The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-04-14

Remarkable Svittness and Oestroye d
Over Five Hundred Buildings. In.
GLIDING the City Hall and Many
chureres and Hospitals 49, Several
Dead ard Scores injurea-The Less
Nearly s1o.oOo.ooo.
Boston. April lS-An apparently ia
significant ire which started smone
rags on a dump m the city OF Chelsea
Was famed by a northwest gale into
confederation which obliteratei
nearly one-third Of the city Five hun.
cred dwelling houses and public build
ings were destroyed. 1900 families
We're driven from their habitations and
10000 people made homeless Two
lives are known TO have been lost and
IL was reported that two other persons
had persisted. enc woman. having
shot herself IN frenzy over her in
ability 90 save her property From dfty
10 seventy-fve persons were injured
In the confusion attending the sit
uation accurate estimates OF the loss
were impossible The CITY solicitor es
tmates it ar nearly slo.O0oo0o.
The Gre. which was the wors; that
Greater Boston has known In many
years. ragged before a forty fve mile
gale for more than twelve hours. Gcfs
ing the utmost efforts % the combined
! fire departments oi Chelsea and sew.
eral nearby cities and a large Ieiach
ment OF BOSTON fremen and apparatus
Among the structures destroyed
g D.
the public library. city hall Eve school
houses twenty business blocks. nearly
score of factories and upwards O.
300 tenements and dwelling houses.
Marines with fixed hayoncts held
back the crowds. while the militia and
sailors helped families remove their
goods. Advance squads OF the militia
and police were sent ahead varnine
out families Twins IN the path Of the
fire. which lcapcd block after block
with astonishing rapility The crowds
generally were easily handled Occa.
si0naiiy some excited house owner
would burs, through the Gordon OF
militia aud marines 90 dash into a
house for somc forgotten valuables.
but the presence of SO many uniformed
guards OyeraNed the roughcr element.
The FIRE started on the marshes Dor
dcrins the eastern division tracks OF
the Boston q Maine railroad ia the
rear of the Boston Backing company :
works where employees were at work
drying out rags. The exact cause OF
The IRE IS not known. but II IS sup
posed that spontaneous combustion
among The rags was responsible
High Wind Famed Flames.
A high wind blowing at forty 1--WE
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 mass OF flames
and as the surrounding property con
sisted largely of wooden buildings used
Tor the storage of rags. the fire de.
partment realized that a serious fire
was threatened and a general alarm
was sounded. soon a dozen factories
and cheaper tenement houses west Of
Everett avenue were In flames and the
lremen saw that they were utterly
unable 10 cope with the confagration.
Realizing that the city was appar.
entity doomed II the flames could not
be stopped at Everett avenue. Fire
Chief II. \ Spencer summoned help
from Boston and all the surrounding
cities and towns. The first evidence Of
the fire on the east side of Everett
avenue was when the roof OF the Peo-
Piles \ VI. Z. church on Fourth ave
nue. was seen TO be ablaze. The Ser
4 in 81.
time. and the congregation was uu-
aware that a serious fire was raging
outside. Some one notified the pastor
Rev Charles p. Watson. He imme-
diately turned to his people. told them
OF the danger and advised them TO
file slowly from the building Twenty
minutes inter there was not a yesIige
OF the edihce left
Heaps of burning embers and a SUI
locating cloud OF dust hurled down
across Everett avenue by the gale
coupled with the intense heat. drove
the firemen from their posts. and the
families nearest the start of the con
fiagration had only time 10 rush from
their homes and save their lives. los
lag all their possessions.
Forced back down Everett avenue to
the south. the iremen battled with the
flames in an endeavor to save the
heart OF the business section and TO
confine the fire 10 that part of the city
between the railroad tracks and
EvereN avenue. Within an area OF
half a mile square were several
churches and school houses. One by
one they fell before the flames. Flam-
ing embers falling on steeple and roof
would instantly envelope the whole
structure in flames and the buildings
survived but a few minutes. One after
another were burned. the Polish Cath
eiic church. the Fourth Street NJ. +.
church and the Advent Christian
church on Heard street
Up to this time the Are had been
confined to the west OF Everett ave
nue.. That IL could be stopped there
was beyond all question an impossi
bility however. Tor already burning
embCrs had started fires in scores OF
places all the way from Everett ave.
rue across broadway leaping the
business street OF the city and Great.
ing new sources OF danger in the
poorer tenement and residential sec
uon oil the city between Broadway and
the water front Spreading to tho
northeast from Everett avenue the
hre seized upon the rows of business
blocks and enveloped them one after
another' creeping slowly but steadily
toward Chase square. the center of the
city.
The Fitz Public library. a magnia.
cent stone structure was destroved