Boston, Massachusetts
Dwelling House Fire
February 8, 1890
Human Beings Burned.
Eleven Lives Lost By a Fire in Boston.
Three More Fatally Injured,
While Six Others are Injured By Jumping From the
Windows of the Burning
Building--Another Big Fire in Boston. Other Fire
Losses.
Boston. Feb. 8--Shortly after midnight
Saturday morning the dwelling house, Nos.
259-261 North street, occupied by Maurice
Rubey's clothing store on the first floor and by
lodgers, chiefly Italian families, on the three
upper floors, was gutted by fire, which is
supposed to have originated in the store. The
flames speedily cut off escape by the stairway,
and the inmates of the building had no means of
saving their
lives except by jumping from windows. Eleven
persons were burned to death, three were fatally
injured and six were seriously if not fatally
injured.
Before the fire was discovered it had reached
the staircase and was feeding upon the dry
wooden stairs and rapidly spreading toward the
roof. The sleeping lodgers were aroused in
confusion and some were bewildered, and at once
succumbed to the deadly smoke; others attempted
to flee down the burning stairway and fell
victims to the flames, while still others leaped
from the windows to meet death or mutilation
from contact with the pavement.
When the firemen arrived they quickly
extinguished the fire and rescued those of the
inmates who had managed by hanging out of
windows or taking refuge on the roof to escape
the deadly smoke and flames.
The shrieks and prayers of the terrified people
were mingled with the cries and groans of the
injured, and the scene was a terrible one. In a
few moments, however, the imprisoned people had
been taken down the ladders, the injured removed
to hospitals and the dead to the station house.
it was then found that ten persons had been
burned to death. All of their bodies were found
huddled together on the top floor, they having
fled from the lower rooms when they first
discovered the fire,
the flames having cut off escape by the stairway
to the lower floor.
It is suspected that the fire was started for
the insurance on the store. A man named Benjamin
Simonds has been arrested on suspicion.
There is another story of the origin of the
fire. it is said that during a drunken row over
cards one man threw a lighted lamp at another,
and thus started the fire.
The following is believed to be the correct
list of the dead:
Bella Scanlon, 40 years, a widow.
Madelina Ciralone, 51 years, who lived with her
husband, Giovanni.
Philomena Ciralone, 30 years, wife of Pasquale
Ciralone.
Giovanni Ciralone, 11, son of Philomena Ciralone.
Pasqualeina Ciralone, 5 years, daughter of
Philomena Ciralone.
Felix Centia, 30 years, a barber and single.
Martino Marchione, 35 years, a scissor's
grinder.
Rosa Marchione, 30 years, wife of the last
named.
Emily Marchione, 7 years, daughter of Martino
Marchione.
Raffalo Petrilizio, 42 years a laborer.
Feile Lesia, 28 years.
The names of those injured and now in the
general hospital are: Annie Cillmonti, 41 years,
a widow; Pazzetto Ciratone, 7 years; Pietro
Lombardazzi, 28 years, and Lodovico Molene, 35
years.
Newark Daily Advocate, Newark, OH 3 Feb
1890
Transcribed by
Greta.
Thanks, Greta
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