Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-05-16


had they done 40 than the flames shot up
toward Coventry street. on that side of
fremont which Is nearest the ball
grounds.
They swept on In this direction for three
squares, devouring the homes Of the men
and women who were working with fran
tic energy to get out their household
goods, and even before they could remove
these to a safe place the walls would burn
and crumble down.
At 5 o'clock the entire block along the
west side of fremont street, from Wal
pole to Burke, was a brilliant mass OF
flames, which swept across to the oppo-
site side and soon engulfed the buildings
along the east side for four blocks. The
tons OF water that had been poured into
the buildings from every side apparently
had not the slightest effect and the
tongues of flame licked up everything In
their path like 40 much tinder.
Scenes OF Confusion.
BY this time the residents of the tene-
ments for nearly half mile around had
become alarmed and were moving all
their property into the streets and seek
ing for places of safety. So rapidly did
the fire eat its way. however. that those
In the blocks adjoining fremont street In
the Durn>ng district did not have time to
save their household effects, and barely
escaped with their lives.
The streets were filled with frightened
women and children, poor people who
were trying to save . part Of their small
property, and hurrying nremen and po-
icemen. Furniture of all kinds Uttered
the sidewalks, and the nremen were
greatly hamped by the distractions.
n. Il A. Al a.
tended from fremont to Cabot street, and
was yet beyond the control Of the Are
men. Again and again the hre-fghters
made q stand and poured thousands Of
gallons of water upon the flames, but
still they swept on, and it seemed as
though nothing could stop them.
Shortly after O'Clock several steamers
arrived from surrounding cities and
towns, and every effort was made to stop
the fire at Cabot street. But in spite Of
the vigorous onslaughts of the greater
part of the Boston department and the
assistance Of the firemen from surround
ing towns, the fire could not be checked,
and not until IL had burned from Cabot
street half way through to Warwick
street and from Burke street to Milford
court was the limit Of the burned district
on the southeast side Of the ball grounds
reached.
While the firemen were fighting the
flames on this side, the fire was spread
ing from Walpole street toward Milford
place on the southwest side Of the ball
grounds, and in half an hour all the build
inRs in this block were In ruins. Not
here even did the fire stop. but burned on
until Il reached Rugales street at one
point, consumed the houses on both sides
Of Chapel street and laid low the struc-
lures on Sudbury place.
Under Control
At Ruggles street on the west and
Cabot street on the southeast the fire was
practically stopped. and ut 7:S0 the fire
was under control and in no danger OF
spreading further.
On the northwest side Of the ball
grounds the tracks of the Old Colony
prevented the confsgration from spread
ing in that direction.
The fire was an unusually hot one, and
one Of the hardest to fight in the history
of the Boston fire department
Three steamers, Nos "A, - and s. had
to be abandoned because Of the heat.
About g. 80 Chief Webber was forced 70
retire almost exhausted, with his face
covered with blisters caused by the heat,
but he bravely returned to the battle soon
after and urged on his men.
No Fatalities Reported.
The list Of injured il large, although no
case has as yet been reported fatal A
large number OF the firemen were tenn
porarily blinded from smoke and cinders.
Fourteen cases of bruises and other in
juries received by persons from falling
bricks, glass, etc, were treated. Lieu
tenant Sawyer of chemical 10 was Sc
verely burned. He also had two ribs frac-
tured by a falling rsfter. Fireman Toll
man Of Everett was bitten by his horse.
Ten persons who were sick in the buildings
burned were also taken to the city hos
pital. Two cases were serious, but these
are apparently none the worse from being
moved.
As It Now Looks.
Thousands viewed the scene Of desola-
tiou In the Roxbury district today. The
grounds Of the Boston baseball team
were thronged with thousands Of sight
seers. The familiar grand stand was no
longer there. Nothing remained but the
iron work and a mass Of smoldering
ruins. Looking toward fremont and
Cabot streets one vast waste of fallen
walls and smoldering ruins met tbe
gaze.
On the streets, Just without the burned
district, goods were strewn In every di-
rection. Many outfits Of entire house
holds were hoplessly mixed up with goods
from neigh boring houses, and many VIII o
owned goods created stirring scenes I'm
their efforts TO recover their lost property.
fremont street for distance Of several
hundred yards Is strewn with wreckage
Broken coils OF West End street railway
trolley and feed wires, bed ticking and
hundreds of feet Of hose were burned to
q crisp amid rivers of water covering the
| street.
Three abandoned fire engines. twisted
into an almost uurecognizabls shape. In
dicated only too surely the strength Of
the foe the valiant fire lsddies had TO con-
tend with. The engines were abandoned
long before the confagration was at an
end, and the flames spread with such sur
prising rspidity that IL was impossible to
rescue them In time. The new houses Of
ladder l2 and hose on fremont street
were destroyed.
Loss Estimated At . Million.
Prominent insurance men are Of the
opinion that not over two-thirds Of the
loss is covered by insurance. John G.
Paige places the total loss at $1,000, 600.
The area Of the burned district amounts
to about 20 acres, and some 1900 people
are thought TO have lived In the dwellings
consumed. There were at least 250, 900
faat NJ solid buildin0s on ths diatrict