Year: 1872




painting OF the engines and shouts OF the men
soon mingled it all, but the hungry name had
grown into giant and upon high rolled scoflngly
along the parapet. clapping its huge hands in
gee. That pigmy man below could not master it
nay, could not reach 1t. Out Of every window 1t
came peeping till the thick walls glOwed with its
fierce embrace. The men below still came troop


ing In to beat II down. 1t only roared the more, as
II 1t would say, 'sWe shall see.n 1t called to the
light northwest wind for help, and the wind rose
responsive at every breath. An atmosphere or
black, binding smoke, interwovcn and interaced
with living fire, was swept upon the now brisk
breeze over the streets at hand. burning the
wooden housetops and seeming to scorch the very
air. All this while it was only playing Crash after
crash was heard within the pile OF glowing granite.
The fremen fed before the p0rtent, and only In
time for putting forth at once Its monstrous fOrce


1t hurled the solid walls out before 1t and behind
it, sending them trembling in thunderous rumble
all around its ieet Then in


THE NAKED MAJESTY OF HE'LL


1t leaped forth very Lucifer upon the city around.
1t was scarcely half an hour from the booming OF
the bells that this happened, and happy Boston
only turned and gaped and passed on. 1t was not
for long, however. Once released from its prison
of stone the fire crossed Kingston street with
bound to the westerly corner OF Kingston and sum-
mer Streets then over Summer street to the corner
OF Otis street, taking the whole block bounded by
Otis, Devonshire and Summer streets and Win
throp square, known as the Beebe block Then it
passed up Summer street towards Washington, on
both sides of Summer street; on the south side Of
Summer street 1t was stopped by the large store of
G. f. Hoyey & Co., few doors west Of
Chauncey street, on the n0rthery side OF
Summer street, passed up to washington, taking
IN Trinity church In its course, and only
leaving the building on tine northerly corner Of
Washington and Summer streets, occupied by the
Waltham Watch Company and then it took the
whole of Washington street on the easterly side
down to the corner OF Washington and Milk
about midnight, taking all the stores on the
southerly side Of Summer street, the new block Of
buildings at the junction of Bedford and Summer
streets, ending In the destruction Of the ROstOn,
Hartford and Erie Railroad depot. At the same
time the fire spread to the right and left, taking
its outer course to the north toward State street.
From the corner of Milk and washington streets
the march Of the fire was along the southerly side
Of Milk street until 1t passed the new Post
ONCE building Long before it had reached
this appalling magnitude of tributary re-
gi0n Boston was awakened to the apparent
doom that was upon 1t. Men resting at home
from the labors Of the day caught the flare In their
eyes and the terror OF its majesty in their souls.
Rich men, with the maddening thought Of being
rich no longer, rushed from their costly ease on
Beacon street down to where the awful beacon OF
their financial destruction was rushing to the sky;
thousands, awed and cowed by the fearful spec
tacle. pressed upon the Gordon the police were
forming with brave persistence but not with per-
feet success; men who had something to snatch
away-bo0ks paper, merchandise and money
were seen with teams, or without them, as need
commanded, carrying or the little that was
portable at such time; furtive-eyed
thieves, like the foul birds that pick
out the eyes of the dying lion, wormed
themselves In amid the furry. Who at such time
could tell honesty from dishonesty, as both stag
gered out laden with their property or their plum
derG When the fire worked down reentessly
towards the water, where were some dwellings OF
the poor, scenes Of agony, Of misery, were wit
messed, which it is one Of the few blessings left that
they were not on an extended scale. If the name
called the wind to its aid and was answered with
hurricane,


MAN SENT CRY ALONG THE WIRES


for aid, and from all the cities round 1t came al
most instantaneousiy company after company Of
fremen, with their engines, and went gallantly to
work. AS the great buildings fell around Winthrop
square, along Devonshire, Federal Congress and
Pearl Streets 1t became evident that all that re-
gion should be abandoned.


and all efforts were made to stay 1t at Washing
ton and State, to which latter, although it never
fully reached, it was rapidly approaching.


A GRAND AND FEARFUL SCENE.


Shortly after midnight gained the roof OF one OF
the highest hotels In the city; 1t commanded q
view of the field Of demoniac desolation. cannot
say If in such moments, where exceptional emo
tiOns rise, one should be ashamed to confess him.
self awed. AS cambered upon the roof, some
four blocks distant from the utmost limit OF the
fire. and felt the flush of the Internal heat upon my
face and the wild glory Of the exultng connagra-
tion swim in its miraculous brightness before my
eyes, my heart leaped with .hrob which had In 1t
something of a horrid Joy which all humanity and all
could not quiet. The tossing ocean OF vivid
vengeful fire, breaking around and submerging
everything, had in 1t all the grand emotion Of the
ocean, but intensified to the soul in manner alto
gether indescribable. Here the riotng fire waves
broke against tall building anon they rose above
1t like the tide, then with reverberati0n as the
building fell crumbed and frittered beneath It, it
sent up deluge OF sparks like golden spray. There
was a wealth OF submity in the picture which, like
all things sublime caught the mind at once. All
this time brave men were struggling against what
seemed doom. Preparations were being made to
fight fire with fire, as water had failed. The
marines from Charlestown Navy Yard, In their
blue overcoats to the aid of the city authori
ties as guard upon the property. The circle Of
the fire was roped around, and sentinels forbade
the thief to enter or escape. Great masses of in
candescent debris lay heaped through all the
burning district places unscathed but threatened,
were empted of their valuables rapidly as possi-
ble-al this while the transnxing sight was before
my eyes. Among those who stood beside me little
was sad and that in low tones, save where youth,
with all youths irreverence, talked silly jokes to
unappreciative ears. -. -


THE WIND vEERED ROUND


and mass OF acrid, suffocatng smoke was carried
into faces, causing the eyes to run with water
as though Heaven had sent an angry breath to tell
us that this was scene for tears and not for idle
gazing or raptured wonder l descended to the
streets but found them impossible. Every shade OF