Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-16
Intensely Thrilling Accounts Of
Many Futile Attempts
TO Escape.


Boston, Mass, March 10.-One of the
most destructive fires since the noted
Boston fire, broke out shortly after 4
o'clock this afternoon and before it
was placed under control, three hours
later, reduced to ashes several mag
niicent new buildings recently complct-
ed on the territory burned over three
and half years ago.
The consumed property is valued by
conservative estimate at $4,5OOC00 and
the fire was attended by scenes of pam
ic and distress never before equalled
here. 1t destroyed many human lives,
how many cannot be told, and mangled
OF manned at least L4-44 " persons, some
of whom will die of their injuries
FLAMES broke out in the toy depart
ment of the Horace Partridge COM
pany who occupied the fifth and sixth
floors of the seven story building,
corner of Essex and Lincoln streets,
owned by +. Il. Ames.. The cause at
present is unknown, but is described by
those nearest it as resembling the burst
Ing of Il huge fire cracker.
The flames spread with increased "a
pidity and III Il very few minutes the
entire interior of the building was burn
ing. There were many employees at
work at the time and the other floors
of the building We're sprinkled with hui
man beings.
The usual avenues of escape We're at
once cut off and then began scramble
for life which sickened behOlders. The
panic stricken inmates fled to the wind
ows and roof. Some escaped by sliding
down telegraph poles, others by leaping
into blankets. Several jumped to the
pavement six or eight stories and We're
terribly mangled, and others, how many
cannot be told, fell back in the caul-
dron of flames or were overcome by
the dense black smoke which sufficat-
ed all who did not speedily escape.
The entire fire department of the city
was speedily on the scene. The de-
partmehts of Summerville, Cambridge,
Newton and Brockton arrived later by
train and aid was requested to be i'll
readiness from more distant cities.
Fortunately further help was not need
ed. Vast crowds of people began at
once to flock to the scene and as 4 pre-
caution, Gov Russell ordered two COM
pauies Of militia out.
The fire spread rapidly and despite
the efforts of the entire fire systems OF
Suffolk county it was not controlled
until a whole square was leyeled and
also five buildings on other streets.
The principal buildings burned and
the occupants thereof are as follows:
Ames building, occupied by the WOOn-
socket Rubber company; Barbour
Brothers, thread, Amazome Machine
Co; Consolidated Glass company; Mer
rick Thread company; Apaclard & Co;
r. NJ. Appleton; Hanover Shoe com
pany: Iariat Manufacturing company;
Claftin Larabe & Co., e. s. Rubber
Co: Redpath Bros, boots and shoes;
C. B. Thing & Co.; Jaquith Rubber
Co.; StelQle Machine Co.; Horace Pat
ridge & Co.. Hathaway Harrison; Cape
Cod Glass Co.; American Tin Co. and
many others.
The Lincoln building, five stories,
opposite, occupied by the Singer Manu-
The Ludlow building, six stories, on
Essex street
The Brown-Durell building, seven
stories high, Essex and Kingston streets.
All the concerns in the two latter build
fngs We're burned out.
The five-story building on Essex and
Columbia streets, occupied by Walter
S. Barles, paper box manufacturer, and
others.
The United States hotel was slightly
damaged.
Three small buildings occupied as
dwellings and stores were also burned.
1t would be impossible to narrate
all the exciting scenes which attended
the confa gration. Hoseman O'Connor
in narrating the story of the fire said
he went to the second story of the
Ames building and found a struggling
mass of men and women there trying
to throw themselves out of the win
dows. He beat them back and open
ing the window took them out one al
time, dropping them into net below
He So succeeded in dropping thirty
and says there were at least us many
more who never came out Of the build
ing alive
The manager of the Lauriat Manu-
featuring Co., says that six of theil
employees are missing. The widest
kind of stories are in circulation regard
ing the loss of life and the general eX
tent of the disaster. The greatest con
fusion and excitement prevails, how
ever. and it is impossible to get authen
tic details tonight
attending the fire, the one which at
tracted most attention perhaps was that
of a man appearing in the eighth story
Of the Durrell building when the fire