Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

472 SPRLYGFIELD, 1636-1S86.
(Main and Sanford streets), and five buildings, including eight stores
and shops, were consumed; losses, $25,000, including Daniel Bonte-
cou's frame building, Main street, in which were Briggs & Forward,
dry goods ; Smith & Ta^dor, printers ; Cowles & Lombard, barbers
and fancy goods ; and T. L. Clark, tailor : Joshua Frost's frame build-
ing, corner of Main and Sanford streets, in which were Palmer & Clark,
ready-made clothing ; J. L. Skinner, printer ; and William B. Hancock,
tailor : Daniel Bontecou's brick building, Sanford street, in which
were Henry Adams's meat market and Willis Phelps's wool-room
Dr. Chauncey Brewer's wooden building. Main street, in which were
H. & J. Brewer, druggists : Justin Lombard estate's frame building,
in which were Rufus Elmer, boots and shoes ; F'. R. Rider, shoe-
maker ; Simons & Kibbe, confectioners. The buildings of Elijah
Blake, Cicero Simons, and Raynolds & Morris were also damaged.
The fire spread because there was no water in the toAvn brook, a mill-
owner above having shut it off during the night in order to get water
for the day. Before the gates were opened the fire had become seri-
ous. Three or four small fires that followed led to the general belief
that a fire-bug was at work. The armory barracks had been burned
in L842. But these fires seemed to stimulate enterprise. The popu-
lation passed the fourteen-thousand mark in 1845, which was an in-
crease of over thirty per cent, in five years. The open pastures on
the east side of Main street were being filled up. The seven streets
open from Main street to the river in 1838 had increased to eighteen
by 1845. Chestnut street had been continued through from Bridge
street. The burned district had been covered with brick buildings.
Cabotville and Chicopee Falls were growing rapidl}', and Springfield
was being called a " city-like town." There were twenty-two
churches, — ten at the Centre. The Dwight & Orue building (Main
and Bliss streets), fitted for stores and a hotel, was one of the most
conspicuous additions to the street. Mr. layers was putting up four
stores opposite the Alden House. The Brewer & Lombard block
was also going up. The valuation of real estate was $3,861,917,
: