The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-03-29
Big BLAZE IN BOSTON.
The Business Heart of the
Ci'y Rayaged by Flames.
Several Lives Lost and Millions
in Property Burned.

One of tho most destructive fires Ia chs
history of Boston, Mass, next in magni.
tude to the famous one OF Thanksgiving
DAY, 1880, and in the same district, broke
out shortly after clock in the afternoon,
and before it was placed uader control.
three hours later, had burned over more
than q square, bad 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 a conservative estimate
at "a, 500, 900. had been attended by scene
of panic and distress never before equaled
mn the memory of citizsns 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 boun1e1
ON the north by Essex street. on 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 1t was
necessary to remove many wounded persons
who had been taken there.
.. Among the buildings burned were toe
Ames building, Lincoln building, Brown
Durrell buildings, and dozen or mora
smaller ones.
SO serious was the prospect that the fire
woult spread and that panic would fol-
low that not only was the entire
,firs department ordered to the
SsmSridps. Newton, Waitham, Brockton
And Quincy came rushing to town. 1t also
seemed best to call out the militia to assist
the police in preserving order. Inc FIRST
and Ninth Regiments and two naval bat
talions were ordered under arms put tne
tiremen succeeded in checking the nre ana
the threatened panic was averted.
The wini was blowing gale before the
fire started, and as soon as the flames had
full sweep it increased to such violence tnat
-the fireu,en were in great danger OF bein.s,
blown from the tops Of the buildings. which
were the only available places from wnica
the fire could be fou yht. The wind SUCKED
the blazing contents from the buildings and
carried them for books. As these fire
brands fell they started fires in score o.
places. but the danger had been foreseen an
Ihe fire was confined to the district IN when
it started.
When the fire was discovered the streets
ware filed 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 depsrtmene was
here and the floors were packed TO the roor
with TOYS. In one room was lot OF hre'
works. Those fireworks became lgnieeo-
They went of with a rush.
The fire grew hotter and hotter from ~
o'clock to ). Reports Of falling floors and
exploding stone sounded like cannon IN the
distance. Bengal lights and other fireworks
famed up in a rattling series OF explosions
aud flights Of rockets sailed up over names
of brilliant colors.
While this immense display OF hreworks
wax going on the imperilled inmates were
crowdine through the flames and jumping
from the windows. The excitement in the
street was intense. The firemen 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 sprained limos and
general shaking up. The poor fellows VINO
struck the pavement were ether kiilea' -
tally injured or crippled for life.
The pitiful cries OF girls imprisoned in the
upper stories stirred the pulse OF every spec
tator. out it was impossible to render aid.
The intense heat soon set fire to the Woon-
socket Rubber Company building, and then
tine flames Jumped across the street to the
lincoln building. Both buildings burned
with such great rapidly that ten OF the
employees Of the Woonsoclet Company were
obliged to jump from the winaows sH pa,,eiaa anu
Department.
The fremen say there must be many VINO
met death in the Ames building. The Cap.
tain of Engine % says he saw four girls fall
hack into the flame, and another fireman
tells of two others who met a similar fate on
the opposite side Of the building. Inc
emergency hospital was locstei lmmen,
Jately behind the Unite1 States Hotel, and
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 ot saving
a life. When the fire in the Brown-Ourrel
building was at its height the form OF man
District Fire Chief Ezau, OF East Boston
was seen at an eighth-story window. rs
boldly seized one Of the large insulated
cables, which contain large number OF
electric wires, and proceeded to cross to the
opposite building hand oyer hand. he had
gone but few feet when it became appar-
emit he could not last long, and greatly to the
crowds relief he threw both legs over
the half inch cable which slightly sagged,
and slowly and tediously made his way to-
ward the building No. 1l9 Kingston street.
to which the cable ran. Midway ne stopped.
unable to 20 furtaer. A squad OF men ran
into the building NUMBERED 1l9 Kings.
ton street ami slowly lowered the
cable to which Egan was hanging.
At the same time HOOK and Ladder No. IA
erected a ladder 20 meet the slowly descend.
ing man. The cable was payed out slowly.
and the exhausted man gradually came
nearer the ground. His bo ly swung in close
to the burning building. from which issued
dense clouds of smoke when ne was out 5Wo
stories from the ground. In Few seconds
ha init NJ his comrades
leased his hold, an, as weak as cat, was
carried rom the scene. A shout OF triumph
and applause came forth from ths throsts
Of the vast assembly.
One young man employed at 50 Lincoln
streer, Stephen D. Salmon, Jr., found es-
cape by the stairs cut oE, aud was forced to
jump from the fourth story window. He
gaugei his jump so as to land on the tel
egraph wires, and thsre he clung in full
view OF the immense tnrong. In iiffy the
crowd had spreat blankets to catch him,
and into these he dropped from height Of
forty feet. His only injuries were spraiued
ankle and the loss OF tooth.
The fremen OF Engine - bore the brunt OF
the work Of rescuin2 toe employees of the
Partridge building One o. the men caught
in his arms a woman who jumpe1 from q
second-story window.
The office OF the metropolitan Sewerage
Commission was IN the building occuoied by
Horace Partridge, and separated only by a
thin partition. One OF the stenograpters
for the Commissioners, Arthur Carter, is
cripple, being unau!e To walk a step.
Ahre1 Bridgeman and another CLERK
carried their helpless comra1 1e down the
stairs with the fumes chasing them to ths
very door. This WAS but one OF toe many
acts of herolsm performed in that brief
period. when every second Of time almost
was worth a human lite