Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1889 — FIERCE FIRE IN BOSTON. [ARTICLE]

FIERCE FIRE IN BOSTON.

FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN PROP. EKTY SWEPT AWAY. The Conflagration Continues Six Hours and Wrecks Two Acres of Substantial Business Buildings—Two Hundred Resilient Firms and 100 Agents Sutler Loss. [Boston telegram.] The most disastrous fire from which Boston has suffered since 1872, and one which in property loss almost rivals the great conflagration at Lynn, broke out about 8:20 o’clock Thursday morning in the six-story gran, ite building owned by Jordan, Marsh & Co. and occupied by Brown, Durrel & Co., dealers in dry goods, on Bedford street, corner of Kingston. The first alarm was immediately followed by the first general alarm in Boston since 1872. Thursday’s conflagration raged for six hours, burned over two acres of territory covered by magnificent structures, and entailed a loss now estimated at $5,000,600. So far as known no fatalities occurred, but several persons were seriously injured Among them are." Michael Atkinson, policeman, head crushed by falling granite. John Halley, hoseman, lacerated by plate glass. Thomas F. Quigley, Inhaled flames, burned. District Engineer Bartlett, right shoulder dislocated. Edward Fiiohan, fireman, hand nearly cut off. J. Dacy. fireman, log crushed. Fireman Russell of engine 3, leg broken. • The burned district begins at Columbia street on the east and extends two blocks westward along Bi(ford street to Chauncey street on the west On the south side of Bedford street the fire consumed the entire block bounded by Bedford, Kingston, Essex and Columbia streets; westward of this the entire block bounded by Bedford, Kingston and Chauncey streets, and Rowe place, and westward of this the buildings on Chauncey street from Bedford to Exeter place. It also badly damaged the building on the southeast corner of Bedford and Columbia streets. On the north side of Bedford it consumed the buildings on both the northeast and northwest corners of Bedford and Kingston streets and damaged the block at the corner of Bedford and Chauncey streets. The territory tounded by Kingston)., Bedford, and Chauncey streets was the’ principal theater of destruction. Here the conflagration leveled everything. Within an hour after the first alarm sounded the whole structure of Brown, Durroll & Co’s building collapsed with a tremendous crash. The flames was darting from doors and windows, and the interior of the block was a glowing fur-| nace. Dry goods and other combustible materials with which the floors were packed burned to a white heat. Granite crumbled, and iron girders melted away like ice. The streams from the engines were dissipated in vapor before they touched the fire. Suddenly the cry arose: “The walls are falling! Back!: Back!” The crowd surged back for their very lives, startled by the shout. Firemen dropped their nozzles r.nd ran to save the apparatus. Great gaps opened in the walls, and bricks from cornices dropped into the street with an uminous crash. There was a confused and deafening roar and a dense cloud of smoke and dust mounted heavenward. When it cleared; away the luxurious palace of trade had' vanished, only a fantastic heap of brick, shattered stone, twisted iron beams, and broken columns marking the site. • Two engines which had been stationed at Chauncey and Bedford streets still stood upright amid the wreck, but ruined beyond repair. The boiler of No. 22 had burst as a monstrous stone fell directly upon it, flattening it out like a mass of tin. The machinery was broken and; bent and the wheels and woodwork werej burned entirely away. The ladder truck; was charred and splintered into a thousand fragments and the water tower was smashed into an indistinguishable wreck., Viewed from this point of vantage the' scene was one of thrilling grandeur. Dl-; rectly opposite the towering Ames blocky occupied by Taylor Bros., was ablaze from' roof to basement. From this building the' fire was steadily eating its way through to Chauncey street, despite the thousands of gallons of water thrown upon it. The immense stone and iron block occupied by Samuel Williams and Brigham & Co., on the corner of Chauncey street and Rowe Court, marked the farthest progress of the fire in that direction. Although apparently fire proof it was en-; tirely gutted. On the corner of Chauncey and Bedford streets the large block occupied by Smith, Hogg & Gardner and others was in almost as had a plight, and the buildings between these two were utterly destroyed. The leaping flames succeeded in crossing Chauncey street to the upper stories of the huge Allen block, largely occupied by Farley. Harvey & Co., aud those adjacent as far as Essex place. It was hard to direct streams of water effectively, and for a time it seemed as though Warren street might yet be! reached. The firemen here made a grand* rally. Many lines of hose were carried through the stores on Harrison avenue, the extension of whose rears was opposite the rears of those already burning, and the foe was strongly fought. Other hose was taken up stairs and used underneath and from windows across on Bedford street. Still other streams were directed upon the flames and finally the further progress of the fire was staid. Here is the re ord of the fire’s ravage: Fifteen fine brick, granite, and sandstone blocks were destroyed beyond repair, while half a dozen structures were left, with their top stories gone. From $2,500,000 to $4,000,000 worth of merchandise was burned to ashes. The assessed valuation of the buildings destroyed is about $796,600. The insurance companies, so far compiled by the insurance agents make a total of $3,668,925. The fire, coming as it does, on top of the great blaze at Lynn, is a crushing blow to many of the smaller insurance companies, and it is not at all unlikely that it will cause the suspension of many of them. There are about 200 firms burned out and 10<> agents of New York and Western firms have haa their headquarters destroyed. The seventy-nine insurance companies known to be interested carry an aggregate insurance of $2,600,00') on the burned property.

The renomination of Cleveland in 1892 is predicted by Ex-Speak* er Carlisle. Last we-‘k Senator Voorhees introduced a bill in the Senate to increase the pensions of those who lost a limb, or limbs, or both eyes, in the army. The loyal soul of our neighbor of the Republican is intensely stirred over a prayer uttered by the chaplain of House. As a rule you can safely bet on the extreme loyalty of a stay-at-home republican. Dudley visited Indianapolis the other day and the district attorney notified commissioner Van Buren not to have a warrant served on him. Evidently fraud, in the interest of the republican party, may be committed with impunity. Here is a pointer to drivers ol the roadways: The law provides that if a man wants to go faster than another one ahead of him on tho ro»d is going he has a right to pass, and if he is prevented by the other, and an acement should haopen thereby, the man thus obstructing the road fs responsible for damage done. No man has a right, however, to infringe upon the rights of others trying to pass. —Exchange.

The Rensselaer Republican says “The snide school-book law has received anothor knock-»out in the courts. Judge Fraser, of Warsaw, has decided that the la v does not make the use of the books in the schools, obligatory.” Referring to the same decision, the Indianapolis News, the leading Republican paper m the state, says: “The decision of J udge Frazer of KosJuako county on the school-book question leaves the ring of rascals, whose plundering this law choked off, cold comfort The decision affirms the constitutionality of the law, and not only this, but offers with it an obiter dictum that the legislature could make the law compulsory where it did not. I* brushes aside the whimper which the corruptionists set up, that the public officers co’d not be compelled to wait on the people in supplying them with school books. It also makes an end of the imbecile chatter about the present supply being a monopoly, and, in so doing, it speaks of the scoundrelism of the old ring in its supply of books to the people As to compulsion, the judge holds that the present law doesnot declare this, leaving this point open to the local authorities. But hs the law imposes a standard as to certain books both in quality and price, it would certainly limit the local authorities in that regard. They could not by poorer nor more expensive books. We may expect a final clearing up of the question

from the supreme ccurt, and then if there has been a loop-hole left in the present law, the people will stop it up at the uext legislature. The school book plunderers are going to be driven out of Indiana, bag and baggage. They may ju st as well make np their minds to that. And it is the beginning of their exodus from other states; which is why they are fighting so desperately here with their suborned newspapers and anonymous lying circulars. | i i

To William w ade Dudley: Our SI,OOO awaits your affidavit. Will you take it?—lndianapolis Sentinel to Dudley when in that city. Senator Turpie has introduced a bill in the Senate to pension all soldiers at the rate ot one cent a month for each day they were in the army. This would be an average of sll a month for all three year men. Senator Turpie has introduced a bill in the Senate to confiscate the goods of ‘trusts’ and other combinations. In a speech in support of his measure, the Senator said: Trusts were the gigantic sin of this age and generation. They were an iniquitous system that honey combed the whole world of domestic commerce with fraud, falsehood, suspicion, distrust and impurity. The trust was a nt isance, open and notorious, but it could not be grappled with and suppressed as other nuisances, and such legislation as was proposed in the bills introduced by Mr. Sherman and Mr. George (in conjunction with his own proposition for confiscation of trust goods) should be enacted and enforced.

Persons attending the Temperance Conference at Indianapobs on December 18 and 19, wishing to retur- at one-third full fare, must not neglect to obtain a certificate from the agent where the ticket is bought and have the secretary of the conference certify to his or her attendance. Tickets may be bo’t Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and will be good to and over Sat. Reduced rates have been obtained at all the principal hotels, and the meeting promises to be the largest held for many years.

Now is the time to select—assortment unbroken—at B. F. Fendig & Co’s. A drive in fur muffs, cut prices in fascinators and s -me r a re bargains in fine, all wool Henrietta resa goods. Chicago Bargain Store. Eld. D. Bartley,of Newcastle, will preach at the Missionary Baptist church Saturday, Dec. 14, at 11 o’clock a. m. and 7pm.; Sunday at 10:30 a. m. and 7 p. m. Cheap Albums at Fendig & Co’s. A grand opening of Holiday goods this week Chicago Bargain Store. J. W. Groom, ast j r a couole of months visit with his parents in Barkley township, left on Tuesday last for Macon, Georgia. Dolls of all kinds at the new Drug Store.

Having bought a complete line of Holiday goods this late m the season we saved 25 per cent, and you should see our goods and pri ces before buying elsewhere. Chicago Bargain Store. A surprise party was gotten up on Postmaster Bates and wife, Monday evening by the Women’s Relief Corps and G. A. R The surprise was complete, and the participants had a pleasant time. Buy your Books of B. F. Fendig & Co. Special Sale—Of clothing and all winter goods at prices marked astonishingly low, for December, to close them out and avoid carrying them over. Chicago Bargain Store. 8. H. Huffman, of Seymour, Ind., Baptist Sunday school misan address at the Baptist church, on Wednesday evening, December 18th. All are invited. Xmas goods—nice, new and nov®L Fendig <fc C o .

Ab Shakespeare said: “There is & time and tide in the affairs of man, and, if takenjat the flood, leads on to fortune.” This wiH be yours if you buy your good-, this month at the great slaughtering sale of clothing, boots, shoe, rubbers, dry goods, holiday goods, &c., <fcc. Chicago Bargain House. A nice X-mas pres.nt would be a year’s subscription to some popular periodical. Try J. E. Spitler, at the post-office.