Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 May 1894 — BIG BLAZE IN BOSTON. [ARTICLE]

BIG BLAZE IN BOSTON.

TWO HUNDRED DWELLINGS ARE BURNED. The -Hub” Visited by a Destructive Ftra that Leave. 3,000 Person* Homele**— The Blaze Starts In tho Base-Ball Grounds—Farmers' Congress Plans. L’.ckel Up bjr Flame*. The moat destructive fire that haa visited Boston in months started Tuesday, a little after 4 o’clock, at the South End.ball grounds. The scene of the devastation is that section of Roxbury beginning on tho narrow street that is the extension of Columbus avenue, and extending to Walpole street on the south and to the western boundary of the ball grounds. Tne blaze started, says a dispatch, under what are known as the 2c-cent bleachers, and at its Inception could have been put out with a bucket of water. The first intimation the audience bad that a fire was in progress was a thin sheet of smoke that curled up between tha seats and spread over a space not larger than a man’s hat. The whole affair was looked upon as a joke by some mischievous boys, no attempt being made to subdue tho flames. The hundred or more men who were seated in this. t,Qf the field rose leisurely and peered curiously over the fence and watched the (lames. Presently tho smoke grew denser and above tho high boil'd fence u long tongue of llama shot upward. Then from under the scats camo ' other evidences that, something more than an ordinary blaze was in progress. The smoke thickened, the names rose higher and higher and in their embrace took in the whole tier of seats. They swept along rapidly, and owing to the tlndoi'-llko condition of the shell houses it required but a moment to engulf the poor structures in what had now developed into a sort of raging tire. Tho puny attempts of the tiro department had no appreciable effect in subdlng the oncoming flames. Building after Building melted away as if they had been specially constructed as food for the devouring elements. Roofs and windows of houses adjoining tho bu-e-ball grounds were crowded with anxious spectators, who hung on to a frail thread of hope that their own houses might be spared from do struction.

I Vain HtTort* to Check the Conflvsration, I Strenuous efforts wore made to check the flames by the use of buckets, basins and whatever else would hold.? quart of water, but it was like an a/ - tempt to subdue the everlasting flr»s 'of Vesuvius, teeing that their efforts were in vain the poop e hastily gathered together what few article.! they could carry and rushed from the houses. All tho teats of tho eastern side of the bull grounds were a sheet of roaring Hames Tho spectacle was ono of inexpressible grandeur, and the thousands who had gathered in the in1 closure gazed upon it in awe, mixed I with terror. The fire department had now got thoroughly at work, but the t-pin of water which were poured into the great flaming space were of no avail whatever and it seemed that the rush of Hie would only be subdued when material to fe’d it nad been ex- . hau-ted. C rqwz’ed on the upper story of the grand stand were several hundred persons who had gathered there to obtain an unobstructed view of the awful spectacle spread out before them. No one dreamed thit this beautiful structure was in the remotest danger, but ten minutes later it became evident that this, too, lay in tho path of the mad flumes. Hurriedly the stand was vacated, and not a moment to soon, as the eastern wing became ignited and the hot breath of the devouring monster nearly overcame those who were making their escape. A rush was hurriedly made for the opposite side of the grounds, but even here the heat was so intense that the people hurdled together in the northwestern extremity of the grounds as far out of danger as possible. it was not until 9 o’clock that control was gained over the fire. The tiro burned over about eight acres, 200 buildings were destroyed and 2,000 persons were rendered homeless. None are reported burned to death, but fifteen or twenty injured persons were taken to the different hospitals. Owing to tho nature of the buildings burned the loss will not exceed SOOO,OOO. The greatest loser is the Base-Ball A sooiation. its loss will amount to about , 875,000.