Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-05-17
room of the Bostons of the pictures of Bos-
ton ball players of days gone by and
Cnrry Them to Places of snfety

EltcpQ minutes after tDc flre was tllS-
covered the houses in the rear of the ball
grounds were attacked and within an hour
the whole fence on the right side, all the
seats ON the beachers, the grand stand and
the ticket Office with all the wooden
structures contiguous had been destroyed
The fire had also burned through to IRE
mont street and then proceeding southerly
had taken all the wooden dwellings, on
Burke Coventry and Berlin streets within
its grasp.
Having practically consumed everything
on the right hand side of fremont street it
leaped across to the other side of that thor
oughfare. and then proceeded with n swoop
in the direction Of Roxbury crossing. The
northerly boundary of the fire was Benton
street and its lateral boundaries were Cabot
street on one side and the Providence road
beyond the ball grounds on the other At
6 o'clock it had reached as far as Wal
pole and Sterling streets, and was burn
ing as if not drop of water
had been put on it, The district was full of
old wooden houses and the indications then
were that but few of those this side of Rug
giles street would be left standing. The
sparks from the fire were flying ali over the
northcrly part of Roxbury, setting fire in
many different localities and adding terror
TO the confusion which had been already
engendered by the blaze from the central
fire.
1t is no exaggeration to say that 50 houses
in the immediate vicinity of Walpole and
fremont streets had blazing roofs.
| The occupants climbed from the skvlights
with buckets Of water to the roofs but no
sooner had they subdued fire on one part
than they discovered one in some other To-
cality and finally seeing that their efforts
were frutless, they gave up and left their
homes to the fate of the oncomng flames.
| The houses on Berlin street backing on the
| ball grounds were full of base ball enthus-
lasts who were procuring the pleasures of the
game at less than regular prices The moment
they saw their danger wild dash to the
street was made
Some took advantage Of the regular exit,
while others in their haste climbed down
from the roof on the fence of the ball
ground, on which they
Crawled on Their Hands and Knees
When the houses began to go before the
flames the scene beggarcd description
Children were crying for their mothers and
mothers wailiug for their offspring and ii
was greatly feared that some of the young
sters were lost in the flames A number of
|
| tion and had to be carried into the various
houses in the vicinity.
Before & O'Clock help had been summoned
| from all cities and towns within radius of
| 10 miles of Boston and at 6:lj the first piece
of out-of-town apparatus arrived Soon
afterwards control of the fire was secured.
A few minutes past 6 O'Clock woman was
seen coming from house on Cabot street,
| with her clothes all on fire She made q
frantic rush from the street toward the
ropes, when fatrolmen Green and Lewis OF
station | caught her III their arms, rolled
her i'll the street and thereby saved her life
as she escaped with only few slight burns
After the fire had secured headway ant
had enveloped in flames two tenement
houses on the street siding the ball grounds
the cry was raised that five small children
were III one of the buildings in the seconc
story woman on Burk street wringnl
her hands shrieked Where are my chill
dren - Near at hand were Charles w
Eaton and Mr.. Cusick of Brookline, who
had been attending the game. They i'll
stantly Sprang to the rescue of the lit
tie ones III the burning building. Mr
Cusick brought out three and Mr.
Eaton saved two. They went through
clouds of smoke in order to do this and witt
|
turned over to women in the street who tool
care of them
Michael Welsh entered his home to saw,
some personal effects but the building hat
then ignited and the flames spread SO rapid
ly that
| His Escape Was Completely Cut or.
He rushed to the roof of the building anc
when enveloped in flames jumped to tn,
ground about 80 feet. He landed on hi
feet but was severely injured internally anC
was picked up in "A semi-conscous condition
and taken to the city hospital where it wa
discovered that in addition to internal hurt,
one of the small bones of his leg was broken
He will probably recover.
Hoseman D. Fitzgerald of engine 10 wa
at work on the fire, when the nozzle of tn,
hose was torn from his hands by the fore,
of the water and struck him in the face. IL,
was rendered unconscious but will recover
Several were taken to the hospital slightly
injured.
Chief Webber was badly injured and wa
taken IN an ambulance to the city hospital
District Chief Reagan assumed charge Tn,
same thing occurred at the Lincoln stree
fire At special meeting of the board o
aldermen, called by the mayor this evening
it was voted to request the trustees of tn
Johnstown flood fund to expend, through
the overteers of the poor, the balance re
naming in their hands for the relief of tn
sufferers by to-day's conhagration An
other special meeting will be held to-mor
row forenoon
The burned district on the northwestern,
side Of fremont street is bounded by tn
Boston and Providence railroad on tn
northwest, Burke street on the northeast
fremont on the southeast and SarstielC
street on the southwest. Everything in thi
square was laid fiat. The two most valuabl
) buildings here were the grand stand, valued a
ST., 900 and insured tor $40 900 and til
Walpoe school. The city loses the Walpol
school on fremont street and three engine
valued at $50, 900.
The buildings on the southern side o
Burke street were destroyed, but the flame
by mastery work were prevented fron
spreading to the opposite side of the street
If they had once gotten across there is II
telling where they would have been stopped
The firemen made grand stand at the cor
ner of Burke and fremont streets