Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-09-09
BOSTON DOCKS BURN.
The Flames Destroy Warehouses,
Freight Cars and Their
Contents

Boston, Mass, Sept. 4.-One of the,
most disastrous fires that has occurred
along Boston's water front in years start
ed Oh the docks at East Boston this morn
ing, and before it could be controlled it
had destroyed three piers, two large
storehouses, freight shed, fifteen load,
ed freight cars and a large quantity OF
freight, besides slightly damaging a NUNS
Der Of dwelling-houses. The loss is est
mated at 100000, partly insured;
The flames were discovered on the Bos>
ton q Albany pier in freight shed NO. j.
known as "Old Round Top, about D.
o'clock, but an alarm was not given until
$50 and at that hour the structure, 6.
one-story building several hundred feet
long, was mass of flames.
The steamer Burton discharged a car
go of hemp az this pier yesterday and the
entire cargo, with large quantity OF
flour and other freight in the she'd was
destroyed. A large amount of freight,
was also thrown into the water from the
docks
At 6:1S second alarm was given, sum
moning almost the entire Boston fire de-
partment, engines from Winthrop and
the tireboats. BY this time the fire had
spread to the adjoiling docks. at one of,
which The Canard steamer Cepnalonia
was moOred Before the steamship could
be toWed away her sides were ablaze, one
of her lifeboats was partly destroyed and
her rigging was Oh fire. The flames We're
evtinguished, however, as soon as she
was anchored and she was not badly
damaged.
But little of the freight in the big three
story warehouses Nos. and 5, owned by
the Boston & Albany Railroad company.
could be removed before the fire fastened
OH to the buildings, and in spite of the
vigorous efforts of the tiremen both struc-
E111. OH Ivy
The loss on the freight stored in them
will be very heavy, but no accurate esti-
mate Of the damage on this score can yet
be made. Near the storehouses fifteen
freight cars. most of them loaded, were
lying on the tracks and it was impoSsi-
bic to remove them before they caught
fire. Almost all of them were wholly de-
stroved with their contents. Piers Nos.
1, 4 and 5, on which the burned store
houses were built, were reduced to a
mass of charred timbers sticking out Of
the water.
A light wind carried the blazing en-
bers from the contiagration into the tene-
ment house district near by and three of
them were partly destroyed and damaged
to the extent OF about $4,000. Three
smaller dwellings were also damaged.
Shortly after 8 O'Clock the big store
house No 8 was in flames and the fight
Of the firemen was directed to this point.
1Ae MAIN part OF the Dulldlng was
saved. The flames were confined to the
south end, which was Quilted. At 1890
the fire was under control but still
smouldering, and it cannot be entirely
extinguished for some hours. The smoke
was unusually dense and suffocating,
and many Of the fremen were over
come but not seriously injured. The
cause of the fire is not known.
1t was at first thought the loss would
not exceed $3.50 600 but a careful pSti-
100000 and possibly more. In the
sheds destroyed were stored 5000 bales
of sisal grass, 20 carloads of hay, near
ly so carloads of merchandise and 1000
bales of hemp and wool. all valued at
over $4,000. The wharves and build
ings destroyed we're valued at $4,000.