF
G7o Destroyed every important warehouse ana many
,weiigs and vessels al the wharvcs. This calamity,
allowing hard upon one I'm 1876 which DESTROYED
burch and forty five Oher buildings. led Mather 10
nv IN despair, " All. Boston! Thou hast seen the
vhch laid OF thy dwelling houses and seventy
n fhy warehouses IN ruinOus heap, gave thee to
rad Il In fiery chsraoers7 From each Of thess
aianiities however. the City rallied with new vigOr
nd enterprise Jlsifying the judgment of another
md later writer. that The best treasure VI Boston
'annot be burned up Her grand capital Of culture
md character science and SKILL humanity and religion.
,I.n .tf AFvaa karN