The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-07-18
THE GREAT FIRE AT PORT.
LAND.
Two Thousand Buildings Burne d ...M ore
than Two Thousand Families made
Homeless-..Ten Millions Dollars Worth
of Property Destroyed.

Two Thousand Buildings Burnsd..-no orc
Home less-..Ten Mlllio ns Dollars Worth
of Property Destroyed.
Portland Dispatch duly 81 to the New York World.
One Of the most beautiful, ii not the
most beautiful, Of our smaller Atlantic
cities now lies in ruins. Portland, which,
since the completion Of the Grand Trunk
Railroad, and the selection Of its noble har-
Dor rs the winter terminus of the Canadian
line Of steamers to Europe, has made such
rapid strides in prosperity as to promise At
no distant day serious rivalry with Boston
Tor the primary Of commercial Importance
in New England, has been visited in q sea-
son Of profound peace, and on the anniver-
sary Of our national independence, with q
confagration so sweeping and tremendous
That it can be likencd only to the desolation
by fire Of some Of our southern capitals in
the very crisis and fury Of the late war.
How the fire was communicated to the
small wooden building in which it seems to
have first broken out, has hardly yet become
q subject Of conjecture. Some months ago
mysterious individual was arrested here
shortly after fire had taken place in Free
street, who finally confessed that be had
come to Portland for the express purpose
Of burning the city, and that he was the
author Of the conAagration which last year
laid waste the capital of the State, Augusta,
conaagration which, until this days sad
work was done, ranked first in the annals
of our misfortunes Of this kind. 1t is pos
sible that this last catastrophe may have
been the work Of some such incendiary
madness but more probable, perhaps, that
it is to be carried to the account Of the car
nival Of fire and gunpowder with which it
is considered proper to celebrate the birth
day Of the nation. Whatever its origin, its
extcnt-of which, unfortunately, we cannot
fremen are still battling with the enemy,
simply appalling. In less than twelve
hours one-third of the property Of this busy
and furnishing city has been rolled up in
scroll Of fire and blown away in clouds Of
smoke. Portland is divided into an upper
and lower town. On the high land to the
south and west stand the handsomest pri-
vate residences, and the most picturesque
streets Of the city. Conspicuous among
these is the stately mansion Of Mr.. John
Brown, the architectural pride of Portland,
q house literally set upon hill, and the
tower of which is the first object deserted
by the traveller coming from Boston on the
railway. From this mansion, proceeding
eastward rs far as State street and Park
street, the former Of which, with its noble
rows Of fine forest trees, is one Of the most
charming streets in America, extends the
richest "home quarter" Of Portland, and
this region hos happily been spared.
The fire began, as we have stated, below
the high lands TO the eastward Of the two
large stations Of the Boston, Maine and
Eastern Railroad, which, together with the
Grand Trunk depots, and the most part Of
the warehouses on Commercial street, have
escaped the flames. From the little boat
builders shop in which it originated, just
before sunset, it WAS communicated to the
splendid sugar house of MIR Brown, Of
- whose residence We have already spoken as
the finest in the city. They constituted the
most extensive sugar works in New Eng
land, boiling over 10000 casks Of molasses
annually. Solid and substantial as they
we're, they had disappeared totally before
10 o'clock at night; and the wind, blowing
almost gale from the southwest, swept the
mighty mass of flame away from CONNER
cial street, and up towards the heart Of the
lower town. Exchange street, in which
were situated the handsomest jewelers.
shops Of the city, the newspaper buildings
-four in number the Merchants news
room, and many offices, public and private,
including the law Office Of Senator Fessen-
den, and the British consul's Office; Middle
street, from just below the United States
Hotel, down to Exchange street, with all
the banks in the city-seven in number
the best retail! shops, and . number Of
offices occupied by the leading members Of
the Portland bar; the handsome new custom
house, which contained the post office also !;
the telegraph offices, situated at the corner
of Exchange and Middle streets, directly
opposite the custom house-all we're wrap
ped in Aomes rs the fiery surges swept
steadily onward to the east and north.
The flames passed across, in the rear Of
the United States Hotel, into Congress
street, destroying the buildings Of the Port
land Natural History Society, and with
them its valuable collections, and, sorest
loss Of all, perhaps, to the architecture Of
the Forest City," the new city and county
building, y very handsome edi6ce, Of hewn
stone and brick, Of which the people Of
Portland were justly proud, claiming that
it ranked next after the new city hall Of
Boston, among the buildings Of the kind in
New England. This fine structure was COM
pleted only two or three years ago, and was
believed to be SO nearly fre-proof that many
persons had sent their furniture and other
goods into it as the conhagration went on,
hoping thus to save them. But ell went to-
gether in the common ruin.
During the brief darkness Of the summer
night, the spectacle presented by the confia-
grafton, as viewed from the upper part Of
the city, was indescribsbly grand but it is
not easy to indulge ones love of the pic
turesque in he presence Of these smoking
ruins, which alone now represent what yes
terday stood forth as the accumulated re-
suits of human energy and enterprise, to
the estimated value Of some $lO,OOO,OOO.
Nearly 1000 families, and, It 10 computed,
from 1000 to 5000 individuals in ell, are
to-day destitute and homeless, who in the
morning Of yesterday constituted nearly
one-third Of the population Of one Of the
most orderly, prosperous and industrious
cities in America. Eight churches, seven
hotels, every printing Office capable Of issu-
ing newspaper, have vanished.
The behavior Of the people has been be-
yond praise. Order has been preserved
throughout all these exciting hours, and the
inhabitants have We'd with each other, and
with the good people who from ell the neigh
boring towns have hurried in to the rescue,
In their energetic efforts to maintain the
public peace and to put down the confagra-
ton.
The following is IN approximate list OF
the losses and insurance:
Cnarles Staples & Son, machinist; loss
$4,000; insured for ST., 900 in the Home,