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Just north of Boston is Chelsea Massachusetts. A great
conflagration took place there in April 1908. It was a spectacular fire that destroyed much of the city. The
second Great Chelsea Fire
occurred in 1973.
"On Sunday April 12 1908, at about 11 in the morning, an alarm was rung
for a fire in the works of the Boston Blacking Company on West 3rd Street,
near the Everett line. The fire department responded immediately, and quickly succeeded
in putting the fire out with little damage, but the forty-mile
gale that was blowing at the time carried sparks to nearby houses, and soon
all the frame buildings in the vicinity were ablaze. The fire then
traveled quickly in an easterly direction, and despite the best
efforts of the department, was soon beyond control.
Aid was called-in from nearby cities, but even the much larger fighting
force was unable to cope with the fire, and could only attempt to keep it
within certain limits. So intense was the heat of the fire that
buildings made of solid granite crumbled, and were entirely destroyed. The fire could not be checked in its easterly course, and in a short time
traveled across the city and was stopped only by the Mystic River at the
East Boston line. Almost the entire business section along Broadway
was destroyed by the fire, with the northern boundary being the Boston &
Maine Railroad tracks, and the southern boundary being Chelsea Square.
Among the more prominent public buildings that were destroyed include the City
Hall, YMCA, Odd Fellows, and Chelsea Savings Bank buildings. About
eight schools and a dozen churches were burnt down. The total number of buildings destroyed was
about 1500, and between 10,000 to 12,000 people were rendered homeless.
News about the fire spread quickly. Relief funds were generated from
all over the country, with many of the cities and towns in Massachusetts
giving substantial amounts for the stricken city. Within two weeks
after the fire, the relief committee had received about $300,000, with many
more thousands given directly by employers of the burnt-out
families, and by fraternal organizations such as Knights of Columbus,
Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Elks, and Eagles. The committee
immediately opened relief stations at the new High School building and at
Lincoln Hall, and thousands were fed at these two places daily.
By Tuesday April 14th, great quantities of clothing had been received for
distribution, and a receiving station was established at Boston where
contributions of household goods could be gathered. On
Wednesday, a large number of people were furnished with cooking utensils and
mattresses, and by Saturday thousands of sets of bed-clothing had been
distributed. In response to a call from the relief committee, hundreds
of automobiles offered their services in delivering goods to the homeless,
and the relief work was greatly aided by this means."
Cherry Street from Everett Avenue
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