Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-16
BOSTON'S BIG BLAZE.
Greatest Confagration in That City Since the
Memorable Fire of 1872.
Some Twelve Acres Burned Over with Loss of Over Two
Hundred Buildings.
The Fire Started Near the Base Ball Grounds Which
Suffered a Heavy Loss.
The Base Ball Players and Spectators Were Driven Shelter
The Base Ball Players and Spectators Were Driven Shelter
Great Hurry
The Loss Estimated Over 900 and May Possibly Reach
Over $l,000,00O.

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hands and knees. When these houses be-
gan to burn, the scene beggared descrip-
ton. Children were crying for mothers
and mothers wailing for children.
1t was feared that some children were
lost. A number of women fell on the
street from sheer exhaustion and had to be
carried into the houses. Som, of the sc
were in del cate condition, and physicians
were summoned from all parts of the city to
assist, should it be necessary. The street.
were full of carts carrying away furniture.
The work of the department was compl-
Gated by the fact that part of the appara-
tus was out on call from other boxes
Other alarms for subsidiary fires added to
the confusion. Help WAS summoned from
all cities and towns within radius of 10
miles. At 6.l5 the first piece of out-of-
town apparatus arrived, sn1 soon after that
the fire was under control.
few minutes past 6, woman rushed
from house on Cabot street with her
clothes on fire. Patrolmen Green and
Lewis caught her, rolled her in the street
and saved her life. She received few
slight burns. Charles W. Baton and Mr..
Cusick of Brookline, at great peril, rushed
through the clouds of smoke into burning
tenement and rescued five small children
from the second story.
Michael Welsh entered his home to save
his personal effects. Hi, escape was cut
off by the flames and he jumped from tn
roof to the grounl, about 80 feet. H.
landed on his feet but was severely injured
internally and had his leg broken. He will
probably recover.
One man was seized with paroxysms OF
fear, when his house caught fire, and was
rendered insensible and taken to the hospi
tai in precarious condition. A woman
who CAV. birth to child, Sunday, was
rendered delirious by the danger ami was
-emoved from the building while the flames
enveloped it.
Hoseman James D. Fitzgerald was
knot ked unconscious by the nozzle Of the
hose, but will recover Three men were
taken to the hospital suffering from slight
injuries. Lieut.. Sawyer of Engine
23 was injured by falling wall
Chief Webber was badly injured and re.
moved to the hospital, Having District
Chief Reaghn in charge.
At special meeting of the board of
aldermen, this evening, it was voted to re-
quest the trustees of the Johnstown flood
fund to expend, through the overseers of
the poor, the balance remaining in their
hands for the relief of the sufferers by to-
days fire.
The burned district on the northwesterly
side of fremont street is bounded by the
Boston & Providence on the northwest,
Burke street on the northeast, fremont
street on the southeast, Sar. field street on
The southwest. Everything on this square
was laid flat. Two of the most valuable
buildings were the grand stand,
vslned at $4,000, insured for
$4,000, and the Walpole school
on fremont street. The city also loses
three eneiles, valued at $4,000.
The buildings GA the southern side of
Burke street were destroyed, but the flames
were prevented from spreading to the op-
posite side of the street. Had the flames
gotten across, there is no telling where
they would have been stopped. In the
fruitless endeavor to prevent the flames
crossing fremont street the three engines
were disabled.
In the triangular block between fremont,
Windsor and Co bot streets, every building
was destroyed except two or three on Cabot,
near Windsor. The progress If the fire
was stopped at this polrt.
The block of brick buildings across Cabot
street caught fire but were .xtinguisbed
without much damage. The b ock of
wooden houses on the corner of S.erling
and Cabot streets caught fire. thereby
reaching Windsor ttrpet, and the entire
block vas gut,ed, but the flames were
che cked there.
Hotel Walpole was saved by its heavy
brick wall. Several houses outside the de-
fined boundaries of the fire caught from
f, ,iog embers, and in some cases were
badly Damaged. A numhsr on Grinnell
and S,rs field streets were considerably
damved. TIE three-.tory brick dwelling
on Ssrsfivl street was totslly destroyed
The fire was un Ter contr | about 7.3O
Madison park is covered with household
eff ,cts of the homeless. peorle.
The Boston and Baltimore cluts will
play tmorrow on the Congress street
g-ourds.
The loss is conservatively est'mated at
from $500 900 u $500, zoo. although one
authority puts i: at 81 ,000,0
Henry Alex snder an artist 30 years old