Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-03-24
Big BLAZE In BOSTON.
The Business Heart OF the
City Rayaged by Flames.
Several Lives Lost and 3iillicn3
IN Property Burned.

history of Boston, Mass, next in magni-
tude TO the famous one OF Thanksgiving
Day. 1889. and In the same district, broke
out shortly after o'clock in the afternoon,
and before it was placed under control
three hours later, had burned over more
than a square, had reduced to ashes several
of the magnificent new buildings recently
completed on the territory burned over
three and half years ago. had consumed
property valued by conservative estimate
at a, SOC. 900, had been attended by scene
of panic and distress never before equaled
in the memory of citizens now living, and
had destroyed perhaps, it was estimated on
the morning after the horror, a dozen hu-
man lives, and mangled or manned at least
thirty persons, some of them fatally.
The burned area covers block bounded
on the north by Essex street. the east by
Lincoln street, on the south by Tufts street.
and on the west by Kingston street. In ad-
dition to this the fire leaped across the
streets here and there, and destroyed build.
ings in fringe around the burned area.
Part of the United. States Hotel was
burned One wing of the building had been
used as an emergency hospital. and it was
necessary to remove many wounded persons
who had been taken there.
Among the buildings burned were the
Ames building, Lincoln building, Brown
Durrell buildings, and dozen or more
smaller ones.
So serious was the prospect that the fire
would spread and that a panic would fol-
low that not only was the entire
fire department ordered to the
scene, but those of Somerville,
and Quincy came rushing to town. 1t also
seemed best to call out the militia to assist
the police in preserving order. The First
and Ninth Regiments and two naval bat
talions we're ordered under arms, but the
fremen succeeded in checking the hre ana
the threatened panic was aVerte1.
The wind was blowing a gale before the
fire started, and as soon as the flames had
full sweep it increased to such violence that
the firemen were in great danger of being
blown from the tops of the buildings, which
were the only available places from which
the fire could be fou INT. The wind sucked
the blazing contents from the buildings and
carried them for books. AS these fire
brands fell they started fires i'll a score of
places but the danger had been fOreSeen and
the fire was confined to the district in which
it started.
When the fire was discovered the streets
were filled with people and trading in the
Ames building was brisk. The leading ten
ant was Horace Partridge, dealer in toys and
small wares. His wholesale department was
here, and the floors were packed to the roof
with toys. In one room was lot OF fire.
works. Those fireworks became lgnlted.
They went off with rush.
The fire grew hotter and hotter from ~
o'clock to 5. Reports Of falling floors and
exploding sNone sounded like cannon in the
distance. Bengal lights and other fireworks
famed up in rafting series of explosions,
and flights of rockets sailed no over Hames
of brilliant colOrs.
While this immense display OF fireworks
was going on the imperilled inmates were
crowding through the flames and jumping
from the windows. The excitement in the
street was intense. The hremen spread
their fire nets and caught many, but men
and woman dropped so fast that it was i'm
possible to catch all. Those who landed in
the nets escaped with Spralned limbs and a
general shaking up. The poor fellows who
struck the pavement were either killed, IA
tally injured or crippled for life
The pitifuI cries Of girls imprisoned in the
upper stories stirred the pulse of every spec
tator but it was impossible to render aid.
The intense neat soon set fire to the Woon-
socket Rubber Company building, and then
the flames jumped across the street to the
Lincoln building. Both buildings burned
with such great rapidity that ten of the
employees of the Woonsocket Company were
obliged to jump from the windows, and
were saved in the nets of the Protective
Department.
The firemen say there must be many who
met death in the Ames building. The Cap
tain of Engine 26 says he saw four girls fall
back into the flames, and another fireman
tells of two others who met similar fate on
the opposite side of the building. The
emergency hospital was located immedi-
within fifteen minutes it had three dead and
twenty INJURED within its walls.
For the first time in BOStOn'S fire history
overhead wires proved the means of saving
a life. When the fire in the Brown-Durrell
building was at its height the form Of man
District Fire Chief Egap, of East Boston
was seen at an eighth-story window. He
boldly seized one of the large insulated |
cables. which contain large number Of !
electric wires and proceeded to cross to the |
opposite building hand over hand. He had |
gone but few feet when it became appar- |
ent he could not last long, and greatly to the |
crowds relief he threw both legs over |
the half inch cable which slightly sagged, !
and slow y and tediously made his way to- |
ward the building No. 119 Kingston street, |
to which the cable ran. Midway he stopped, |
into the building numbered 119 Kings |
ton street and slowly lowered the |
cable to which Egan was hanging. |
At the same time Hook and Ladder No IA |
erected ladder to meet the slowly descend |
ing man. The cable was payed out slowly, i
and the exhausted man gradually came |
nearer the ground. His DO 1y swung in close |
to the burning building, from which issued |
dense clouds of smoke when he was but two
stories from the ground. In a few seconds
he swung into the arms Of his comrades, re-
leased his hold, and, weak a cat, was |
carried from the scene. A shout of triumph
and applause came forth from the threats
OF the vast assembly.
One young man employed at IS Lincoln
street. Stephen D. Salmon, Jr, found es-
cape by the stairs cut off, and was forced to
jump from the fourth story window He
gagged his jump SO to land on the tel !
egraph wires, and there he chung in full /
view of the immense throng. In jiffv the |
crowd had spread blankets to catch him |