Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-02-03

gomery Sears, and which at the time Of its
erection was the finest business building In
Boston. At 9:25 o'clock smoke was seen
issuing from the roof and an alarm was rung
which was speedily followed by second and
then third.
When the department arrived, as in the
cases Of the Thanksgiving day and recent
Summer street CONGREGATIONS, the flames
seemed to have enveloped the whole build
ing. It was Thought the fire started in tho
engine-room on the Court street side of the
of the building and shot across the passage
way in the basement and up the elevator
we'll. The solid hardwood finish Of the inte-
rior fell and easy prey to the flames and but
q few minutes elapsed ere the upper stories
were on fire from end to end and side to
side of the building. At the time of sending
in the third alarm the destruction of the
elegant marble Rogers building on the south
and the famous Young's Hotel on the west
seemed almost certain. s3
The fremen fought like heroes and when
all the department got to work the building
was deluged with streams of water thrown
from the roofs of Young's hotel and Rogers
building. An hour after the discovery of
the fire the roof fell in and with it went
down the fourth and third floors. From this
on the work Of the fremen ives comparative
~ easy and by II O'Clock the FIRE was COM
pletely drowned out, but the walls of the
building are about all that is left of any
Value. The building YVES valued at upward
of SOC, 1000, it being assessed together with
the engine and boilers for $197, 400. There
is an insurance amounting to 175, 600, which
will undoubtedly cover the less. There is,
rents, every Office in the building being
occupied from which an income of $75, 900 q
year was derived
Among the occupants were the Second Ma
tional and Atlas banks, the Chicago, Burling-
ton and Quincy railroad, the John Hancock
Life Insurance company and many lawyers
and brokers. All will be obliged to seek new
quarters. The only damage to Young's hotel
was caused by carrying the hose through the
building to the root. 1t is probable that Mr..
Sears will not attempt to repair the damage,
but will take the walls down and put up q
new structure which will renew the new
Ames building now in process of erection on
the opposite corner. Mr.. Sears YVES early at
the fire, but experienced some little difficulty
in getting through the lines. Being stopped
by policeman, Mr.. Sears said he was not in
Boston at the time Of the great FIRE in 1872,
and he should like to see one piece of his
property burned. He was allowed to pass the
lines and during the progress of the fire gave
instructions to Mr.. Whipple of Young's Ho-
tel to provide refreshments for the fremen
and policemen. Two dremen were badly in
jured by copper gutter falling on them.
They were standing in the pessagewaY be-
the gutter down by means of q rope and were
unable to get out from under it when it fell.
John Griffin of ladder No. s was struck in
the back and Henry A. Fox of engine No. 25
was injured about the head. Both were taken
to the Massachusetts, General hospital and
placed in the free beds which Mr.. Sears pro-
vided sometime ago. It is not thought that
nt%I t. ck r11 II II c.,
as well as that Of the North street holocaust
were visited by many thousands of people
during the afternoon.
The insurance on the building and most of
the occupants was placed through Hardy'a
agency. Mr.. Hardy is at his residence in
Auburndale, nursing broken leg, and can
not furnish any definite figures until he il
able to come to town. which will be in q
day or two. Building experts place the LOSE
$125, 900, which is more than covered by the
insurance.
The losses to occupants are roughly placed
at 81, GOO. This does not include damage tc
libraries and there were many valuable onef
in the various lawyers offices in the build.
ing. It is feared that the great iron vault in
the office of Hutchins e Wheeler on the
valuable papers may be ruined. The firm
are trustees of number of estates
and the loss of their documents would
be almost irreparable. The firm il
probably the heaviest sufferer aside from Mr.
Sears. N. Grodjinski & Co., cigar dealers
who occupied portion of the basement car
ried $25, 900 stock. Their loss will be about
SIC, 900, upon which there is like amount
Of insurance. Besides the tenants
already mentioned the following also
had Offices IN the building; TIL.
National Bank of Commerce, Equitabl,
Trust Company, Of Omaha; New Hampshir.
Hartford railroad company; Charles Ner.
RAM, treasurer of Bigelow Carpet company
| and Of several railroad companies; J. E
Thayer and others, trustees of the Thaye
estate; the offices of twenty or more attor
news are in the buildinp.