Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-02-03
RIVER
FIREDAMACE
In MILLIONS
Six City Blocks Raced
In Blaze Lasting 8
Hours In Mill City
Of Massachusetts,


FALL RIVER, Mass, Feb. 3.-[9-
An irregular area covering six city
blocks was a mass charred and burn
ing debris today as a result Of a fire
which swept the center of this city's
business district with q loss etimatcd
at from $1,000, 900 to $12,000,o 600 by
Mayor w. Harry Monk. Insurance
men estimated the loss as high as
SIS, 900 200.
More than q score Of buildings in
GLIDING two theaters, six banks, three
hotels and several of the largest Of
flee structures were reduced to black
ened walls and glowing pits of ruins.
Fire apparatus summoned from
points ms distant ms Providence, r. l.,
and Boston and a dozen other cities
jammed the streets and continued
to pour thousands Of gallons Of water
into the debris.
The blaze which started in the
abandoned No. ! mill Of the Pocasset
Manufacturing company on Pocasset
street swept with startling rapidity
all before it, and il was not until $3.50
o'clock this morning that it was fin
ally under control, eight hours after
hnG 4A4St 1A3Im 16u DGFu HO0tut0s
The burned area reached from the
corner Of Pocasset and Main streets
north to bank and east to Rock
streets.
The Monhican house, the city's
leading hotel, quickly emptied its 400
rooms, and an hour later was de-
stroyed. The Granite block, the larg-
est office building in the city, an
other early victim as was the Rialto
theater, where an audience was view
ing n picture when the first alarm
came.
Despite reports that several fire
men had been killed by falling walls,
a check showed only five had been
injured. None was believed serious
~ hurt.
Throughout the height of the blaze
the city vas cut off from the outside
world. Telephone service failed at
IL o'clock when operators were or
dered from the exchange building on
main street. For a while it appeared
certain that the telephone plant was
doomed but today service was normal
except in and near the burned area.
Both the Western Union and Postal
Telegraph offices were burned. At
the former the operators worked
feverishly to send out news of the
fire until their own building was in
flames. The record in the log Of the
office said the men "stuck until their
shoes were burned"
Ice formed quickly on the ruins as
tons of cold water quenched the
glowing debris. Fire apparatus, hose
lines and even one fireman froze to
the pavenents. The fireman had to
be chopped free by his comrades.
Numerous narrow escapes from
serious injury marked the progress
of the blaze. One fireman saved his
life by jumping beneath his truck
when a wall of the blazing temple
Bethel crashed. showering masonry
about the apparatus.
The fire deprived scores of law
yers, brokers and agents and other
professional men of their offices,
particularly in the Granite block and
the Burlington building, another
large structure which was RACED. In
many cases valuable records were
lost.
One newspaper lost all its equip
ment while another suffered severe
damage. The plant of independent,
French language newspaper, was de-
stroyed. The Herald-News, which
had just moved into a new building.
was a heavy loser. the basement OF
the Fall River Globe was flooded by
water.
The old Herald-News building was
n OF the burned structures.
Besides the Mohican House, the
Wilbur hotel and the Bay State
House, the later a comparatively
~w.r1 .eA~AIsL-. -
As at the Mohican, all guests escaped
but not all were able TO save their
belongings.
The last big building 10 20 was
the eight story Massasoit- Pocasset
National bank opposite the city hall.
Firemen seeing that their efforts TO
save 1t were unavailing. concentrated
their endeavors on the city hall,
which escaped with only a scorch-
ing.
Banks to lose their quarters in
Guided the Metacomet National and
the Citizens Saving. Hastily sum
moned employees succeeded in remov-
.sg cash. securities and records from
the institutions and similar precau-
tiorS were taken by several other
banks when it appeared they might
be in danger.
The Poasset Mills were the fire
started were in the process of being
d~ismantled. The property was for
merly used for textile manufacturing
purposes but has been idle about two
years and is owned by Louis X. Lig-
Rett, of Boston, head Of the United
Drug company.
Numerous small blazes in the resi-
Dental districts were caused BY fly
ing embers but these we're extinglish-
ed without difficulty. One fire, how
ever. destroyed the tower of the Mer-
chants mill two miles from the bust
ness district.
Many families prepared themselves
against the possibility Of having to
absndon their homes, stacking their
goods in the streets, but firemen sue
cessfullv confined the major blaze
to the business area.
EAEY THYN n Hyr