The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-03-17
A Big Fire.

WSSCpU OlJ - a
A Big Fire.
Boston was vieited by a terrible fire Friday
afternoon which started in the Ames building or
Lincoln street occupied by the W00nsocket
rubber company and the Horace Partridge com
PAM the site OF the famous Thanksgiving Day
fire OF 1889. 1t swept like lightning through this
building, the occupants having no time to es'
cape, and losing their lives either by being
burned to death or by jumping from the win.
dows,. The walls OF this supposed fire proof
building speedily collapsed, and the fire crossed
the street. and soon the Singer Sewing Machine
company's building was within Its. grasp.
Between 5000 600 and $4,000. 900 of prop
erty destroyed in the worst conflsgration Bos-
ton has known since 1872. Alarm after alarm
was sent In, summoning every available piece
OF apparatus to tho scene; and messengers were
quickly dispatched 10 the hospital for I'll tho
ainbuiances. The families occupying tie tene
ment houses on Lincoln street Immediately be.
gan to move out their household goods in antic
ipation OF being driven out of their homes
which were evidently doomed to immediate
destruction. Thousands fiocked to the scene of
the conasgration but the immense crowd was
held IN check by the police. The excitement
throughout the city was intense; and not in
many years has the entire city Witnessed such q
scene. There were many hsir.breadth escapes;
and some of the scenes witnessed when the
helpless Inmates of the buildings attempted to
escape we're narrowing and pitiful in the ex.
IRENE. Requests fer aid were quickly sent out
TO many outlying SuDuTDS ana LOWnS, ana DeiD
was sent in as fast as special trains could pc
made up. The wind was blowing stitly from
the northeast and famed flames across from
one building to another. The grouhd shook
the fremen who stood by their engines and the
hoseman by their streams, took their very lives
in their hands. All about them was falling
debris and over their heads dangled live electric
wires, toward which they cast apprehensive
glances. The heat during this time was simply
awful. For several blocks way 1t could be
felt. and citizens who had remained inside the
fire lines were glad to get off from its reach.
The Singer building was squirting forth flame
from every window before 5 O'Clock, and pre-
septed a spectacle of thrilling magnifcepce.
and the powerful streams thrown from the
stcameES ses.iJSl 1oel;Iv !peffective against the
tremendous rush df the fire as 1t raced down The
street. AT this s,age one Of the most narrowing
ever witnessed in Boston was when there
at the third story window IL or is men
and women employed there, carrying their
books and other office effects with them. The
windows we're sE.ashed out and ledgcrs and &C.
count books were dashed through them. Hesi-
tating but a moment, these people threw then n
selves out amid the maze of wires and fell q
of so feet into the snow and stush of the
street. Most of these unfortunate people, whose
names could not be ascertained in the rush and
excitement, had either broken limbs or were
Injured Internally. They lay In all shapes and
who happened to be near. For the first
time probably since entering public life, Gov
Russell passed through a crowd unnoticed and
had to fight his way just like an ordinary NOR
tai. He was at the corner OF Kingston and Els.
streets with a party of trien Is and was
with interest the ravages of the fire.
The entira fire department of the city was on the
scene, and aid was called for, and received from
Cambridge, Newton, Quincy and
The mass of electric light and tele-
graph wires greatly impeded the fremen in their
work. Five persons lost their lives and a mum.
Der of others were badly Injured. The body of
Henry Turner. an employe OF Jaquith company,
and who has already been included in the lis, of
dead by Fridays FIRE, was found In the ruins by
D fireman. II was terribly mutilated and identi.
ication was only possible by means of a ring
he wore. The body of C. T.Cdiorne has
not yet been found.
Horace Partridge & Co., after a brief investi-
made since their fire, made the authorita.
i've statement Tuesday that the IRE originated
from causes still unknOwn. in the mems toilet
room on the third floor. near the elevator well.
When discovered the flames were coming
through the toilet room doors. No effort was
.hen made to stop IL in the anxiety to give the
alarm, so that the blaze jumped the hall, setting
ire to the pine PARTITION making the opposite
wall OF the hall on which the toilet rooms were
Inside the partition was the stock room
Of TOYS. ETC., and then 1t was beysnd control
The firm was coz ident that some one knows
ire making q trictinvestigation to q scertlin who
last using them The IRE spread west and
,outh to the United States Hotel where 1t was
1t is estimated that the damage to the
pltNu otbt0b os ~ >4SS>A pNNteONs
mainly to the servants quarters and guests
en- the Lincoln street side. ALI the guests
eft the hotel safely. Chlof Egaa narrowly
a Heavy Failure.
The Atkinson house furnishing company, with
st Portland, Me, and branches 10
England cities, made an assignment Satur-
lay for the benefit OF Its creditors. A Atkin-
on of Boston, famous ali over New England In
he furniture trade, and who sold out his busi-
in Boston to thu company only about a
month ago. has also assig sed to Elk Gov John u
1oAg TO protect his creditors. He 10 an endorscr
Ieavily on the furnishing company's notes.
'sry little 10 knswn get OF The condition of the
affairs but 1t 10 thought the liabilities
more, while The assets are about 81. eco, 600. The
commercial paper of the firm went to protest
sill over the country. Isaac c Akin
on, who has entire charge of the Boston plant
nd other stores, Is reputed one OF the
managers In the country. Byron A Atkinson be-
AN business In ,s12 with u few hundred dollars,
n a smais store on Pleasant street, In Boston,
mattresses, and later adding second.
and furniture. In February, 1888. he hired
Nassau hall, and run II In conjunction with the
ihaw nut furniture company and a store In Port
II west into STOCK and leases. lie worked faith
ully, WAS q sharp collector and economical In
is living, and proved himself one OF the mos.
AID pushing furniture men IN the
Inited States. IL was Known that his only CAP
tai came from the profits of HE business, and
nsny cold him With . feeling of anxiety. taking
hances with Others. his surplus Tor inc year
ssl was come Ss4 900. and by the transfer of
Is business at Boston ne received q bonus OF
bout $3.50. oo9 which bonus was pc vabie noetly
D stock OF the sew corporation. lsaac Atkin
on says: my troub Q began to show Itself TWO
T three weeks hack. when the Money market
howed siRss Of tightening. and the Immediate
ause of my failure was my Inability TO meet q
all loan which fell que on Saturday last j saw
d. pit opening before me. aud put forth every
fort to save myself from falling into 1t; but. do
w best, I could not keep my footisg. Had ]
given another hour, the opening could have
brideed and the trouble averted.
The Exeter NJ snufacturing Compsny's mills
-ere burned Tuesday morning at 5 10. The loss
els goo. The building destroyed was q five
structures. $50 Feet long. equipped with
l.Oc0 spindles snd u pair of mules. and contain
4 all the carding machinery. The neS mill.
mich was Of nearly equal size, ami which was
in 1876, was only slightly damaged by fire
nd water. The company had a total Insurance
Z s25s, 900, in mutual companies, and win,
rebuild. About s5e operatives
fe employed In the mills. and the annual
utnut is four million wards of cotton cloth.
The rebels in Brazil have At last captured {
anta Ann and rtport save that the leader of the
troobs, Gen Isadore Fernandez, he's
mmitted sulcise. The dispatches tell OF fear
/ atrocities by 10Th sides.