Fire's Fierce Fury

A FEARFUL ÏU.AZE. Boston, March 11.- One of the most destructive fires in the history of Jíoston, next in magnitude to the famous one of Thanksgiving day, 1888, and in the same district, broke out shortly a f ter 4 o'clock Frida.y afternoon, and before it was placed under control, three hours later, had burned over more than a square, had reduced to ashes several of the magníücent new buildings recently completed on the territory burned over three and a half years ago, had consumed property valued by a conservative estímate at 54,500,000, had been attended by scènes of pamc and distress never before equaled in the memory of citizens now living1, and had dstroyed at least three, and perhaps many, human lives, and mangled br maimed at least thirt3'' persons, pome of whom will die of their injuries. ■ At 4:25 o'clock the alarm was rung in from box 52. H was soon followed by a. second and then a general alarm. The flames broke out in the toy department of Horace Partridge fc Co., who occupied the fifth and sixth floors of the seven-story building corner of Essex and Lincoln streets, owned by F. L. Ames. The cause is at present unknown, but the start is described by thoso nearest it as resembling the bursting of a firecracker. The flames spread with incredible rapidity, and in a very few moments the entire interior of the building was bnrning-. There were many employés of the Partridge company at work at the time, and the ot'ner floors of the building were sprinkled -vith human beinjs. The usual avenues of escape were at once cut off and then began a scramble for life which siekened beholders. The panic-stricken inmates fled to windows áVd roof. Some escaped by sliding down telegraph poles, others by into blankets. Several jumped to the pavement, six or eiyht stories, and were terribly mangled, and others - how many cannot now be told- feil back into the caklron of ñames or were overeóme by the dense black smoke, which suffocated all vvlio did nol speedily escape. The fire spread rapidly from building to building, and despite the heroie efforts of the entire fire systems of Snffolk county it was not controlled until the wliole square bounded by E.-,s-c streot on the north, Lincoln on the cast and Kingston ou the west had boon levcled; also olie. north of Essex street extending along Columbia street, three more on the east side of Lincoln street and one corner of the United States hotel, south of Tufts street, which corner contained the emergency hospital. Among the losers are the followiiig firms: Woonsocket Rubber company, Barbour Bros., thread, Aniazeune Machine company, Consolidated Last company, Merricl; Thread company, A. Packard & Co., R. M. Appleton, Hanover Shoe company, W. C. Rogers, Lariat Manufacturing company, Claflin, Larobe & Co., United States Rubber company, Redpath Bros., S. B. Thing & Co., J. A. Jaquith Rubber company, Tapley Machine company, Horace Partridse & Co., Hathaway, Soulo & Harrison, J. S. Fogg, M. A. Packard, Ewing Bros., Sanford Bros., J. F. Ryan. C. Y. Spurr, Cape Ood Glass company, Sheures Bros., American Pie company, Otto Krelsman, D. W. Howland, Singer Manufacturing company, Walter S. Barnes. is the list of dead so far as known: Leónidas H. Redpath, senior partner in the firm of Redpath Bros. Manufacturing company, died from multiple injuries at the city hospital: Fred Meaclowcraft, 23 years oíd, jumps d from the tliird story and feil on his head, died on the way to the hospital; unkown man, crema ted. The injured so far as known number about thirty. Hoseman O'Connor of engine 7 stated to a reporter that his engine was the first at the scène of the conflagration, and he was sent to the second story of the Ames building to help save the employés of the Horace Partridge concern. Said he: "I have been in many a tíght place.butwhat I have been through to-night I shall remember as long as I live. Wtaen I reached the second story and entered the room on the Lincoln street side the slght was most pitlful. Men, wonen and girl, frenzied with fear, were struggllng to reach the windows to throw themselves iato the street Taking one at a time, I lowered them by the hands as far as I could, and toen dropped them into the nets spread tor them below, at the same time fighting the mad crowd back from the Windows. The cries of the frightened creatures were heartrending, while the men seemed to lose all presence of mind and fought like demons. I think I succeeded in lowerlng some twenty-fire or thirty. I should say that there must have been at least thirty who never cume out of the burning building alive."