Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-05-25
BIG BLAZE IN BOSTON.
TWO HUNDRED DWELLINGS ARE
BURNED.
The "Hub Visited by . Destructive Fire
that Leaves 5000 Persons Homeless
The Blaze Starts In the Baseball
Grounds-Farmers' Congress Plans.
Licked Up by FLAMES.

F ~
The most destructive fire that mas
visited Roston in months started Tues
day, a little after 4 o'clock. at the
South End ball grounds. The scene of
the devastation is that section of Rox-
bury beginning on the narrow street
that is the extension of Columbus AVE.
nue., and extending to Walpole street
on the south and to the western bound
airy of the ball grounds. The blaze
started, says a dispatch, under what
are known as the Decent blcachers.
and at its inception could have been
put out with a bucket of water. The
first intimation the audience had that
a fire was in progress was a thin sheet
of smoke that curled up between the
seats and spread ovcra space not larger
than a mans hat. The whole affair
was looked upon as a joke by some
mischievous boys. no attempt being
made to subdue the flames. The hun
dred or more men who We're seated in
this part of the field rose le~isurely and
peered culiously over the fence and
watched the flames.
and above the high board fence u long
tongue of flame shot upward. Then
from under the seats came other evil
dcnces that something more than an
ordinary blaze was in progress. The
smoke thickcned, the flames rose
higher and higher and in their Elm
brace took in the whole tier of seats.
They swept along rapidly, and owing
to the ttnder-like condition of the
she'll houses it required but u mcment
to engulf the poor structures in what
had nov developed into Il sort of rag
ing fire. The luny attempts of tho
fire department had no %appreciable
effect in subding the oncoming flames.
Building after building melted away
as If they had been specially construct
ed as food for the %devouring elements.
Roofs and windows of houses adioin-
ing the baseball grounds were crowd
ed with anxious spectators, who hung
on to a frail thread of hope that their
OWL houses might be spared from de-
struction.
Vain Efforts to Check the Conf ,sration
Strenuous efforts were made to check
the flames b. the use of buckets,
basins and whatever else would hold u
quart of water, but it was like an at
tempt to su5due the everlasting fires
of Vesuvius. Seeing that their efforts
were in vain the people hastily
gathered together what few articles
they could carry and rushed from the
houses. All the seats of the eastern
side Of the ball grounds were a sheet
of roaring flames Tho spectacle was
n of ineXpressible grandeur. and the
thousands who had gathered in the in
closure gaZed upon 1t in awe. mixed
with terror. The fire department had
now got thoroughly at work, but the
TONS nf Vafn1s which 1,nr,, ,~,,.1 s-Au.
the great flaming space were of nc
avail whatever and it seemed that the
rush of fine would only be subducd
when material to fe ID it had peer ex.
hau-ted.
Crowded on the upper story of the
grand stand were several hundred per-
sons who had gathered there to obtain
an unobstructed view of the awful
spectacle spread out before them. Nc
one dreamel th.t this beautiful s.ruc.
ture was in the remotest danger. but
ten minutes later it became evident
that this, too. lay in the path of the
mad flames. Hurriedly the stand was
vacated. and not a moment to soon, as
the eastern wing became ignited and
tine hot breath of the devouring mon
making their escape. A rush was hur,-
riedly made for the opposite side of tho
grounds, but even here the heat was
so intense that the people hu died to.
gether in the northwestern extremity
OF the grounds as far out of danger as
possibe e.
1t was not until 9 o'clock that control
was gained over the fire. The fire
burned over about eight acres. 2M
buildings were destroyed and 2,WC
persons were rendered homeless.
eAoAsuoe, CoMcoeee ~