Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-17
TWO THOUSAND MADE HOMELESS.
And Over 100000 Loss by a
Big Fire in Boston.

The Work of an Incendiary-It Started
In the Baseball Grounds aud Spread
Until One Hundred Buildings We're
Destroyed.
BosToN, MASS, May 15.-By the torch
of an incendiary over $l,000,000 worth
OF property is in ashes tonight, over 500
families Of the medium and poorer
classes, consisting of over 1000 people,
are homeless, and many of them, those
who had time 10 save portion of their
household furniture, are sleeping in the
open air.
Women with babies in their arms and
little children hudd!ed close together
have only tho sky for roof and the
few mattresses saved from the burned
tenements for bed, aud no prospects of
breakfast in the morning.
FLED FROM THE STAND.
The fire covered space of 90 acres,
and as far as can be learned only six
persons have been injured and none
fatally. The fire started in the Boston
League Ball Park in pile of lumber.
In a moment it had leaped up to the
seats, and, famed by brisk breeze,
swept towards the grand stand. So
rapidly did the flames spread that,
before the occupants of the grand stand
realized it, the fire was upon them and
they were forced to fee.
The left field bleachars were next ig-
nited. Meanwhile the sparks had fallen
upon the houses on Berlin street and the
flames surged on towards fremont
street, reaching out to the right and left
until the entire square between the bail
| grounds and fremont street, and eX-
tending north from Walpole street to
| Burke street, was a mass of burning
buildings. The Sherwin kindergarten
schoolhouse, brick structure, checked
| the progress Of the fire for only a
moment, and that, too, was quickly
numbered among the structures con-
sumed.
The buildings on tho south side of
| Walpole street were soon burned. The
flames shot down toward Coventry
street on that side of fremont nearest
the bail grounds. They swept on in
this direction for three squares, as far as
Burke street, devouring the homes of
the men and women who were working
with frantic energy to get out their
household goods.
| No thANCE ~ SAVE AN1IHlN6'
At o'clock the entire block along the
west side of fremont street from Wal
| pole to Burke was brilliant mass OF
flames, which swept across to the oppa-
site side and soon engulfed the buildings
for four blocks.
So rapidly did the fire eat its way that
those people in the blocks adjoining
fremont street did not have time to save
their household effects and barely
escaped with their lives.
BY o'clock the conflagration had
crossed fremont to Cabot street.
Shortly after 6 o'clock several steamers
arrived from Lynn, Salem, Beverly,
Brookline and Lawrence and every
effort was made to stop the fire at Cabot
street.
But it could not be checked, and not
until it had burned from Cabot street
half way through to Warwick street and
north to Burke street was the limit OF
the burned district on the southeast side
of the ball grounds reached.
The fire burned on until il reached
Ruggles street at one point, and con-
sumed the houses on both sides OF
Chapel street and laid low the struc.
lures on Sudbury street,
At Ruggles street, on the west, and
Cabot street on the southeast, the fire
was practically stopped, and at 7.S0 the
fire was under control and in no danger
of spreading farther.
1t is estimated that about 100 build
ings have boon burned and about SOC
families rendered homeless. Most oil
the buildings were either tenements oil
small business houses.