The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-12-04
FIERCE FIRE In BOSTON.
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN PROP
ERTY SWEPT AWAY.
Tho Conhagration Continues Six Hours
and Wrecks Two Acres of Substantial
business Buildings-Two Hundred Resi-
don't Firms and 100 Agents Suffer Loss.

Boston has suffered since 1872, and one
which in property loss almost rivals
the great confagration at Lynn,
broke out about $40 o'clock Thurs
day morning in the six-story gran
lite building owned by Jordan, Marsh
& Co. and occupied by Brown, Durrel e.
Co., dealers in dry goods, on Bedford
street, corner OF Kingston. The first alarm
was Immediately followed by phe first
general alarm in Boston since 1872 Thurs
days conflagration ragged for six hours,
turned overtwo acres OF territory covered
by magnificent structures, and entailed a
loss now estimated at =, 900, 900
! So far as known no fatalities occurred,
but several persons were seriously injur-
ed Among them are:
! MICHAEL ATKINSON policeman, head
crushed by falling granite.
JoHN HALEY hoseman, lacerated by plate
! glass.
THOMAS F. ouIGhEY, inhaled flames,
burned.
] DISTRICT ENGINEER BARTLETT right shout
9 der dislocatcd
! EDWARD FRoHAN, fireman, hand nearly cut
J of.
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 edford street the fire consumed the
entire block bounded by Bedford, Kings
ton. Essex and Columbia streets: westward
( of this the entire block bounded by Bed
ford, Kingston and Chaunccy streets, and
I Rowe place, and westward of this the
buildings on Chauncey street from Bedford
TO Exeter place. IL also badly damaged
the building on the southeast corner of
| Bedford and Columbia streets On the
north side of Bedford il 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 conHagration leveled everything
! Within an hour after the first alarm
sounded the whole structure OF Trown,
/ Durrell 81 Co.'S building collapsed with a
tremendous crash. The flames was dart
ing from doors and windows. and the
/ interior of the block was a glowing fur
mace. Dry goods and other combustible
materials with which the floors were
packed burned to a white heat Granite
crumbed and iron Orders melted away
! like ice. The streams from the engines
were disspated in vapor before
they touched the fire. Suddenly the cry
/ arose: ''The walls are fallingl Back
Back" The crowd surged back for their
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 Vminous 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 n 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 indistinguishabe wreck.
Viewed from this point of vantage the
|
rectly opposite the towering Ames block.
occupied by Taylor Bros, was ablaze from
roof 10 basement. From this building the
fire was steadily eating its way through TO
| Chauncey street. despite the thousands of
! gallons of water thrown upon il.
| The immense stone and iron block oc-
| cupied by Samuel Williams and Brigham
| q Co, on the corner of Chauncey street
and Rowe Court marked the farthest pro-
gress of tire fire in that direction. AL
though apparently fire proof it was en-
| tirely Quilted. On the corner OF Chauncey
and Bedford streets the large block occu-
pied by Smith, Hogg q Gardner and 9TH
ers was in almost rs 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 &C.
! cupied by Farley, Harvey a Co, aud
| those al jacent as far as Essex place.
IL was hard to direct streams of water
| effectively, and for a time It seemed as
though Warren street might yet be
reached. The firemen here made grand
rally. Many lines of hose were carried
through the stores oil Harrison avenue,
the extension of whose rears was opposite
the rears of those already burning and
the foe was strongly fought Other hose
|
| and from windows across OH Bedford street.
| Still other streams we're directed upon the
flames and finally the further progress Of
the fire was staid-
Here is the re- ord of the fires ravege
Fifteen fine brick, granite, and sandstone
blocks were destroyed beyond repair,
while half a dozen structures were left
with their top stories gone. From 81,
800, 600 to -, 900, 600 worth of merchan-
disc was turned TO ashes. The assessed
valuation Of the buildings destroyed is
about $7g6, 900.
The insurance companies. so far COM
piled 10y the insurance agents make n total
of -, C6s, g25. The fire, coming as it do,s,
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 s., 600, COZ on the burn
ed property.