Worcester Daily Spy

Disastrous Fire in Worcester.

At half past eleven o'clock last night, a fire broke out in the building upon Manchester street, known as Litch's shop, owned by Alvin Waite. and occupied in the basement by Joseph S. Clark & Co., for planing and box making, and in the upper stories by Lamb & Foster, and Tilly Raymond, carpenters.

The building was soon completely in flames, which communicated to the carpenter's shop of Dennis & Lee, adjoining, and thence to the extensive grist mill of the Messrs. Sutton, all of which were destroyed.

The heat of the conflagration was so intense that the flames soon crossed the street, and communicated to the large Malleable Iron Foundry and Machine Shops of Waite, Chadsey, & Co., upon the opposite side, which were soon reduced to a heap of ruins.

Thence, the fire communicated to a large wooden dwelling house beyond, owned by Col. Rufus Hastings, of Sterling, and occupied by three or four German families, which was also destroyed, the inmates being able to save only a part of their furniture.

Owing to the combustible nature of the buildings, it was with the greatest difficulty that the fire was prevented from spreading farther, and great credit is due to the firemen for their laborious efforts to check its progress at this point.

The loss cannot fall much, if any, short of sixty thousand dollars, a part only of which is covered by insurance.

Messrs. Waite, Chadsey, & Co. estimate their loss at about $25,000, upon which they have insurance as follows: Northwestern Insurance Co., N. Y., $2000; Hartford City, $1000; Hampden, Springfield. $1500: Conway Mutual, $500, and Keystone, Philadelphia, $1500.

The loss of Joseph D. Clark & Co.. is estimated at about six thousand dollars. They had a valuable stock of dry lumber on hand, all of which was consumed, and they have no insurance.

Dennis & Lee are partially insured at the Fitchburg Mutual.

Lamb & Foster's loss, comparatively trifling, and no insurance.

The mills of the Messrs Sutton were filled with a large stock of grain, and their loss must be very heavy. A portion of it is covered by insurance, but the amount we could not learn last night.

The brick engine house and machine shop of the Worcester & Nashua Railroad, which stands within five feet of the Iron Foundry of W. C. & Co., which was destroyed, was saved with its valuable contents by the iron shutters that were attached to the windows only a week since.

Nothing definite is known as to the origin of the fire, but the probabilities are that it was the work of an incendiary.

The engineer of one of the trains of the Boston and Worcester, Railroad reports that two minutes before the alarm was given, he saw, while the locomotive was passing to the lower depot, a man standing in the doorway of the building where the fire originated.