The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-03-20
fremont TEMPLE BURNED
Boston's 1ell Known Hall Destroyed
for the Third Time.
THE BUILDING A MASS OF RUINS.
The Parker House Was Seriously Threat
ened and the Guests Were Alarmed
The Total Loss Estimated at Nearly
$500, O,OOO-The Cause a Mystery.

BosToN, March 20-A dirty, smoky fire
which broke out before church time yes
terday morning. destroyed fremont TEN
pie for the third time In its history. The
Parker House, filed with 470 people, was
threatened for some time, but escaped with
q bad water damage. Buffers dry goods
store, adjoining, was pretty well smoked
and the Burnham building, between Ire
mont Temple and the Parker House, was
deluged
One Of the guests i'm the Parker House
woke at about 7:15 yesterday and rolled
,ver In his bed, which was situated In the
rear of the fourth floor. A big sheet OF
aame which came from the rear windows
of fremont Temple, just before his eyes,
almost scared him out Of his wits.
The man, however, jumped out OF bed
and smashed the glass of the little hotel
SreIalarm box on his floor. Iu an Instant
the immense hotel gongs were changing
from the roof to the basement with noise
enough TO wake the dead. A porter rushed
across the street and pulled in an alarm
rom box 35.
The fire department espondedpromptly.
The hosemen got to work in moment and
,an half dozen lines into the main en-
/. trance and up the broad stairways The
flames were then
Roaring and Cracking
IN the main hall, which was one mass OF
fire. The district chief at once rang in
yecond alarm The response was rapid
rom all over the city, and in half an hour
from the discovery of the fire 30 lines OF
hose were pouring food of water into the
burning building.
Lines of hose were run up the main stair
way of the Parker House and out through
the scuttle. Lines were also raised from
Bosworth street, School street and Chap
man street. The roofs OF the adjoining
buildings wers also utilized by the flremen
TO pour water upon the burning structure.
In short time the flood of water thus
thrown into the fire had the effect OF put
ling down the blaze. The fire was consid.
cred under control at 10 o'clock, but il was
late in the evening before the engines
stopped pumping their mighty streams
into the building. All the occupants OF
che building, of course, will suffer loss,
but on the street floor the damage is con-
tined to smoke and water.
The loss to the Temple is about 800, coo
and to the offices and the.stores under
heath about $4,000. Two firemen were
injured by falling walls. Owing to the
dangerous COnulllOH Ol tue Willis anu lho
liability of the coping falling, fremont
street was closed for traffic and will be
until the walls are pulled down. The
Temple will probably be rebuilt at once.
Parker House Not Much Damaged.
"We are not badly injured" said Stew
ard Lindsay of the Parker House. 1--WE
had narrow escape, but we are not burned
at all. Our damage will be entirely from
water"
When the big gongs Of the Parker House
first rang out the alarm there were some
lively times I'm the hotel. A great many
guests appeared in the corridors without
an overabundance of clothing.and STAN
peded for the stairways. Every effort was
made to pacify them by the employees, and
1t was not long before the guests subsided
sufficiently to properly dress themselves.
BY that time the extent and location of the
fire was thoroughly understood, and there
we're no frantic scenes enacted.
How the fire originated is a mystery tn,
,ame as the other big fires which of late
destroyed millions of dollars worth o.
property I'm this city. S.Sss
1t is known that the pipes through th'
building were in use, and that the fir,
caught from them being overheaten is be
lieved to be the truth. In fact this is tn,
most plausible cause that has so Ear beer
taA