Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-07-11
SWEPT BY FIRE
Water Front al East Boston
Prey Of Destroying Element
Three Big Steamship Docks and Grain
Elevator Burned Besides Some
Small VesseIs-Ased Crippled
Waterman Loses His Life and Ten
Flremen Are InIured--ProperIy Loss
over a Million and a Half.

Boston-All of the wharf property
along the East Boston water front
that was devoted to foreign shipping
was consumed Wednesday afternoon
by fire which swept the Cunard and
Grand Junction docks, devouring ev-
erything above the piiing. The entire
plant of the Cunard and Leyland
steamship lines ON the land owned by
the New York Central & Hudson Riv-
er railroad company as lessee of the
Boston & Albany, comprising five
docks and sheds; a dock maintained
by the railroad company and the i'm
mense grain elevator and the power
plants of the transportation corpora
tion were destroyed.
One life was lost in the conflagra-
ton, which burned from $1,500,000 to
$1,750,0OO worth of property and ten
20 years old, who lived at 91A Web
ster street, and who had been EN-
ployed on, the Cunard companys dock
for 38 years, was Moderated Mr.
Sullivan was crippled with age, and
when the fire started was on the har-
Dor end of the long pier in his ca.
pacity of watchman.
The spread of the flames immediate
ly after the inception was so swift that
able-bodied longshoremen had difficult
ty making way through the smoke
to the land exit. Joseph Inman, in
charge of the stevedores, ran up the
burning shed, followed as he sup
posed, by Mr.. Sullivan. Mr.. Inman
stepped into his Office on the land end
of the dock to snatch some papers
from his desk, the work of a second
but when he turned the flames were
at the door and he had to dive
through the window to escape.
Daniel Sullivan, so infirm that he
had to use cane, was farther down
the wharf, and being less agile than
Mr.. lnman, he must have been caught
in the volume of smoke. The flames
advanced faster than he could move,
and the spacious shed was all aflame
by the time Mr.. Inman reached the
roadway outside and learned that Mr..
Sullivan had not been saved. 1t was
impossible to attempt rescue then.
All other employees of the Cunard
company, to the number of so, had
| time to flee up the wharf to the rail
road yard.
The fire started in the north shed
Of the Cunard company's pier, near
90
the Grand Junction docks, few min
utes before o'clock. The first point
of ignition was at the harbor end of
a one-story. structure, either in a coal
pocket or some bags Of wool awaiting
shipment A spark from tugboat has
been reported to have started the
blaze, though some of the Cunard EN-,
ployes say it must have been a case
of spontaneous combustion, due to the
intense heat of the past few days.
But whatever the cause, there was
no checking the flames within the
section occupied by the large dock
properties. The fire, propelled by a
strong northwest wind, danced through
the big, partitionless dock sheds and
skipped from structure to structure
until brought to stop at the Massa-
chusetts coal wharf, adjoining the fer
ry slip of the Boston, Revere Beach
& Lynn railroad.
According to conservative insurance
estimates, the loss occasioned by the
fire cost the fire and marine insurance
companies in the neighborhood of
$1,5OO,O0O and $1,750OOO.
OF this insurance about half will fall
upon the shoulders of the marine
companies, under their policies which
protect merchandise not only while
at sea, but for stated period, usual
ly 48 hours, while on the wharves
awaiting removal to its destination.
The Leyland steamer DevoniaD had a
large and valuable cargo which is be.
yond question covered by these poll
cies.