Connecticut western news., 1894-05-17
THE BURNED GRAND STAND.

John M. Fitzgerald of Engine 37, chilled by exposure; William H. Hearne, Cam bridge, sprain; John T. Kane, South Bos- ton, confusion of side; Timothy F. Meas, Roxbury, wound over eye; Walter J. Burke, South Boston, head injured. Ten persons lying sick in the buildings were also taken to the City hospital. Two cases were considered serious, but these are ap- parently none the worse for being removed.
 A special meeting of the board of alder men was called to take action upon the emergencies of the case, and it was voted to use the surplus of $4 900 now held by the trustees of the Johnstown flood, and which was collected for the sufferers by the flood at Johnstown, for the relief of the 2,000 people made homeless by the con- f1agration. The meeting was adjourned to this morning, when some further means will be devised to aid those in distress.
 Prominent insurance men place the loss at upward of S1, ,OO0, 900 and the insurance at about two-thirds of the loss
 The fire started in pile of lum Der which was lying under the right field bleachers, directly back of first base, on the ball grounds. A group of boys was seen near the place few minutes before and at the time the fire was discovered they ran away. Before any of the spectators could follow
 
 all of their attention. In a moment it had leaped up to the seats, and famed by brisk breeze it swept toward the grand stand.
 So rapidly did the flames spread that be fore the occupants of the grand stand real ized it the fire was upon them, and they were forced to flee with all haste the ones in the rear narrowly escaping being caught The woodwork was as dry as. punk. No rain has fallen for some time, and it was several minutes before the firemen were at work. There was 8 roar, and there was nothing left but ashes, as the flames swept on through the rafters of the struc- ture.
 Bleachers Burned First. The left field bleachers were next ignit ed. Meanwhile the sparks had fallen upon | the houses on Berlin street, a narrow thor | oughfare which bounds the baseball grounds on the right. These buildings were all of wood, and they burned more freely than those within the inclosure. The wind, which seemed to have increas- l ed, drove the fire directly into the heart of these rattle traps, and the flames surged on toward Fremont street, reaching out to the right and left until the entire square between the ball grounds and Fremont street and extending north from Walpole | ing buildings. The Sherwin Kindergarten schoolhouse, which stood at the corner of Walpole and Fremont streets, brick structure. checked the progress of the fire for only a moment, and that, too, was | quickly numbered among the structures | consumed.
 At o'clock the entire block along the west side of Fremont street from Walpole | to Burke was a brilliant mass of flames, which swept across to the opposite side and soon eugulfed the buildings for four blocks. The tons of water that had been poured into the buildings from every side apparently had not the slightest effect, and the tongues of flame licked up everything in their path like so much finder.
 By this time the residents of the tene- ments for nearly half mile around had become alarmed and were moving all their property into the streets and seeking for places of safety So rapidly did the fire eat its way, however, that those in the blocks adjoining Fremont street did not | have time to save their household effects and barely escaped with their lives.
 The streets were filled with frightened women and children, poor people who were trying to save part of their small property and hurrying firemen and police men.
 Furniture of all kinds filtered the side walks, and the fremen were greatly ham, pered by the distractions
 It is estimated that about 100 buildings have been burned and about 500 families rendered homeless. The fire was an un- usually hot one and one of the hardest to fight in the history of the Boston fire de partment.
 Three steamers-Nos. 24, 32 and 36-had to be abandoned because of the heat. About 6:S0 Chief Webster vas forced to retire al most exhausted, with his face covered with blisters caused by the heat, but he bravely returned to the battle soon after and urged on his men.
 After the conflagration was under con trol the grounds of the Boston baseball team were thronged with thousands oi anxious sightseers. The familiar grand stand was no longer there. Nothing re mained but the iron work and mass oi smoldering ruins, with but single pillar of brick left to stand as monument.
 Women holding little children frantical ly looked for relatives without success and in many cases women were carried of by officers in a faintirk condition. Ire l mont street for a distance of several hun dred yards Is strewn with wreckage bro ken coils of street railway trolley and feed wires, bedticking and hundreds of feet o hnsa hnrned tn a urisn while rivers of wa