The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-09
Fire Sweeps Water Front Of
East Boston, Doing Million
and Half Damage.
ANGRY FLAMES LEAP
FROM PIER TIC. PIER
Starting from Spontaneous Com.
bustion Or a Locomotive Spark,
Fire Destroys Four Piers,
Three Warehouses, an
Elevator and Many
Cars.
OsToN. MASS, July s.-A fire.
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osToN. MASS. July s.-A fire.
believed to have been caused
by spontaneous combustion
~ or locomotive spark and
famed by brisk northwest
wind. swept nearly quarter OF mile
of the harbor front OF East Boston late
to-day, causing property loss esti-
mated at nearly $1.500.000. Much
OF the loss falls upon the Boston and
Albany Railroad.
One person-Daniel Sullivan. a
watchman at the Cunard Line 5pier-is
4 in the flames.
Spread Very Rapidly.
To-day's fire was the biggest and
most destructive that has broken ou,
along the .harbor front for many years
The flames spread with remarkable
Srapidity. and by the time the first
'fire-fighting apparatus arrived on the
scene they were beyond control and
leaping from pier to pier. Within
an hour OF the time the fire was dis.
covered four piers three warehouses
grain elevator containing 10000
bushels of grain, and many loaded
freight cars had been DESTROYED.
Several vessels and lighters narrow
ly escaped destruction. The big Ley
land line steamer. Devonian. which ar
rived yesterday from Liverpool. was
moorcd at one OF the piers which was
destroyed. The discipline on the De-
vonian was SO excellent, however. that
she was warped out into the stream
without even having square inch OF
paint blistered. Less fortunate were
the British bark. Belmont. OF Yar-
mouth. n. S.. and the schooners Paul
Palmer. five-masted craft. and the
O. H.. Brown. a four-masted schooner.
The Belmont was moored by steel
cables to the pier where the fire
started. SO quickly did the flames en-
velop the wharf and warehouse that
It was impossible to slip the cable.
from the mooring ports. and 1t was
necessary to resort to the tedious pro-
cess of cutting half dozen or more
of the great wire ropes.T By the time
the Belmont was gotten out into th.,
stream the paint had been burned OF
her hull, her cabins had been practi-
cally destroyed. her life boats charret1
and ruined, and her spars. sails and
riSgirg badly burned. The Palmer
escaped with slight DANA ge to her
foretop sail and fore rigging. while the
rigging. sails and spars on the forward
part of the Brown were badly charred
luc Bucncu Area.
The burned area includes piers and
!. OF the Grand Junction docks and tn.
pier on which stood the big grain ele.
vator. all owned by the Boston and
Albany Railroad Company. and used
by the steamers OF the Cunard Line
and pier No. 6, owned by the Leyland
Line. This property extends along the
watcr- front to the wharf OF the Mas.
sachusetts Coal Wharf Company, whlct
adjoins the East Boston Ferry Slir
OF the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn
Railroad, commonly known as the
Marrow Gauge The piers destroyed
Were about 500 feet long and from 2ol
to 800 feet wide. Piers /. 2 and Were
each covered by large warehouse
Between piers ard was the pie.
upon which the elevator stood.
The fire started in the warehouse OF
Tpier /. Grand Junction docks. In this
building was stored an immense quan.
tity OF combustible material. including
wool, Egyptian cotton grease and oil
Spontaneous Combustion or Spark.
1t is said that spontaneous combus.
t;on or spark from freight loco.
n olive alongside the warehouse caused
the fire. AT the time there We're about
100 laborers at work on the pier, AMI
With all of them 1t was a race for life
In each of the warehouses destroyed
there We're many cars loaded with
freight for export. All of these cars
and their contents were destroyed.
Between Pier and the pier of the
Massachusetts Coal Wharf Company. q
wide stretch of water interviewed, and
here the fire was checked by the fire
boats, fire tugs and practically the en-
tire strength OF the Boston and Chelsea
fire departments. q Several times the
pier and the coal pockets We're on fire
but the property was saved. One ac-
count Of the promixity of the fire tc
the East Boston Ferry slips. the ferry
boat of the Marrow Gauge" road, sus.
pended operations completely. Thou.
sands OF suburbanites could not react
their homes, nor could thousands OF
others who had been at the beach re.
sorts return to the city until late to-
might. ja3
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