Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-04-18

"SSVuht VI meat anu DuFHeu IN
the streets. =
Buildings in East Boston .
/" burned BY embers carried by =
the gale. =
=
Boston, April 13-More than a
square mile of Chelsea, a city OF 40
goo inhabitants, five miles north of
the business section of Boston, was
wiped out by "a fire which began on
West Third street at 1910 o'clock on
Sunday morning and was only gotten
under control at 10:40 p. m.
The loss is estimated at 100000
geo, and 1,5O0 families, comprising
$1,000 persons. are homeless.
Many persons have been killed,
and five bodies were found last
night. They are those of women and
ere burned beyond recognition One
was discovered in a field on Belling-
ham hill, one at Il Watts street, in
the ruins of a house, and another in
a burned structure at Highland and
Essex streets.
Between rs and so persons were in
jisred many of them firemen.
Among the buildings destroyed We're
IL churches, the Frost and Chill
rea's hospital, five schooIhouses, the
city hall, 90 business blocks 80 or 40
manufacturing establishments. and
800 tenement houses.
The fire consumed most Vt tho city's
best buildings. It swept through dis
trict in which there were scores OF
rag-pickers' stores and plants and ate
it's way to the best residential sec
ton of the city. The rag-pickina es-
Adjustments which were burned we're
the most extensive in the United
States and were owned by Hebrews.
who, in the last 10 or Is years have
secured control of most of thu prop
erty and industries of Chelsea.
Driven BY Gale.
Driven By northwest gale wiich
attained such a velocity that IL ear
ried embers down Boston harbor as
far as Nantasket and Cohasset andset
fire to roof-tops in those towns. the
fire had gained a Roadway against
which the efforts of the Chelsea ire
men and companies that had teen
called from Boston, Everett, Malten.
Lynn, Saugus, and all the towns Iur-
rounding Chelsea were powerless. rhe
flames forced their way towards the
northeast and then worked their way
south for a few blocks.
BY afternoon they had crested
Broadway, the main thoroughfare OF
the city. and reached Marginal street.
which runs along Chelsea creek,
mile frsm the starting place of he
fire.
Early in the evening embers ar
ried across Chelsea creek ignited he
Standard Oil Co.'S tanks, on the East
Boston side of the creek, and several
OF them exploded with roar tlat
could be heard ten miles out to sea
and in all parts of Boston.
No one was injured by the exlo-
| sion and the tanks We're so isolated
| that they did not spread to the 'owsof
wooden tenement houses which nm
| from this point, on the East Bosnn
water front, on the opposite size OF
Noodle Island, on which East Bosom
is built.
So great was the heat that trolley
| cars had to be abandoned in the
street and many of them were burntd.
Engine Is, of Boston, one OF tne
largest in the city, was destroyed
while fighting the flames that follow
ed the explosion of the East Boshn
Oil tanks.
Worst Since 1872.
This is the most disastrous fire that
has occur ed in the Metropolitan DIS
trict Greater Boston, since 1SG,
when so acres of the business di.trnt
OF Boston were burned, with a loss OF
$50, O00. 900 That conflagra,ion start
ed at the corner of Sumner and King.
ston streets and was not gotten lndei
| control for several days