The Forrest City times., 1894-05-18
THE SIG FIRE IN BOSTON.


 Stupidity-Tweive Acres of Space Burned
 Overcome Thousand Families Rendered
 Homeless-Loss Estimated at From
 S5OO,oOO to Sf,O0O O,OOo-The Bostoas'
 Grand stand Burned.
 BosToN, May Is. Some small Rox- bury boys set themselves up as rivals to Mrs. O'Leary's COW on the Boston baseball grounds yesterday afternoon, and as result the city was visited by the biggest fire since Thanksgiving, 1899, and a confagration covering a greater area than any since the mem- orable ore of 1872. While the finan- cial loss is not circumstance to that of either of the above mentioned fires, yet in less than three hours some twelve acres of territory were burned over. The baseball grand stand and bleachers, a large school house, an en- zine house and 16a wooden buildings were destroyed, and 1000 families rem dered homeless The loss is conserva- lively estimated at from s300,O00 to $500, 900, although one authority puts it at s1, ,000,0 900.
 Indications are that the fire was caused by recklesness and mischief, and got beyond control through stupidity. The seats in the center field had been torn down since last season. and the only 25-cent seats left were those occu pying triangular position in the ex- treme right field. When these seats were completed there were left great many shavings and loose pieces of wood. As it has not rained for some days, this spot furnished excellent fuel for fire. The boys set the fire, and getting scared ran away, and thus the flames got a good start An officer was told about the blaze and tried to pull away some boards, but they gave the flames the start needed to make a confiagration, Then it took a long time to ring in the alarm and turn on the water, so that it seemed all of twenty minutes between the first ap- pearance of smoke and the applying of the first stream of water.
 The second of the series of games between the Bostons and Baltimores had begun before some $500 people. But two and half innings had been played and the Baltimores were to tdhC LnClI dt tilC Odt III thO idSU part of the third inning, when the contest was interrupted by flames which could be seen rising from the right field bleachers.
 The first alarm was rung in at 4:17 p. m. The department was slow in get ting to work, and before anyone seemed to realize the danger the flames were beyond control. After having thoroughly found it's way into the tackled the houses outside the grounds on the east side and crawled along the fence.
 All this time there was nothing done to protect the fine grand stand. The heat was so intense that the spectators who had been driven into the left-field corner began to make their way out of the grounds through a hole in the fence. x houses in the rear of the ball grounds were attacked, and within an hour the whole fence on the right-feld side. all the bleachers, the grand stand and ticket office, with all the wooden structures contiguous, had been de- stroyed. The fire had also burned through to Fremont street, and then, proceeding southerly, had taken all the wooden buildings on Burke. Gov grasp.
 Having practically consumed every thing on the right-hand side of Ire mont street, i: leaped across to the other side of that thoroughfare and then proceeded with swoop in the di rection of Rox bury crossing. ! The north boundary of the fire was Benton, and it's lateral boundaries were Cabot street on one side and the Providence railroad beyond the ball grounds on the other.
 At o'clock it had reached as far as Walpole and Sterling streets. and was burning as if not drop of water had been put on it. The district was full of old wooden houses.
 The work of the department was complicated by the fact that a part of the apparatus was out on a call from another box.
 Before o'clock help had been sum- moned from all cities and towns within radius of ten miles of Boston; and at 6:15 the first out-of-town apparatus ar rived. Soon afterwards control of the fire was secured and the call was re- seinded.
 The following were taken to the hospital slightly injured: William H. Horn, John T. Kane, Timothy E. Nease, and Lieut.. Sawyer of engine 23.
 Naturally questions are rife as to where the Bostons will go at present. The only ball ground accessible is that