The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-04-20
SCOURGED BY A BIG FIRE.
Continued from page One

whole block south OF East wellington
street. from the Queens hotel and the old
Manning residence facing on wellington
street was doomed. The Gordon Mackay
building on the northwest corner OF Front
and Bay streets which for nearly 20 years
was one OF the finest in the city. made a
fierce blaze The Copp Clark building and
Warwick Brothers and Rutters was de-
stroyed I'm about the same time. The
scene when this whole block was ablaze
was terrible beyond description The heat
was so great and the smoke and flying
embers thick that the firemen were
unable to approach near enough to fight
the fire. To add TO the terrifying effect OF
the scene came a bombardment OF explod-
ing giant crackers and other fireworks
stored I'm the Copp Clark building
The fire next leaped across Front street,
to the Mcpherson Brothers boot and
shoe ware house and adjoining buildings
eastward on Front and South to the Es-
planade. the flames leaped from building
to building with irresistible force.
QUICK DESTRUCTION.
In ~ minutes the flames had leyelled
every building between Front street and
the Esplanade. on the west side OF Ray
street. The firemen who had been forced
to retreat slowly along Front street and
the Esplanade concentrated their forces
and made another desperate stand.
They failed this tiue. The flames leap
ed across the street below Front street
and destroyed the Mclaughlin company's
-four mills at the southeast corner OF Bay
and Front streets. From there ths fre
took an easterly course toward Younge
street and dangerously near the wharves
FIRST PAGE.
on the southwest it burned itself ont
for lack Of fuel. The flames were also
spreading towards the east along both
sides sides OF Front street and the south
side OF wellington street Al 2 O'Clock the
Eddy warehouse. the Lincoln Paper mills
warehouse and the Kleinert Rubber COM
pany's warehouses were burning on the
north side of Front street On the south
side the warehouses OF W s Rowland Sons
and company the Dogs Paint company
and the Dodge Split Pulley Co, were
burning. the intensity OF the Are being In
creased nv the highly infammsble nature
Of the contents of the buildings so I'm
potent were the efforts of the frenen IN
check the ravaees Of tfs' flames that all
hope of checking the FIRE before II reached
Yonge street was abandoned.
GREATER LOSS WROUGHT.
on West Wellington street. opposite the
Brock building. VIVID and Barling's ware
house Buntin. Reed n Co.'S stpr. the
warehouses of W. a y, samuel Benjamin.
a Co. A. Bradshaw a Son. Klsour
Brothers. and the Union bank were de-
stroyed before the re was fought to a
standstill.
The custom house n four-story stone
building 90 tho corner OF Tonee and
Front streets. was the barrier that
stopped the progress ~ the flames to-
wards the eastern end Of Front street
Every fireman that could he spared from
the other sections OF the burned dis
trict. where the fires were slowly dying
out. was rushed 20 the corner of YOnge
aud Front streets. Tons ~ waters were
thrown against the sides Of the custom
house and dynamite was used on several
small buildings.
Hundreds ~ streams Of water are still
being poured into Immense deposits Of
glowing enbers but the hre has spent its
Nnrce and all danger has passed The
building was not seriously damaged