Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-14
Y. N. c. A. Building at
Boston Is Burned.
-Four Alarms Calls Out All
The CI|y's Apparatus,
Blaze Believed to Have Started in
Gymnasium In Basement.

Boston, Jan. 13.-The Boston Young
Mems Christian Association building, at
the corner of Boylston and Berkeley
streets. in the Back Bay district. was de-
stroyed by fire early today. The loss will
exceed 100000. A fireman was injured.
not seriously, by falling from a ladder.
The origin of the fire is not known defi-
nitely. but the blaze is believed to have
started in the gymnasium.
The fire gained Roadway so rapidly from
the time it was first discovered, at $40 A.
NJ, that the first alarm was Immediately
followed by second, third and a
fourth. calling out all the apparatus in
the city.
Waterman Peter johnson, who rang in
the alarm, believes that the blaze start
ed in the gymnasium in the basement.
and within a few minutes the flames had
burst through the four floors Two other
men We're in the building at the time but
were notified by Johnson and succeeded
in getting out in time.
The firemen worked under considerable
difficulty, with the water from more than
| 100 streams freezing on the rungs of the
| ladders. Fireman Joseph Wood. in trying
| to control a runaway nozzle. fell from
| ladder from the second floor, receiving
dislocated elbow and Commissions about the
body.
Notre Dame Academy. on Berkeley and
Providence streets, about 30 feet south
| east of the burning building, was threat
ened several times, and it was in that
corner of the building that the fire burned
the fiercest. The 81 Sisters who were
asleep in the academy were sent to the
opposite end of the building from the fire
| and the windows facing the burning
structure were used to direct streams
| from by the firemen.
The building at the time it was built.
| in 1882, was the finest of its kind in Amer
| lea, and had always been the most artis-
| tic structure of the association in the
| country. 1t was equipped with large
gymnasium. library, very valuable law
| library and chemical laboratory. which
| was better than those in most of the col
| leges of the United States, and ranked
| next to the labora tories at Harvard and
| the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo-
gy in New England. On the street floor
was the store of George Ellis & Co. gro
ceries, and the offices of the American
1
| Co, numbered from 452 to ASS Boylston
street. The second floor was used by the
| association as an office, employment but
reau. library. pool room and-'rffusic room.
| On the next floor was the association hall
| and law library, which was valued at
| several thousand dollars. IN the fourth
| floor were the school rooms. while the
| laboratory was located on the fifth floor.
The building was fve-story brick
| structure, about 125 feet long, fronting on
| the southern side of Boylston street and
ran back on the western side of Berke-
| lev street for about 100 feet
The burning of the old building today
came Just when the association was COM
plotting plans for the erection Of a new
home Several weeks ago the Boston or
| ganization started campaign to raise
| 100000 for a new building. and succeeded
| in securing several thousand dollars more
than this figure i'm the allotted period OF
two weeks
The association has taken up temporary
quarters at 431 Boylston street.
A feature of the fire was the bursting
of several large hose and Of one Of the
hydrants.