Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-05-25
4 Big BLAZE IN BOSTON.
THE HEART OF THE CITY
SWEPT BY FLAMES.

by the torch OF an iuccndiary over mill
ior dollars worth OF property In Boston,
Mass. was laid in ashes, over lvo hunircd
of the mciium aud poorer class"s.
consisting OF over 1000 people, wcrN made
and many OF them who had timotc
save IA portion Of thcir household furnt
ture sIcpt that might In tho opon air, guard
ing all that they had In the world, GA Hadt-
SON Park and in open lots, which wNr" III
ernlIy pilci six fsot high with furniture OF
every description Women with habos I'm
their arms and little children huidl"i ciosH
together had only tho sky for u roof and th"
few mattresses savoh from tho burned t"nr-
mcnts for "A bod, and no prospects OF u hroak-
fast In tho morning.
In less than thrcc hours twrlN" acres 81
territory were burned over. Tho baseball
grand stand and hlcachors, large school
house, an engine house and l6i wooden AMI
twelve brick buildings were DESTROYED.
The second OF the series Of hall games be-
tween the Bostons and lialtimorcs hal begun
before $500 spectators. Method hy tn" de
feat of the previous day, the champions wcr"
playing ball for all they Wore worth, and
running bases In way that thr"atonHd I"
carry everything before thom.
Only az innings had boon played, and tho
Baltimorcs were 10 take their turn at
bat in the last part OF tho third Inning.
when the contest was interrupted hy
flames that could be socn rts.
ing from the right Held hi"a"hers'
Tho cause of this was that some small boys
from Roxbury saw pile Of chips and shay
ings undcr the baseball structur", applied u
match and then left to watch tho ouoct ol
their work.
A moment aftcrward the nro had spread
to such an extent that tho boys becamo
frightened at the unexpected result OF their
folly and ran away.
The occupants Of the blcaohcrs, iocling tho
warmth under thcm, jumped from their seats
and tried TO cXtinguish the flames by tearing
the rubbish and scattering It, but tho blaHo
refused TO be eXtinguishcd.
Excitement on tho ball ground was I'M
mense, for tho flames wcro beyond control
before the $500 spectators had time 90 r"aliao
their peril. At first II was regarded IA
lokc. Tho spectators began to got impatient
that such little flame should stop play, and
Impatiently cried "rlay bull Play ball =
With tho rapidity OF u prairie IRE, IN"
danes rushed along, taking In everything
of an iniammable nature they oncountcr"d.
The ball players ran out toward the scon',
but it was not long before they were forced
back The heat was So intense that tho
spectators who had hocn driven into tho lott
field corner began TO mako their way out OF
the grounds through IA hole in tho conirc-
field fence.
Those who managed TO get Wow outside
Of the fence saw n magnificent sight AS tho
massive towers tottercd and fell.
The ball players little dreaming that there
would be anything moro than brioi intor-
ruption, found that It was caso OF hustl"
TO ret their belongings out In time. Captain
Nash was one of the last to leave, ana IL hhd
got pretty hot before he had made his exit.
Captain Robinson, OF the BhtlmoreB, was
also slow to ret out.
number of women foil on tho street from
sheer exhaustion and had TO bo carried into
the various houses In tho victnitY some OF
these women are in dolicato condition, ana
physicians were summoned from all parts OF
the city to assist should their services bo re-
uuired The streets were full OF carts chrry-
ing off furniture and confusion rcignod su-
preme
A few minutes past o'clock woman was
seen coming from "a house on Cabot street
with her clothes all on ilro. She mad"
frantic rush from this street toward the ropes,
when Patrolmon Groen and Lewis, OF sta
ton No /, caught her in their arms, rolled
her In the street and thereby saved her llio,
as she escaped with only n i"w slight burns.
A woman on Burke street, wTinginR hcr
hands, shrie ked 'Whero arc my chi'-
drenY'
Near mt hand were Charles w. Eaton and
n Mr.. Cusick, Of Brooklinc, who had been
attending the ball game.
They Instantly sprang to the rescue oi tho
ltle ones in II burning building. Mr..
Cusick brought out thrco and Mr.. Eaton
saved two They went through clouds OF
smoke ia order TO do this and with peril to
their lives The chlIron were turned over
TO the woman in the street, who took care oi
them.
Michael Welsh. entered his homo to save
some personal effects, but the building hhh
ignited and the flames spread 80 rapidly
that his escape WAS completely cut OF.
| He rushed to the roof of tho building, ana
| when cnvolopcd in flames jumped to tho
ground, about thirty feet Iio lnndod on his
| fcct but was severely injured internally,
and was picked up in II soni-conscious con
ditiOn and taken 10 the city Hospital, whcro
| it was discovered that In addition 10 internal
| injuries. ono Of the small bones Of his leg
was broken.
One man was seized with paroxysms OF
| fear when the fire ignitcI his home, ana tho
result OF the attack was cOmUlcto prostra-
| tion. He was rendered lhSehslbl" ana ""7
| taken to the hospital.
| By o'clock the fire had crossed fremont
| TO Cabot street, and was beyond IN" '"uir"l
OF the flremen. Again and agnin the gallant
| fire fighters made a stand and poured thou.
| sands OF gallons Of water upon ~" hhlncF,
| but still they swept on, and II Sn"H"h NJ
| IL nothing could stop them. Shortly M,
| ter o'clock several steamers arrived
| from Lynn, Salem, Beverly, Br""N
! line and Lawrence, and every "Hort w'-
| made to stop the fire at Cabot street. Hut u
|
| burned from Cabot half way through to
| Warwick street and north 10 Burk" street,
| WAS the limit Of the burncl district on tho
| southwest side OF the ball grounds r"hrhnh.
| While the nremcn were at work on I'M
| side tho fire was spreading from WhIppl'
| street toward Milford place on the south
| west side Of tho ball grounds, and In BAH M
| hour all the buildings on this block were IN
| ruins II burned on until II reached mug
| giles street at one point, consumed ih'
| houses on both sides Of Chapel street an
| laid low the structures on Sudbury street
| At Ruggles street on tho west ana thho
| street on the southeast tho fire was prarti
caIly stopped, and at 80 it was under con
| troll and In no danger Of spreading iurthor
| On the northwest side Of the ball grounds
| the tracks OF the Old Colony RaiIroad pre-
vented the confiagration from spreading II
| that direction.
Tho fire was an unusually hot one and on'
ofthe hardest 20 fight in the history OF the
Boston department. Three engines had 4
be abandoned because Of the heat.
After the connagration was under contro
| the grounds OF tho Boston baseball team
were thrOnged with thousands of anxious
sightseers. The familiar grand stand was
| no longer there. Nothing remained but the
| iron work-a mass of smoidcrlny ruins anf
n single pillar Of brick. Looking toWar'
| fremont and Cabot streets, one vast waste 0
| fallen walls and sinOlderlnS runs Ih'1 lu'
gaze. Many West End street railway en-
| ployes were burned out and hundreds los
| all their effects.
| On the streets, Just without the burne'
district goods were strewn In every dirac
ton. Many outfits OF entire households
were hopelessly mixed up with goods frou
neighboring houses, and many who owncl
goods created stirring scenes in their ci
forts to recover their lost property. WomeE
holding little children frantically looked fO
relatives without success, and in man.
cases women were carried off by officers in
fainting condition. fremont street, Tor
distance ofseveral hundred yards was strewi
with wreckage, broken coils OF West En-
street railway trolIeys, and feed wires, be,
| ticking and hundreds of feet Of hose burne
| TO n crisp. Rivers of water covered tn
| street and on one side were three abandone
| Hre engines, twisted into an almost unreco5