The major event of 1872 during Washburn's tenure as governor was the Great Boston Fire of 1872, which destroyed of prime commercial real estate in the city on November 9. The legislature was called into a special session to enable the provision of state assistance. Measures it passed included a bill simplifying the establishment of insurance companies, since several were bankrupted by the blaze, and a bill authorizing the city to issue bonds to speed the rebuilding effort. 1873 brought a new round of state funding in the amount of $200,000 to fund the final completion of the Hoosac Tunnel, a tightening of the state's alcohol prohibition laws, and the establishments of a new prison in Concord (now MCI Concord) and a mental hospital in Salem. In 1874, Washburn signed legislation establishing a women's reformatory. Although Washburn was a supporter of women's suffrage, the matter was not seriously considered by the legislature during his term. He also supported legislation reforming the state's child labor and education laws, which were widely flouted. He opposed enactment of a labor bill limiting work to ten hours per day, a subject of regular labor agitation during his tenure.