People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-03-17
FIRE AT BOSTON.
The Hub Visited By a Destructive
CONFEDERATION.
Smoke The Loss Estimated at Fully
$4,000, OOO-Three Persons Killed
and Others Injured.
Blaze at Boston.


BosToN, March 12-At least three
lives were lost, thirty persons injured
and property worth 81, 500, 900 destroyed
by fire which burned over more than
a square in the business center of
this city yesterday afternoon and COM
pleted its work of ruin in three short
hours
The fire started in the toy department
of Horace Partridge & Co. on the up
per floors of the f. L. Ames seven story
building, corner of Essex and Lincoln
streets, apparently from fireworks, at
4:25 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and,
before the general alarm could be
sounded, the whole great structure was
in flames The alarm was sounded
from the same box from which it came
at previous great fires.
In the building were many employees,
and as the usual avenues of escape were
soon cut off a mad panic ensued. Many
escaped by sliding down telegraph
wires, others jumped into blankets and
still others leaped to the sidewalk.
So fierce were the flames that assist
ance was at once asked for from Somer-
vile, Cambridge, Newton and other
suburbs, and Gov. Russell ordered out
two companies Of militia and himself
went to the scene. The fire spread with
great rapidity and in less than an hour
every building on the square bounded
by Essex, Lincoln and Kingston streets
and several on other squares adjoining
were beyond hope of salvation.
There were many thrilling incidents
connected with the saving of life, and
had it not been for heroic actions of
citizens and tiremen the loss of life
would undoubtedly have been far
greater. Scores of large blankets were
used to break the falls of leapers from
upper stories of burning buildings, and
one man who was sliding down a pole
stopped on his way to save a child.
Other equally brave acts were per-
formed.
The dead so far as known this morn.
ing though the list must be very incom.
plete-were:
Leonidas H. Redpath, senior partner
in the firm of Redpath Bros & Co, died
in hospital
Fred Meadowcraft, % years of age,
jumped from the third story and fell
on his head.
An unknown man.
Flremen and others who were early
at the scene of the fire describe the sit.
uation as fearful. Many in the build
ings were completely paralyzed by fire
and the rescuers had great trouble in
inducing them to move even to safety
Young women were especially unnerved
and it required force to induce them to
leave. Others leaped madly from win
dows and it was almost miraculous that
dozens were not killed by the falls.
All night long there were little knots
of sightseers grouped at intervals along
the circuit of the ruins. The insides of
the burned buildings were still ablaze
while ruins covered all the surround.
ing streets
Theodore Crocker, of East Boston,
% years, jumped from a fourth story
window and received fractured jaw,
a fractured elbow, a fractured thigh
and compound fracture of the leg
The doctor who dressed his wounds
said he was the most terribly injured
man he ever saw alive. He was satu-
rated with blood and begrimed with
smoke from head to foot. The doctor
thinks he cannot possibly live
George Mcclellan, bookkeeper for
Horace Partridge & Co., says to-day
that he has made careful canvass of
all Horace Partridge's employees and
feels confident all escaped. If Mr.. Nc
Kellar's canvass is complete the re-
ports Of loss of life in the Ames build
in0 1uara nrObo hlv ,,pfOundod