Burned To Death

A TERRIBLE DISASTER. Bostox, Feb. 8.- ín July, forty-four years ago, nine persons were burned to death in a fire on North street. Boston had not recorded a counterpart in fatality to that disa3ter until Sunday morning shortly after midnijjht, when fire broke out in the dwelling house Nos. 259 and 281 of that same street, occupied mostly by Italians, and ten persons were quickly burned to death, three others fatally injured and six more seriously if not not mortally hurk There is a diversity of accounts as to ihe origin of the fire. It is believed that the fire started in the clothing store of Maurice Ruhey on the first floor, and some minutes before it was discovered it had eaten through the partition wall of the hallway whioh contained the stairs leading to the tenements above. The wooden stairway was like a tallow candle and the ñames swept up it like a flash and took hold of the rear stairways ascending from the same hallway and thus cut off all escape for the occupants. The scènes which occurred among the inmates when they were awakened wero of the most exciting description. Th ero was no way for them to get down, and as they ascended to the attic the Mames followed swiftly upon them. Shrieks of terror, groans of agony and cries for help filled the air. Men, women and children filled the Windows and piteously ploaded for help. Some of the more venturesome even hung irom the Windows by a slight hold on the sills. Ladders were hurriedly hoisted, linea of hose qulckly run off and "pipe" from the chemical enKin was rushed into the flaming inass. In ten minutes those whom it wai possiblo to save had been taken irom their positions of peril and the woundad had been taken to places where tbeir Injuries oould be carsd for. It was not until after the ñre had been practically extinguished that th loterlor of what was then but a sfaall could be examined. Chief Webber, followed by several firemen, went int the building at a little past 1 o'clock and with difficulty ascended to the uppëf floors. The stair-ways from the Street to the second fioor were completely burned away. When the chief and nis oompamons reached the upper floor they found under one of the Windows a human forra, burned to a crisp almost, the two palms clasped together, knoeling as tbough at prayer. Further searoh showed in otber parts of the top floor seven other huraan forms, almost covered with einders and ashes. Seeing their escape from the fiamos below tothe Street impossible, becauso the stairs wejO roaring masses of flre, the terrifled victims had evidently rushed to the upper floor in their attempt to escape and had there been roasted as though held in a furnace. Later two bodies of infanta were removed from other parts of the building, and the completed list of ten human lives was made up. The injured were removed to hospitals and the dead bodies were taken to tbe morgue for identification.