The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-09
Three Warehouse Piers, 800 Feet Long and 250 in Width, and Big Grain Elevator
 Totally Destroyed.
WATCHMAN IS MISSING
Flames, Famed by High Wind, Spread With Startling Rnpidlty-Boston and Albany Railroad the
 Chief Sufferer.

Boston, July S-Fanned by brisk north wind fire, believed to have been caused by spontaneous combus- ton, or a locomotive spark swept nearly square mile of the harbor front of East Boston late to-day caus- ing property loss estimated at near ly S1,b0O,000 Much of the loss falls upon the Boston and Albany railroad. One person was reported missing. and 1t is thought that he pershed In the flames. He Is Daniel Sullivan, a watchman at the Cunard line pier.
 To-day's fire was the most destruc- tive and extensive that has broken out along the harbor front for many years The flames spread with re- markabe rapidity and by the time the first force of fire fighting apparatus arrived on the scene the fire was be- yond control and leapng from pier to pier. Within half an hour of the time the first burst of flame was discover ed the four piers, three warehouses, a grain elevator containing S0,0o0 bush els of grain and many loaded freight cars had been destroyed, Several vessels and lighters narrowly escaped destruction. The big Leland line steamer Devonian which arrived yes terday from Liverpool was moored at one of the piers which was destroyed The discipline on the Devonian was so excellent, however, that the big craft was warped out into the stream without even having square inch of paint blistered. Less fortunate were the British bark Belmont, of Var mouth, N. S., and schooners Paul Holmes, a i've fnasted craft, and the O. H. Brown, 6 four master. The Belmont was moored by steel cables to the pier where the fire started. So quickly did the flames envelope the wharf and warehouse that 1t was im- possible to slip the cables from the mooring posts and 1t was necessary to restort to the tedious process of cut ting a half dozen or more of the great wire ropes By the time the Belmont was warped out into the stream the paint had been burned off her steel hull, her cabins had been practically destroyed, her lifeboats charred and ruined and her spars, sails and rig ging so badly burned as 10 make a complete new equipment necessary, The Palmer escaped with slight dam age to her foretopsail and forerigginS whilc the rigging sails and spars on the forward part of the Brown were badly charred Several lighters were towed to place of safety before the flames could reach them.
 The burned area includes piers one md two of the Grand Junction docks and the pier on which stood the bis grain elevator owned by the Boston &, Albany R. R. Go. and used by the ships of the Cunard line and pier No. used by the Leyland line. This property extends in southeasterly direction along the waterfront from the foot of Lewis street to the wharf of the Mas sachusetts Coal Wharf company which latter pier adjoins the East Boston Fer " Slip of the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railway company known as the Marrow Gauge" This property also extends from the harbor front back to Marginal street The piers destroyed were each about 800 feet long and from 200 to 300 feet wide. Piers |, warehouse extending over the entire length and breadth of the wharves. Be- tween piers 2 and was the pier upon which the elevator stood.
 The fire started at 4l5 D. m. in the warehouse Of Pier l. Grand Junction docks. Tn this warehouse was stored an immense quantity of combustble material, including wool, Egyptian cot ton, grease and oil. It Is believed that spontaneous combustion or a spark from freight locomotive alongside the warehouse caused the fire. First a slight burst of flame was seen, then a a cry was raised and three minutes later the entire warehouse from end Co end was mass of flame At the time the fire was discovered there were about 100 laborers on work on the pier and with all of them 1t was a race for life.
 In each of the warehouses destroyed there were man" cars loaded with freight for export All of these cars and their contents were destroyed. Be tween Pier and the next pier to the eastward, that of the Massachusetts Coal company, a wide stretch of water lntervened, and It was here that tn, Are was checked Streams from thf fire boats harbor tugs, and practically the entire strength of the Boston aud Chelsea fire departments were conccl- trated
 Fort unately the wind was blowing ofi the shore and the flames did not work back from the water front. Had the wind blown from almost any othai quarter with the same intensity 1t is probable that East Boston would have suffered the fate which befell the ad- joining city of Chelsea last April
 The Boston and Albany railroad, New York Central and Hudson River rail- road lesees are the greatest losers by tho fire. It Is estimated that the rail roads loss are $10OO,OO0, covered by blanket insurance. The loss on freight and grain burned Is placed at fully s40oo60. Practically all of the freight was In sured.
 wATCHMAN's CABIN BURNED.