The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-18
BIC FIRE IN CHARLESTON
DUST EXPLOSION CA USES DAMAGE
 OF $60O,OOO.

DoSA G<AI AOSAON OA OoES A DAMAGE
 OF S60O,o0O.
 Roof of an Immense Grain Elevator Blown
 Completely Off and Fire That Follows
 Consumes Over 6OO,OOO Bushels of Grain
 Tremendous Jar Arouses Half City-
 Four Alarms Sounded-Marine Guard
 Ordered Out.
 Boston, April 17.-The roof of the grain elevator at the Hoosaic tunnel docks, Charlestown. was completely blown off by a dust explosion at o'clock this morning, and the fire that followed it not only destroyed the re- maining portion of the immense struc- ture but consumed nearly the entire contents. of over 100000 bushels of grain, mostly wheat. The steamer Cambroman, which has just finished loading at the dock, was lowed out without injury, but some of the small tenements adjoining and buildinE used as distillery by Chapin & Trull were damaged more or less by the de- bris from the roof. The loss is esti- bated by the fire underwriters at near- ly $6000O0, making a fire loss that has not been equalled in this city since 1893.
 The explosion not only shook up the entire section of Charlestown, but were noticeably felt in the city proper and many of the suburbs. Coming at such an early hour, the tremendous jar aroused half the city and the flames which followed shooting two hundred feet in the air, were sufficient to not only cause a great rush of fire appara- ts but attracted thousands of, sight seers. Four alarms were run in with rapidity and additional engines sent for until three-quarters of the fire de- partment, including the two horseless engines and the fire boats, were mass-s ed in the immediate vicinity, but not before the entire structure was boiling with smoke and flame.
 When the first firemen arrived they found some of the streets almost inn passable for portions of the roof were in every direction. Great timbers had blown 100 feet in the air by the force of the explosion and many of the up- per stories of neighboring property were crushed and pierced by the great beams. Fortunately no person was near the exterior of the building when the explosion came, except Archibald | Belden, the night watchman, who was on the ground floor. He was hurled against the side of the building and al-s though fearfully shattered and torn kmanaged to crawl to place of safety before the fire enveloped the structure.s | The fire burned fiercely for nearly four hours and when 1t was extinguished l there was only shell of the structure | left, while bursting from every side were tons and tons of wheat and oats. | Much of the grain fell through the. pier into the dock, while practically the whole of it was SO thoroughly soak | ed with water that the loss will be- complete. The elevator was but a few l hundred feet from the Char1estown navy yard, and many persons, hearing l the explosion and seeing the bright l light, at once concluded that another Maine d1Ialr nau occurred. Ine IndIlu6 guard at the yard was ordered out and with a detail from the Bancroft made | every possible precaution against the | fire spreading in that direction. The ] department was, however, successful. | in keeping the flames confined to the
 elevator, and by o'clock had Che fire
 under control.
 | The entire loss is covered by fnsur-
 ance, which falls alike on the fire and
 marine companies, as much of the grain was in process of shipment from
 the west to east. The individual losses
 cannot as yet be estimated, but the
 grain itself was valued at $4O0 lnO. The
 loss on the structure is $150,000, and
 the damage to the pier is about s50,00O. Chapin & Trull, the distillers. were 1 damaged almost entirely by water and | flying timbers, and their loss will be
 about S15.000.
 Of the 100000 bushels of grain in the
 elevator the elevator officials stated to-
 day that over half of it was wheat that
 was awaiting shipment to Europe and
 was owned by J. V. Letter of Chicago.
 The balance consisted of oats, corn and
 other cereals, the property of various | parties in the west.