Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-24
A BIG BOSTON sLAzG

Two Thousand People Made Homeless by
Fire-Loss Falls Mainly Upon the Work.
ing Glasses.
BOsToN, May 16.-By the torch of an
incendiary last night over 81. 900, 600
worth of property is in ashes, over 500
families of the medium and poorer
classes, consisting of over :, 900 people,
are homeless, and many of them, who
had no time to save a portion of their
household furniture, last night slept
in the open air-women with babies in
their arms, and little children huddIed
close together, having only the sky for
a roof, and a few mattresses saved
from the burned tenements for bed
and no prospects of a breakfast this
morning.
After 6 o'clock, the time for the
workshops and business places to close,
many pathetic scenes were witnessed,
fathers returning to find their homes
burned to the ground, and no trace of
their wives and little ones Children
who had been at work as cash boys
and girls in the big dry goods and
other stores, barred out from the
streets where they resided, and could
find no traces of their parents. The
fire covered space of twenty acres,
but as far as can be learned only six
persons have been injured and none
fatally.
The fire started in the Boston League
park, in a pile of lumber which was
lying under the right field bleachers,
directly back of first base. In a mo-
ment it had leaped out to the seats,
and, famed by a brisk breeze, swept
toward the grand stand. So rapidly
did the flames spread that, before the
occupants of the gra nd stand realized
it, the fire was upon them, and they
were forced to fee. 1t was several
minutes before the firemen were at
work. The left field bleachers were
next ignited.
Meanwhile the sparks had fallen upon
the houses of Berlin street, and the
flames surgcd 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 Wa1pole
. street to Burke street, was mass Of
burning buildings The Sherwin kim
/ dergarten school house, brick struct-
ure, checked the progress of the fire for
only a moment, and that, too, was
quickly numbered among the struct-
ures consumed.
At 5 o'clock the entire block along
the west side of fremont street, from
Walpole to Burke, was brilliant mass
of flames which swept across to the OPP
! posite side and soon engulfed the build
/ ings for four blocks. By this time the
residents of the tenements for nearly
half mile around had become alarmed
and were moving all their property in
to the streets and seeking for places of
safety.
So rapidly did the fire eat its way,
however, that those in the blocks adj
joining fremont street did not have
| time to save their household effects and
barely escaped with their lives. The
streets were filed with frightened
women and children, poor people who
were trying to save a part of their
small property, and hurrying fremen
and policemen. Furniture of all kinds
Uttered the sidewalks and the fremen
We're greatly hampered by these OBJ
structions. By o'clock the confiagra-
| ton had crossed fremont to Cabot
street.
1t is estimated that about 100 build
ings have been burned and about 500
families rendered homeless.
A special meeting of the board of
| aldermen was called last evening to
take action upon the exigencies of the
| case, and it was voted to use the sur
plus of $4,000, now held by the trustees
of the Johnstown food, and which was
| collected for the sufferers by food at
| Johnstown for the relief of the 1000
people made homeless by the fire.
Prominent insurance men place the
! loss at 81 900 600 and the insurance at
! two-thirds of the loss.