Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-09
FIRES IN BOSTON
Two Lives Lost and Properly Damage VIII Go Info lhe
 Millions.

a gas explosion and fire in three story tenement house, 295 and 2s7 Cambridge street, west end, early to- day, two are dead, two hopelessiy burned are at the Massachusetts gen. eral hospital and eleven others suf- fering from more or less serious in juries. The dead:
 Mary Jane Brown, 32, wife of James Brown, suffocated; body found by firemen in the room.
 E. McNeil. 3 vars old son of Mary E. McNeil; body found in ruins.
 The seriously injured included Mary E. McNeil, Flo:etta Austin, wife of William Austin, for whose re- coyery no, hope is given by the hos pital doctors.
 Mrs McNeil was overcome while trying to save her two children. After throwing one from window she became unconscious, but was res cued, although her little son per ished.
 h smoke and badly burned about the body. Among the other injured are William Austin, burned while trying to safe his wife; James Brown, burnt about face and head trying to save Mrs Brown, and District Fire Chief Daniel F. Sennott, James Dan iels, Fire Lieutenant James llcMa- han and Bremen Reilly, Fitzgerald, Stickland and Murphy, all blistered while engaged in work of rescue.
 Boston, July 9.-Although it was believed that several have been burn ed to death in fire in a thickly pop ulated tenement house district in the West end, early to-day, it was not possible to know definitely that more than one had died until the ruins had been examined for dead bodies. Mrs Mary J. Brown, who lived on the up- per floor of the three-stOry wooden building at 295 Cambridge street, where the fire started. was the only person known to be dead up to this morning. Her husband, who escaped by jumping into life net, as did most of the other persons in the building, said that he knew for cer- tainty that his wife did not escape.
 Four persons were at the Massa- chusetts General hospital to-day suf- fering from burns and injuries re- ceived in the fire, but not one of them was regarded as being In a seriotis condition.
 An explosion. believed to have re- suited from escaping gas, caused the fire, and was followed by a number of hot air explosions In rapid succession. making the work of the firemen dan gerous. The monetary loss was not more than s7,500.
 Boston. July s-Practieally the en- tire loss of s1,500,O00 caused by the fire which destroyed almost a quarter of a mile of the water front Of East Boston yesterday, will fall upon the insurance companies, those taking marine risks as we'll the the compa- nies which insure against fire being responsible for part of the loss under a clause in the policies which protects merchandise for time while at the wharves awaiting removal. The Bos- ton & Albany railroad company had property representing s1.0O0,000 de- stroyed by the fire, including two piers occupied by the Cunard Steam ship Co, the Leyland Line docks and the New York Central railroad. the great grain elevator, several lighters and a large quantity of merchandise, and most of the damage Is covered by insurance. Had the trans-Atlan- tic freight traffic at this port been of the normal volume, instead of being lower than for years. as was the case. several large steamers in addition to the Leyland liner Devonian would likely have been at the docks and a considerably larger quantity of mer- chandise at the warehouses.
 This morning 1t was believed that but one person had perished. Daniel a watchman at the Cunard line pier.
 Some six hundred persons were thrown out of employment as a resuh of the fire. These persons composed the force of freight handlers and at the steamship docks. the ofice forces Of the Cunard and Leyland lines and the employees of the railroad companies.