The herald., 1894-05-16
A Disastrous COnfiagratiOn in
Boston.
Twenty Acres of Buildings Laid
in Ruins.
Two Thousand People Burned Out of
House and Home.
The Fire Began at the League Baseball
Grounds While a Gam, Was in
Progress and Got Be-
yend Control.
BY the Associated Press.

by tine Assoc1hted fress.
BosToN, May 15.-By the torch of an
incendiary tonight over a million dol
lara worth of property is in ashes, and
over 500 families of the medium and
poorer classes. consisting of over 1000
people, are homeless and many of them
had little time to save portion of their
household goods, and are tonight sleep.
ing in the open air. Women with
babies in their arms and little children
are huddled close together. having only
the sky for roof and a few mattresses
saved from the burning tenements for q
bed, and no prospects OF breakfast in
the morning.
The fire covers space of 20 acres. As
far as can be learned, six persons were
injured, none fatally.
The IRE started in the Boston baseball
league park, In pile of lumber which
WAS lying under the right field bleach
ers, directly back of frat base. In a
moment it had lesped out to the seats.
and, famed by brisk breeze, awept
toward the grand stand. So rapidly did
the flames spread that before the occu-
pants of the grand stand realized 1t, the
fire was upon them. and they were forced
to fee. 1t WAS several minutes before
the fremen were at work. The left field
bleachers were next ignited.
Meanwhile the sparks had fallen upon
the houses on Berlin street, and the
flames surged on towards fremont
street, reaching out to the right and
left until the entire square between the
ball grounds and fremont street, and
tending north from Walpole street to
Burke street, was MAS of burning
buildings. The Sherwin kindergarten
school house, brick structure. ch hecked
the progress of the fire for only mo-
ment, and that too was quickly num-
bered among the structures consumed.
The buildings on the south eide OF
Walpole street were soon burning. The
flames nhot down toward Coventry
street on that side of fremont, near the
ball grounds. They swept on in this di-
rection for three squares, as far as Burke
street. At 5 o'clock the entire block
along the west side of fremont street,
from Walpole to Burke, was a mass of
flames, which swspt across to the op-
posite side and soon engulfed the build.
ings for four blocks.
By this time the residents OF the ten
ements for nearly half mile around had
become alarmed and were moving their
property into the streets and seeking
places of safety. So rapidly did the fire
eat its way, however, that those in the
block adjoining fremont did not
have time to save their household effects
and barely escaped with their lives. By
O'Clock the conflagration had crossed
fremont to Cabot street.
Shortly after O'Clock several steam
ers arrived from Lynn, Salem, Beverly,
Brookline and other places, and every
effort was made to stop the fire at Cabot
street, but it could not be checked, and
not until it had burned Cabot street
half way through to Warick street and
north to Burke street was the limit of
the burnt districts on the southeast side
Of the ball grounds reached.
While the firsmen were fighting on
this side the fire was spreading from
Wapole toward Milford place, on the
southwest side of the ball grounds, and
in half an hour all the buildings in these
blocks were in ruins. The fire burned
ON until it reached Ruggles street at one
point, consumed the houses ON both
eides of Chapel street and laid low the
structures on Sunbary street. At Rug
giles street ON the west and Cabot street
on the southeast the fire was practically
stopped, and at 7 80 it was under con-
troll and in no danger of spreading fur
ther.
1t is estimated that about 100 build
ings were burned. The new house of
ladder company No. II and hose compa-
ny No. on fremont street was de-
stroyed. Alderman Brysnt's residence
on Walpole street and his residence on
fremont street were also destroyed.
Among other business places leveled
were: j. j. McNamars, wines and
lie uora, Cabot street; Daniel Bernhart
& Co., fremont street, liquors; Sterling
provision store; Gray's photograph es-
tablehmsnt, fremont street; Gilmore's
block of offices. fremont street; S. @.
McEttrick, provisions, fremont street.
Councilman Connora lost his house on
fremont street and many of its effects.
A special meeting Of the board of al
dermen was called to take action on the
exigencies OF the case, and concluded to
use the surplus OF $4,000 now held by the
trustees of the Johnstown food fund,
for the relief of the 2000 people made
homeless by tho fire. The meeting wac
adjourned until tomorrow, when some
fnfther means will BE Devised to aid
those in distress.
Prominent insurance men place the
loss at 81 Oo0, 900 and she insurance at
two-thirds of the loss.