蒙特利尔的破坏性大火

蒙特利尔的破坏性大火

8点钟后不久。m。，1月23日，在M. Saxe＆Sons的地下室爆发了大火，批发服装队，这是一栋三层楼的石头建筑，位于莱莫恩（Lemoine）的拐角处和魁北克省蒙特利尔（Montreal）的圣彼得街（St. Peter Streets）。在第一个警报发出之前，大火取得了良好的进展，因为火焰在后部的电梯上奔跑，并将光线设置在每个楼层，整个建筑物都是一个大火。第二和第三个警报立即被扭转，但是在最近的消防公司到达现场之前，火焰已经越过了圣彼得街，这一点很狭窄，并袭击了H. A.占用的大型五层楼石头建筑。Nelson＆Sons Co.，Fancy.goods等。在这里，它像在萨克斯建筑物中一样迅速地传播，几乎瞬间，整个建筑似乎都是咆哮的炉子。Beardmore＆Co。的仓库，Tanners，与南部的纳尔逊（Nelson）毗邻，接下来遭到了袭击，从那里袭击了Silverman，Boulter＆Co。，批发帽匠和Furriers的火焰。在这里，另一种易燃的库存增加了火焰的燃料，与此同时，它一直沿着圣彼得街（St. Peter Street）沿着圣保罗街（St. Paul Street，Caps等。圣彼得街整个街区的两侧都是一堆火焰。一直以来，一直为拯救八年前建立的大型贸易委员会建设而进行了一场巨大的斗争，北侧的尼尔森大楼毗邻。长期以来，旅的努力取得了成功，大量的水使裸露的部分保持凉爽。但是大火沿着圣保罗街的北侧延伸，从西尔弗曼（Silverman），布尔特公司（Boulter＆Co。 building extended all the way from St. Paul street to the Board of Trade building, and the flames appeared to go through it like a linderbox. When the rear wall of this building fell it was seen that the Board of Trade would have to go, too. Solid sheets of flame sprang out and up and seized hold of the big building in a dozen different places, driving the firemen back. The newer and more modern structure burned more slowly than those which already had fallen prey to the flames, but the firemen were apparently paralysed and could not stay the march of the flames. By this time every piece of fire-fighting apparatus tHe city possessed was in use. Two water towers, which had failed to keep the blaze out of the Board of Trade building, were shifted round to St. Paul street, but here again they were too late.

The fire reached across the narrow street and attacked the premises of Thomas Davidson & Co., manufacturing tinsmiths, then spread both east and west. From the north side of St. Paul street the flames leaped across the street and destroyed the premises of Thomas Davidson & Co., H. Levi, dry goods, and half a dozen other small concerns. On Lemoine street, the extensive wholesale grocery firm of Laporte Martin & Co.’s store took lire, after the firemen had abandoned all hope of saving the Board of Trade building, they concentrated their efforts mainly on this building, for the spread of the flames in this district would mean the loss of the entire wholesale dry goods section. At 1 o’clock a.m., the firemen seemed to have the conflagration under control. After property valued at over $3,000,000 had been destroyed, including the splendid Board of Trade building, which cost over $500,000, with over a hundred tenants and half a dozen large firms and two score of smaller concerns. The weather was cold, and the firemen were greatly hampered in this respect. Outside of the Board of Trade building, there was not a modem structure in those burned. The narrow streets, antiquated buildings, and the inflammable nature of the stocks they contained made a combination, therefore, which the department was powerless to overcome. The fire practically burned until it came to an open space, which gave the firemen an opportunity for effective work. For a time it looked as if the flames would spread alon g Commissioners street to the grand office building in the course of erection there.