Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-04-13
MILITARY CONTROLS
BURNED DISTRICT
Nearly a Quarter of the City Tot
ally Destroyed Before Fire Was
Subdued Only Three Known
Dead but Other Bodies Are
Believed to be In Ruins.


! than ten thousand were made home
| less and hundreds of buildings, in
Guiding residences, business blocks
churches and public institutions We're
destroyed by the fire which yesterday
wiped out one-third of Chelsea,
| careful estimate by Insurance ad-
| justers today places the property loss
at approximately $5,OO0,OOC on
which there is Insurance amounting
| to $S,000,000.
Up to noon today the number of
dead remained at three and only
two of the injured are in "a critical
condition.
Boston. April 13.--An area of $50
| acres of ground. representing nearly
| a quarter of the total area of the city,
marks the scene of "a great fire which
| swept through the business section OF
| Chelsea last night, turning 10000 per-
| sons out of their homes and causing
| property damage estimated at approx
| imately $4,000, 000. Today the burned
area is guarded by militiamen and
marines to prevent possible looting.
and military regulations prevail
! throughout the city
| Early today only three persons are
| known to have lost their lives IN the
fire. but it is feared this number may
| be increased when d search of the
| ruins Is made. over half hundred
are injured and many have been
taken to the hospitals This morning
all the !ajured We're reported doing
| well, although several are still on the
dangerous list.
Big Area Is Burned.
Starting near Cypress and Third
street. from the public dumping
ground. the blaze spread before a
northeast gale straight across the city
to the southeast, spreading out as IT
advanced. 1t finally reached Chelsea
| creek and leaped across into East
Boston. The distance from the point
where the fire started to the creek is
a mile and a half, and the greatest
width of the fire district is about a
half mile.
Even at the creek the fire was not
wholly stayed, for sparks blown
across 1t set fire to several houses
and to the plant of Standard Oil
company, which was practically de-
stroyed. The loss to the standard is
estimated at 100000.
To Provide Relief.
| Concerted efforts toward providing
relief for thousands of sufferers was
fairly started today. Acting Governor
lDraper issued a call for an early
morning meeting of prominent Boston
business men at the state house to
make plans for raising funds for the
temporary care of the homeless, and
at about the same hour the citizens
relief committee also held a meeting,
Similar action was taken by eXecu-
tives of other cities and il is said
the legislatures will also De called to
take mcaurcs for relief.
Spontaneous Combustion.
The fire started on the marshes
| bordering the eastern division tracks
of the Boston IL Maine railroad, in
the rear of the Boston Backing com
pany's works, where employees were
at work drying out rags. The COM
ipany's works are situated at the end
of West Third street, half a mile
north of the heart Of the city. A Sc
rics of long, low wooden buildings
comprised the works, stored for the
most part with old rags and paper.
The exact cause of the fire is not
known, but it is supposed that spon-
taneous combustion among the rags
was respOnsib bic.
\ high wind blowing at t5 miles
an hour from the northwest drove
the flames from the raging heaps di-
. rectly upon the wooden buildings of
the Boston Backing company
The buildings were soon ID mass of
. flames and as the surrounding prop
erty consisted largely Dl wooden
buildings used for tho storage of rags
q the fire department realized that d
serious fire was threatened and a gem
cral alarm was sounded.
In the gale, shingles burning paper
oil soaked rags We're flung high into
the air ana went soaring over the
city.
Public buildings IIurtcd
Among tho structure destroyed
were thirteen churches, two hospitals
the public library, city hall, fiv,
schoolhouSes. twenty buSIu.-s blocks
nearly a score of factories and up
wards of 300 teuemyHt~ 4aI dwell
ing houses.
Among the places burned were.
Frost hospital, children hospital
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