Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-04-23
FIRE Loss s10,0O0.000
IN SUBURB OF BOSTON
Three Killed and One Hundred Hurt
in Conf1agration at Chelsea,
Massachusetts.
1,5oo FAMILIES ARE HOMELESS.
Square Mile of Buildings Destroyed
Churches, Hospitals, Banks
Gone.

a monetary loss of 100000, 100
families homeless, three lives lost, 100
persons injured and one square mile Of
buildings destroycd-such are the chief
results of fire which ragged at Chel-
sea, suburb of Boston, from 10 90
o'clock Sunday morning until o'clock
at night before ii was brought under
control. 1t leaped to East Boston, where
it also did some damage.
The ruins of the burned district are
under the guard of fourteen companies
of the State militia and marines from
the CharlestOwn navy yard, and the
city is under martial law to prevent
footing. The soldiers We're supplied
with ball cartridges.
The conflagration. which is the great
est that has scourged any part of the
metropolitan district within the last
ten years, was got under control only
after half of the Boston fire department
and apparatus from dozen other cities
and towns had gone to the help of the
Chelsea brigade.
Two Women Lose Lives.
Two of the three persons known to
have died are women. There may have
been other fatalities. and some Of those
injured may die. The list of injuries is
al off n IN how,
of men, women and children were hurt
by falling debris. One woman is re-
ported to have shot herself in frenzy
over inability to save her property.
The fire swept a path for itself one
and one-half miles in length at the ex-
IRENE point. 1t devastated the manu-
featuring, retail and tenement sections
of Chelsea, many of the citys finest
structures becoming the prey of the
flames. Exact estimates of the none
tary loss are impossible to obtain as
yet, but it is believed by the city col-
lector that the S10,0O0,00O figure is con-
sentative. 1t is estimated that 10000
are homeless and that 500 buildings
were burned.
Hard Gale Drives Flames.
The fire would have been much less
serious had it not been for a furious
gale from the northwest, which at times
reached a velocity of sixty miles an
hour. The fire, which is thought to
have been caused by spontaneous COM
bustion among rags began in the ex-
IRENE southwestern part of Chelsea and
swept to the extreme southeastern part
The fire orr. mated in the rear of the
Boston Backing Company's works on
West Sd street near the eastern divis-
ion Of the Boston and Maine Railroad.
and in close proximity to the Everett
City line. The siXty-mile an hour gale
from the northwest carried burning
shingles, embers and myriads of sparks
to a score of wooden builrings. most
OF them of cheap wooden construction.
The fire started almost in the extreme
southwest section of the city and cut q
path to the end of the city. which Dor
ders on Chelsea Greek. 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 and a
score of factories.
The flying embers and the showers of
sparks We're carried across Chelsea
Greek to the East Boston district and
the East Boston engines were obliged
to return from Chelsea to protect prop
erty in their district.