New-York tribune., 1909-08-08
THE BOSTON FIRE.
collections Of a Desfrucfire
Episode.

rm To the collector Of special limited editions This
the handsome piece Of book making most directly
ght sppeals-yet II should have a wider audience
Ic' AneW generation has arisen TO whom the Great
lon Fire of 1872 is only a tale that is told
n. shom The Great Fire Of London seems as
he rar To readers thus removed so vivid q mar
ote rsfive as Mr.. MurdOcks is truly worth having
re- i has been gathered from an available sources
SnG Ias been put lnto the form Of familiar LET
his incted by one who roamed the blazing city
while the terror lasted. The many reproduc
20 tons OF contemporary Woodcuts are interest
no ing and IN nothing more ;han in the STARTLING
an contrast between the methods Of Illustration in
IA thai day and in this.
a Nr. Mlrdocks introduction exhibits Boston
A. as il W4s thirty seven years ago a city nrovin
~, ca IN many respects. with the narrow cracked
streets ol Colonial days sin in existence and the
~, SLOW horse ears JanSlnE in and out There was
:. Ta.c iIe department., and for twelve years il
had possessed the steam engines that succeeded
~ tle ola hand tubs" Just before the Great Fire
the d. artment cruelty crippled by a pre-
rst yallas csteHHer among the horses The busI-
se ness 81 Tie town was Handicapped, the street
"a railroads were practically stopped. The authori-
he Ties ci the FIRE department had determined 10
e suspend the Of horses, to furnish drag roDes
Ia tor drawing the engines 10y hand-enlisting vol
"a sntcers meanwhile 10 strengthen the companies
ph -aHc 10 furnish fewer engines in response 10
lal sslaTUs. The result of the new ARRANGEMENTS
~ r > NJ Murdock tells US, was 10 decrease the
IA taen,y Of the department by SO per for
= -Tst tNe or ten minutes OF every fire" The
enic declining, the city was beginning
ie retlrn 10 normal conditions, but the DEPART
t's horses were stin in retirement when the
GTear Fire came. How did il begin in the gran
i,e business building which had been closed as
n the November night drew on? no knows;
% 20 ona NH ever know, probably Perhaps il
, was secret carclessness. root Of many
i'S UneN ialncd fires. However il began il gained
~ g readway which the engines, too slowly re-
= sIoadng. could not cope with. Building after
y b- ding took iame-and this was the situation
= IN Nlch tie gentleman in Boston begins his
re letters 10 his friend in Paris. "A building all
- 4 cark-' lie says. would be a living furnace in
< minutes. II the effect, ] suppose, OF
No. a., tremendous heat making us way through
%, walls, hut never should have believed such
= \ ng possible if hadn't it, II was fear
- 20 have this sort Of thing going on without
nd being raised TO stop it,"
= Iugines were, as possible, in from dis
i s ;aut towns and it was one from Portsmouth in
Nv Hampshire. that saved the famous Old
"a South church The streets hed with men
- trying 10 save something from their burning
y counting rooms. one old gentleman had Sc
y" leted his nig Office cat, and the animal snarled
anI claWed uneratefully IN his arms he car
? ued L away. Thieves gathered and military
'e protection was invoked
X The drums Were heating and The militia men in
ID 'her long coats were coming ON duty A troop OF
.@a ~ tattered & along holls9h 90 fti', $3.50 80 you r %
e TIE Common was a sight with huge masses Of
y y ra5r5 ~ lie owners and Their clerks The great
% poured IN from The S1bDibS SaNt
e things "A holiday appearance THOUSANDS stood
smoke that from the burned
- and iosted about the telescope for a nearer
= EtHJ-e the great tumbled masses mat looked
j. lke s.age thundercaps all stained with gray and
tTOBn.
= rv:s necessary TO turn Of tho gas. and for
two iglts the Boston streets and houses were
without other light than that Of the roaring fire.
E-.d.res were blown up in order 10 stay the
march ut the monster, but this MAS done with
on good Judgment, and it agreed when all
was u.e- that il should never be done again IN
ttat fashion Some anecdotes Of the time the
? author recalls one Of these concerns Mr..
IuG.eott q Hoyey's firm" He was al his
home Pc Beverly, and didn't hear Of the fire
uttl ~ucay morning He went over TO Salem
arc. iIlus no train, rode up with an express
I.al ,t.r ,Ie road. On reaching Boston lie
tried o. Jay lis driver for his pains, but the
refused amy compensation. Mr.. J.. insist
jig. r.t ,oV said that De couldn't take any
TANG ...r. Ilm because Hoy"4's had been
l-u,. ..rlg The previous night, and he hadn't
a., .,.L.r to tell him before" There were shown
o'tsr human qualities admirable a. - m
Itt- T. situation AT The Freeinans Bank
"as It...s lepluralle: