The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-13

already off on leave. These sailors were not sent under command of any officer, hut were instructed to give their services
 wherever needed. Marines with fixed
 bayonets held back the crowds. while the militia and sailors helped families remove their goods. Advance squads of the mllf- tary and police were sent ahead warning
 families living in the path of the ire, which eaped block after block with aston E ishiny rapidity. The crowds generally were easily handled. Occasionally some excited house owner would burst through the cordon of militia and marines to dash
 into a house for some forgotten yalu- ables, but the presence of so many uni formed guards overawed the rougher ele-- ment.
 Cause Not Known.
 The fire started on the marshes bor- dering the eastern division tracks of the Boston and Maine railroad. in the rear of the Boston Backing company's works, where employees were at work drying out rags. The companys works are situated at the end of West Third street, half q mile northwest of the heart of the city. A series of long, low wooden buildings comprised the works, stored for the most part with old rags and paper.
 The exact cause of the fire is not known but it is supposed that spontaneous com bustion among the rags was responsible.
 A high wind, blowing at 45 miles an hour from the northwest. drove the flames from the rag heaps directly upon the wooden buildings of the Boston Backing company.
 The buildings were soon q mass or flames and as surrounding property con- sisted largely of wooden buildings used for storage of rags. the fire department realized that a serious fire was threat ened and a general alarm was sounded
 J,, ota ~f,i hiIrn oil-soaked rags were flung high into the air and went soaring over the city. With in half an hour the Rosenfe1t Brothers three-story wooden rag factory on Ma pie street was in flames, as was the Chaplin and Soden Car company's works. Tons of tarred paper stored in the iat- ter factory created a dense smoke, which made the work of the firemen extremely difficult Soon a dozen factories and cheaper tenement houses west of Everett avenue were in flames and the f1remen saw that they were utterly unable to cope with the eonfiagration.
 Calls For Help.
 Realizing that the city was apparently doomed if the flames could not be stopped at Everett avenue. Fire Chief H. A. Spencer summoned help from Boston and all the surrounding cities and towns. Four alarms were rung in on the Boston cir 1 cult and all the available apparatus was sent across the harbor. Early in the aft | ernoon aid had arrived from. Everett, Lynn, Haverhi1l, Wakefield. Salem, Nal den, Cambridge, Winthrop and Revere. | The first evidence of the fire on tas, | east side of Everett avenue was when the l roof of the Peoples A. M. E. church l on Fourth street was seen to be ablaze. | The services were in progress inside at 1 the time and the congregation was un- aware that serious fire was raging 1 outside Some one notified the pastor, Re- Charles F. Watson. He immediately 1 turned to his people, told them of the l danger. and advised them to file slowly | from the building Twenty minutes later 1 there was not a vestige of the edifee 1 left
 | Forced back down Everett avenue to l the south the firemen battled with the l flames in an endeavor to save the heart 1 of the business section and to confine | the fire to that part of the city between l the railroad tracks and Everett avenue. | Within an area of half a mile square
 were several churches and school houses | One after another they were burned, the Polish Catholic church, the Fourth Street | M E. church and Advent Christian l church on Heard street. When the Pol 1 ish Catholic church caught fire the Rev.
 Father Jaskolski had just closed serv- l ice and many people were in and about 1 thS edifice. In 15 minutes the entire top 1 of the church was in flames. All the ] movable effects and furniture were re- | moved ii-
 | A hundred yards away at the corner 1 of Chestnut and Fourth streets the First l Universalist church caught fire in exact l ly the same manner as the Polish church. ; It was soon enveloped in flames. A spec 1 t,.cular feature of the burning of thls
 church was the picture of the flames as 1 they burned completely around the base l of tba tipped i the spire. For a few moments it stood | out against the sky, a flaming golden ] beacon. and then with crash tumbled headlong into the roof. breaking as it f struck the roof. one part going into the | interior of the edifice and the other strik- | ing the street.
 Reaches Broadway. 1 Spreading to the northeast from, l Everett avenue the fire seized upon kh c
 rows of business blocks facing on l Broadway and enveloped them one aft i-cr another, creeping slowly but stea l. ily toward Chase square, the center of
 tie city
 The Fitz public library, a magniti-
 cent stone structure, was destroye
 end on the flames crept toward tae
 Frost hospital and the Children's hos pital.
 By reouisitioning ambulances iron, i surrounding towns and cities and cali- ing into service all available carriages .ne police were able to speedily re- move the inmates of the Frost hos pital and the Chidren's hospital out
 side the city limits to retreats of sale iy. It was none too soon, for both
 hospital buildings were shortly con
 sumed. 0
 The fire swept down Broadway. west 10 within a block of Chelsea square