A TOWN IN ASHES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13724, 14 April 1908, Page 5

A TOWN IN ASHES.

GREAT FIRE AT BOSTON. SQUARE MILE OF BUILDINGS BURNED. . ENORMOUS DAMAGE. MANY PEOPLE INJURED. By Telegraph. Association.Copyright. (Received April 14, 12.5 a.m.) New York, April 13. A most disastrous fire, which has caused widespread damage and consternation, has broken out at Chelsea, a populous suburb of Boston. It has already destroyed over a square mile of public and private buildings, and all efforts to arrest its progress have so far been futile. Amongst the buildings destroyed i are 13 churches, two public libraries, a children's hospital, a dozen factories, and 400 tenement houses. The damage is already estimated at a million and a-half sterling, and this will, it is expected, be greatly exceeded, as the fire is still unsubdued. One death is reported to have occurred, and some 50 persons have been injured. Embers from the fire were blown across the Chelsea River, and they caused several oil tanks, owned by the Standard Oil Company, to blow up. Chelsea is a suburb situated to the northeast of Boston, from which it is divided by tho Mystic River estuary. Its population is about 40,000, it having been 34,072 in 1900. Amongst the big fires vijjiieh have occurred of late years is that which took place at the Iroquois Theatre, Chicago, on December 30, 1903, when 587 persons were killed. Chicago itself was nearly destroyed by fire in-1871, when about 250 persons perished and nearly 100.000 were rendered destitute, the estimated loss being 290,000,000 dollars. Boston has been the scene of several large fires during the past 40 years. A tremendous fire there in November, 1872, burned about 80 acres of buildings and 35 persons were killed. In November, 1886, another fire occurred which caused damage to 'he extent of five million dollars; two firemen were killed in this fire. In March, 1893, there was another fire, resulting in five deaths and an estimated loss of 3,000,000 dollars.' On May 15 and 16, 1894, a conflagration occurred, which rendered 500 families homeless and caused damage to the extent of 1,000,000 dollars.