The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-05-17
BIG BLAZE IN BOSTON
A HEARTLESS INCENDIARY SCAT
TIERS MISERY BROADCAST.
Five Hundred Homes Destroyed and
Over Two Thousand Poor People
Rendered Homeless and Unable
TO Save Household Effects.


an incendiary tonight over 81 900, OO
f wor, h OF property Is in ashes, owe
800 families OF the medium and poOreI
classes, consisting of over 1000 people
are homeless, and many OF them, whC
had time IT, save q portion of their fur
niture, are tonight sleeping in the
open air. Women, with babes in
their arms, and little children, hud
died close together, have only the sky
for a roof and the lew mattresses saved
from the burning tenemenls for bed
ami no pros poets Of breakfast in the
morning. Many pathetic scenes
were witnessed -- fathers returning
TO find their homes burned
down to the ground and on
trace of their wives and little ones.
| Children who had been at work as
cash boys and girls IN the dry goods
and other stores barred out from the
streets where they reside and could
| find no trace of their parents. The
| ire covered a space of 20 acres and as
far as could be learned only six per.
sons have been injured and none ia
| tally.
The fire started in the Boston Lea
que Ball park in pile of lumber
which was lying under the right field
bleachers directly back of the first
base. la q moment it had leaped out
to the seats and famed by a brisk
breeze swept toward the grand stands.
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 flee. Ii was several minutes before
the firemen were at work. The left
field bleachers were ignited, mean
while the sparks had fallen upon the
houses on Boylan street and the
flames surged on towards the street
until the entire square between the
ball grounds and the street extending
north from Walpole street to Burke
street was mass of flames.
The buildings on the south side OF
Walpole street were soon burned.
The flames shot down towards Coven
try street on that side of the street
They swept on in this direction for
three squares as far as Burke street,
devOuring the homes of men and
women who were working with
frantic energy to get out their house
hold goods, and even before they
could remove them to safe place,
the walls burned and CrumOled down,
at o'clock the entire block along
the west side of the Walpole to Burke
was a brilliant mass of flames which
swept across to the opposite side and
blocks. By this time the residents of
the tenemeDts for nearly q half mile
around became alarmed and were
moving all their property in the
streets and seeking for places of safe
ty. 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, and
hurrying firemen and policemen.
Furniture of all kinds Uttered the
sidewalks and the tiremen were great
Iy hampered by the distractions. By 6
the cOntlagration had crossed fremont
to Cabot. Shortly after several steau-
ers arrived from Lynn, BroOklin and
Laurence, and every effort was made
to stop the fire at Cabot street, but it
could not be stopped.
While the tiremen were fighting on
this side the fire was spreading from
Walpole toward Milford place on the
southwest side of the bail grounds,
and in half an hour all the bulldogs
in this block were in ruins. The fire
burned on until it reached Ruggles
street at one point, and consumed the
houses OF both sides OF the Chapel
street and laid low the structures on
Sudbury street. At Puggles street on
west and Cabot street on the south
east the fire was practically stopped
and at $50 the fire was under control
and in no danger Of spreading further.
II Is estimated that about 100 build
ings have been burned and about 500
families rendered homeless. The new
house of LADDER on fremont street
was destroyed. Alderman Bryant's
residence on Walpole aud his store Oh
fremont were also destroyed. Among
the other places leveled were: J.. j.
Mcnamara, wines and liquors, Cabot
street; Daniel Eerhard, liquors;
Sterling provision store, Sterling
street; Gray's Photographic establish
ment, fremont; Martin Reagan,
undertaken, fremont; Minors
block of offices, etc, fremont
5. McElroy, provisions, fremont;
Councilman Connors lost his house on
fremont.
At a special meeting of the council
tonight it was voted to use the sur
plus $4,000 held by the trust of the
Johnstown flood and which was col
lected for the sufferers of the flood,
for the relief of the 2000 people made
homeless by the cOnflagration this
evening. The meeting was adjourn.
ed until tomorrow morning, Promi
nent insurance men place the loss al
81 ,O00, 900 and the insurance a. one
| third the loss.