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 .C5 S7 
 
 Copy 1 Souvenir Book 
 
 of 
 
 The Great Chelsea Fire 
 
 April 12, 1908. 
 
 CONTAINING THIRTY-FOUR VIEWS OF THE BURNED 
 
 DISTRICT AND PROMINENT BUILDINGS. 
 
 ALSO A DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH. 
 
 Copyright, 1908, By The N. E. Paper & Stationery Co. 
 
 Manufacturers of Souvenir Post Cards and View Books, 
 
 Boston and Ayer, Mass. 
 
WAY 4J908 
 
THe Great CHelsea Fire 
 
 On Sunday April 12. 190<S, at about 11 o'clock A. M., an alarm was rung in 
 for a Hre in the works of the Boston Blacking Co. on West 3rd St., near the Everett line. 
 The tire department responded immediately and succeeded in putting out the tire with 
 but very little damage, but tlie forty-mile gale that was blowing at the time carrieil sparks 
 from the tire to nearby houses, and soon all the frame buildings in that \icinity were 
 ablaze. The hie then traveled with great rapidity in an easterly direction, and despite 
 the best efforts of the departn.ent, was soon be\ond control. Aid was called in from 
 nearby cities, but even the largely increased force was unable to cope with the fire, and 
 and could only cndea\or to keep it within certain limits. So intense was the heat 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 had traveled across the city and 
 was stopped only by the Mystic River at the East Boston line. Almost the entire 
 business section on Broadway was destroyed, the northern boundary of the tire on Broad- 
 way being the Boston & Maine R. R. tracks, and the southern boundary Chelsea Square. 
 Betv\een these two points on Broadway almost all the retail business of city was done. 
 Among the more prominent public buildings that were destroyed are the City Hall, 
 V. M. C. A. Building, Odd Fellows Building, Chelsea Savings Bank and County Trust 
 Co. buildings. The number of buildings destroyed is estimated at al)()ut 1. ")()(», \\hlle 
 between 10,()U() and 12,000 people were rendered homeless. 
 
No sooner had the awful havoc that the fire had wrought become known, than 
 relief funds were started all over the country, and many of the cities and towns in Mass- 
 achusetts gave substantial amounts lor the relief ^of the stricken city. 
 
 Within two weeks after the fire, Lee Higginson & Co., who were financial ^agents 
 for the official relief committee had received almost $;3()(),O0U, and many thousands of 
 dollars more were given directly by employers of the burnt-out families, and by fraternal 
 organizations such as Knights'of Columbus, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Elks, 
 Eagles and manv others, almost all of which established relief headcjuarters at once.^ 
 T\\c central relief committee immediately ojx'ued relief stations at the new High School 
 Iiuilding and at Lincoln Hall, and thousands were fed at these two places daily. 
 
 li\ Tuesdav, great (|uantities of clothing had been received for distiibution, and a 
 receiving station was establislied at Keany Sq, Boston, where contributions of clothing 
 and household goods were recei\ed. 
 
 On Wednesdav a large number of people were furnished with cooking utensils 
 and mattresses, and by the end of the week thousands of sets of bed-clothing had been 
 distributed. 
 
 In response to a call from the relief committee, hundreds of automobiles ottered 
 their services in delivering goods to the homeless, and the work of relief was greatly 
 aided bv this means. 
 
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 Looking up BroadvJa^; from Third Street. The heart of the Business District. 
 
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Looking tovKTd Evcrell Ave. frcm rear cfKnighls of Columbus Hall.shovJing Congregational ana Universalist 
 Church^.and Chelsea Trust Co Building. 
 
Looking do^>J^ Evxicli Ave, \\'om Chcslnul Slrcel, another Vicnjo of the congested district. 
 
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 Cherr'f Street from Everett Avenue. 
 
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 Bellingham tiill (rom Chester A\"c. This hill vv^as Ihc site o\ man^ t'"^" residences 
 
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 All Ihal remains of the residenlial section on Chester Ave. 
 
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Belhngham Stalion, BroadvJa^; 
 
Ruins of the Williams School, Walnut Sired. 
 
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Ruins of C\\^ Hall and C\\^ Hall 
 School, Central Avenue. 
 
Ruins of the Shurtleff School, Esscjc Street, This N>Jas a magnificent granite structure, but the 
 stone of ^hich it Njjas built vJas crumbled b^; the great heat of the fire. 
 
 
 
V>/reck of a L^nn Fire Engine, >>Jhich had lo be abandoned 
 
Ruins of Si. Rose Catholic Church, 
 Broad^>Ja^/, Chelsea, Mass. After 
 the big fire of April 12, 1908. 
 
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First Baptist Church and Cit^ji Ha!l, Central Ave. 
 
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FUj Public Librar^i', destroyed in the Big Fire. 
 
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 Birdse^je Vk'^ of Chelsea, Mass. from Po^>Jderhorn Hill. The entire district sho^oJn in this ^m^ ^ith 
 the exception of the houses in the immediate foreground ^JJas entirel-f destroyed in the Big Fire 
 
Chelsea Square. The nearer end of Ih^s square marks the southern limit o( the fire on bro3cl^J;J^il 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 014 014 405 8 # 
 
 A list of the more prominent buildings destroyed by the fire is given below, although this does not 
 by any means include a complete list of the public or semi-public structures that were burned. 
 
 CHURCHES 
 
 Central Congregational Church 
 
 St. Rose Catholic 
 
 First Universalist 
 
 First Unitarian 
 
 First Baptist 
 
 Polish Catholic 
 
 Bellingham M. E. 
 
 St. Luke's Episcopal 
 
 Several Synagogues 
 
 SCHOOLS 
 
 Williams Grammar 
 
 Frank B. Fay 
 
 Shurtleff 
 
 Bellingham 
 
 Broadway 
 
 Highland 
 
 City Hall 
 
 Shawmut St. 
 
 ParochiaL 
 
 PROMINENT BLDOS. 
 City Hall 
 
 Y. M. C A. Building 
 Odd Fellows Building 
 Chelsea Trust Co. 
 Chelsea Saving Bank 
 Granite Block 
 State Armory 
 Public Library 
 County Savings Bank 
 
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