OCR Text |
Show Boston's Third Fir. Boiton had another great fire last Friday. This last is said to be the largest lar-gest fire that evsr occurred in Boston, The flames broke out in the toy department de-partment of Horace Partridge & Co, who occupied tht fifth and sixtii floors of the seven-story building corner Esuex and Lincoln streets owned by F L Ames, The cause at present is unknown, but the story is described hy those nearest as resembling the bursting of a huge firecracker. The flames spread with in credible rapidity and iu a very few mo ments the entire interior was burning There were many employees at work at the lime and other floors of the building were sprinkled with human beings. The usual avenues of escape weie at once cut off and then begau a scramble for life which sickened the beholdcrs. - The panic stricken inmates tied to the windows and roofs; some escaped by sliding down tolegraph poles others by leaping into blankets Several jumped to the pavement six or eight stories and were terribly mangled, aud others, how many cannot now be told fell back into the cauldron of flames or were overcome by the dense black smoke which sutlo-cattd sutlo-cattd all who did not speedily escape The entire fire department of the city was soon on the scene, The department of rtummerville Cambridge Xewton and Brockton arrived later by train aud aid was requested to be in readiness from more distant cities Fortunately further help was not needed. Vast crowds of people began at once to flock to the scene and as a matter of precau tion Governor Russell ordered out two companies of militia Before it was gotten under eontrol, three hours Inter it bnrned over more than a quarter of a square, reducing to ashes several magnificient newbuildings recently completed on the ' territory bnrned over three and a half years ago. It consumed property valued by a conservative" con-servative" (Stimaie at j-,4,500,000 and was attended by scenes of panic and destroyed seversl a d perhaps many human lives, and mangled or maimed at least thirty persous some of whom will die of injuries. The fire spread rspidly and despite the efforts of the entire fire system of Suffolk county it was not controlled until the whole square was leveled and also 0ve buildings on another street The three greatest Dres in Boston's history, those of 1872, ISS'J tnd 1S93 were all rung from the same box, 52. At this hour 9 a. m, no change is war ranted in theestimates of Iofs and in surance. The body of Charles O'Diorne, a trave ing salesman of P.edpath Bros., is probably pro-bably in the ruins, A thorough seaoch is made in the hospitals aud morgues, but no trace of hiia can be found. T. B-Fitz, B-Fitz, a member of the Grm of Brown,-Durell Brown,-Durell & Co., says the stock which was not burned is of such a nature as to be ea.iiy injured by water nnd smoke, so they have nothing left bat the insurance. insur-ance. He thinks it will take $1,200,000 to make them whole. The damage to the United States hotel is placed by the management at $50,000. Persons employed by Hi race Patridge & Company, in the building where the Are yesterday started, are all accounted for. It is generally believed the bailiis of twelve or fifteen of them are buried in the ruins One more man was added to the death list this af ernoon, that 0! Henry Turner, an employee of Jacijaith company. |