Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-13
10000 ARE
HOMELESS
FLAMES SWEEP TENEMENT
DISTRICT
SCORES INJURED; PUBLIC BUILD
INGs DESTROYED
Wind Blowing Sixty Miles an Hour
Carries Blaze Over Square Mile
of ThickIy Populated
Chefs
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
BOSTON, April IAN apparently
insignificant fire which started among
rags on dump in the city of Chelsea
today was famed by northwest gale
into a confagration which obliterated
nearly one-third of the city. Five hum
dred dwelling houses and public build
ings were destroyed, 1900 families were
driven from their homes and 10000 peo-
pie made homeless.
Two lives are known to have been
lost, and at a late hour tonight it was
reported that two other persons had
perished, one, a woman, having shot
herself in frenzy over her inability
to save her property.
From fifty to one hundred persons
were injured.
Accurate estimate of the loss is i'm
possible. One estimate gives it at
100000
The fire ragged before a sixty-mile
gale for more than twelve hours. defy
ing the utmost efforts of the combined
fire departments of Chelsea and several
nearby cities and a large detachment
of Boston fremen and apparatus.
Firemen Powerless
The fire area, which was in the
form of an ellipse, mile and a half
long and a half mile wide at it's broad
est part, extended diagUnally across
the city from a point near the boun-
Diary between Everett and Chelsea to
the waters of Chelsea creek.
1t was useless for the firemen to at
tempt to check the onrushing flames
before the gale, and their main efforts
were to prevent a spread Of the fire
on either side. Their last stand ~ns
taken at Chelsea square Late in the
afternoon and for hours a doubtful
battle was waged.
the firemen were winning, and with re-
neWed energy the contest was pressed.
At 1880 official announcement was
made by Chief II. A. Spencer that the
file was under control.
The fire started almost from the ex-
treme southwest section of the city
and cut path to the end of Maverick
street, at the extreme southeastern end
of the city, which borders Chelsea
creek This is about one and a half
miles from where the fire began.
The flames spread through the heart
of the retail business section, which
was about midway between the two
extreme limits reached by the fire.
Among the structures destroyed were
thirteen churches, two hospitals. the
public library, city hall, five school
houses, twenty business blocks, nearly
a score of factories and upward of 300
tenements and dwelling houses.
Among the places burned were:
Frost hospital.
Children's hospital.
Fits public library.
Chestnut Street First Baptist church.
Central Avenue Christian church.
Stanislaus Catholic church.
Central Avenue Central Unitarian
church.
Hawthorne Street st. Luke's Catholic
church (old building).
church.
Elm Street synagogue.
Chelsea Presbyterian church.
Peoples Afro Methodist Episcopal
church.
Second Adventist church.
New England Telephone and Tele-
graph central office.
Chaplain & Soden Car companys
shops.
ing factory.
The Tide OIL company's three inn
nlense tanks. Margin street.
The streets over when the nre
reached included Carter, Maple, Spruce,
Arlington, Ash, Walnut, Poplar, Chest
nut and Cherry to Broadway. From
broadway the fire spread to Belling-
ham hill. From Sumner street the fire
cut another PATH running diagonally
across Third street, Everett avenue
and Fourth street to Bellingham
nrt chad RrOadwA
the principal street of the city, at a
point between Third and Fourth
streets, and destroyed the Masonic
hall, odd Fellows hall and Bennett
block.
The flying embers and the showers of
sparks were carried across Chelsea
creek to the East Boston district, ana
the East Boston engines were obliged
to return from Chelsea to protect prop
erty in their own district.
A militia call by Mayor Beck OF
Chelsea brought out the First COM
pany, coast artillery, Capt. Renfrew
commanding, in order to guard prop
erty moved into the streets from bulld-
ings in the path of the flames.
Col. Wood, commanding the marines
at the Charlestown navy yard, volun-
teered the services of the One Hundred
tnd Fifth company station at the navy
yard, and on request of Mayor Beck
the company was sent to the tlre unuer
command of Capt. Hill. Rear Ad-
miral Swift of the navy yard also sent
out all the men from the receiving ship
Wabash who were not already off on
leave.
Remove Goods
Marines with fixed bayonets held
back the crowds while the militia and
sailors helped families remove their
goods. Advance squads of the militia
and police were sent ahead warning
families living in the path OF the fire,
which leaped block after block with as
tOnishing rapidity.
The crowds generally We're easily
handled. Occasionally some excited
man would burst through the Gordon