[The following is in regards to The Great Boston Fire of 1872. Context, courtesy of Wikipedia: “The Great Boston fire of 1872 was Boston's largest fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83-87 Summer Street. The fire was finally contained 12 hours later, after it had consumed about 65 acres (26 ha) of Boston's downtown, 776 buildings and much of the financial district, and caused $73.5 million in damage.”]
The danger to firemen and bystanders was very real. A dozen firemen lost their lives and many more were injured. The Boston Evening Transcript listed part of the grim toll:
Albert C. Abbott, a member of Hose company No. I of Charlestown, fell from a ladder a distance of twenty-five feet at the old post-office… and was severely injured about the spine.
Frank Olmstead, a fireman of Steamer I of Cambridge… was injured by a wall falling from the adjoining building striking him on the head. He was taken to… Massachusetts General Hospital on a stretcher, where he died.
A Charlestown fireman named John Leary, had his nose severed nearly off, and his head badly cut by the breaking of glass near Jordan, Marsh & Co.’s store.
Lewis C. Thompson of Worcester, a man of about twenty-five years, was struck in the head by a falling wall on Saturday night, causing a fracture of his skull, which very soon resulted in death.
Source:
Pletcher, Larry. “The Great Boston Fire.” Massachusetts Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. Insiders Guide, 2006. 37-8. Print.
Further Reading:
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