Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-19
BAD FIRE IN BOSTON Started in One of the Worst Nests" in the Hub City
 This Morning
STUDIO BURNED OUT
Christmas Trade Is Paralyzed in Several Stores. and There Was Considerable Damage By
 Fire, Smoke and. Wafer.

Boston. Dec 19.-A fire of threat
 ening proportions in one of the worst
 so-called "nests'' of the business sec.
 tion of the city to-day caused heavy
 damage in the block bounded by Ire
 mont, Bromf1eld, Washington and
 Winter streets, and although the
 flames were confined practically to one structure. the studio building,
 Nos 110 to 116 Fremont street, con siderable surrounding property was damaged by water and Christmas trade was prostrated on all four of the affected thoroughfares.
 The fire broke out on the lower
 floor of. the Eldridge & Peabody fur niture establishment, and quickly swept up through six floors of the firms section of the studio building. The roof fell and the fire jumped across narrow alley to the roof of the Orpheum theater, formerly Bos- tons famous music hall, and to the top of the building occupied by the large wholesale and retail clothing firm, Talbot company, at 395 to 40S Washington street. The flames did inconsiderable damage to both struc- lures, but the Talbot building was flooded by bursting hose. The his toric Bromfield Street Methodist church and the Wesleyan building whch run back from Bromfleld street to the Studio building, escaped dam age.
 As the fire started before s o'clock few places of business were occupied. The fremen had hard time. They had to fight in narrow alley. on ice coated ladders and fire escapes and with their own bodies encased in ice A rough, estimate of the property loss places the total at about $f50,- 900. of which Eldridge q Peabody bears about &75,00O and the Talbot company $50,0o0. A number of arr lists. architects, dentists and other individuals in the Studio building were burned out.
 Three alarms brought a large amount of apparatus to the scene. but the firemen were severely ham, pered by the extreme cold weather.
 The fire at first was chiefly in the rear part of the block. Besides the furniture company the building is oc- 'cupied on the first floor by several other stofes and on the other floors by offices and studios.
 A fourth alarm was sounded at S:45. At that time the flames ap- peared in full control of the first floor and in the basement, and were rapidly licking up the large stock of furniture. In the rear part of the building the fire was raging furiously and threatened to spread to the Or pheum theater adjoining. The fire men were making determined stand at that point.
 This stand apparently was success full. The fire continued to blaze. how. ever, in the back part of the build ing, and there was danger that 1t would spread to Washington street buildings backing ups to the studio building. Shortly after e.o'clock the firemen had succeeded in controlling the flames in the front of the build ing.
 A large section of the roof os the parts of the building number IA and 116 Fremont street fell in, caus- ing a renewed outburst and again placing the Orpheum theater in great danger. The theater is just across a narrow alleyway from the rear of the Studio building. and the only way the firemen could work at this point was to stand on the fire escapes and direct their lines toward the windows from which the flames were bursting. One of the Washing ton street buildings threatened was that occupied by Browning, King & Co. mems clothing.
 A sudden outburst of the flames when the firemen apparently had suc- ceeded in holding them. caught the roof of the Orpheum theater and on the back of the building occupied by the Talbot company. wholesale and retail clothing dealers. at 3s5 to 403 street Employees of the Talbot company with private line of hose put out the blaze on their premises and on the theater build ing. A line of hose on the fourth floor of the Talbot building burst and before the engine in the street could be signaled torrents of water had flooded the floor and running down into the lower stories had caused heavy damage.
 At 10 o'clock 1t was thought that the flames would not again spread beyond the Studio building.
 At 1o:1o o'clock Chief Mullen an- that the fire was under con- troi-