Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-07-12
Terrific Fire at Portland, Ne.
Two Thousand Houses De-
stroyed, and 1900 Fam
lilies Homeless.
Over 80 Buildings Blown
up to Check the Flames.
Loss Estimated at Over
$1O,OOO,OOO!
Special Dispatch to the N. Y. Tribune.


ritory has been burned over since o'clock
yesterday D. IN, The fire broke out in
board building shop, Just above Browns
sugar-bouse, the wiad blowing gale and
continuing for IL hours, burning over
mile in length and from one.fourth to one
half mile in width. Browns sugar-houses
are all in ashes.
The fire burned in a north-easterly direc
ton to Exchange and Middle. sts., thence to
Congress and Cumberland. sts., thence down
through the town to the Grand Trunk Rail
way station. All of Middle and Exchange
sts are in ruins. and all of Congress-st.
from the United States Hotel to the Munioy
Hill. All the banks, being the Casco Canal,
Merchants, Traders, Cumberland, and First
and Second National, are down. All the
newspaper Offices. viz, The Press, Adver-
tiser, Argus, and Star, are in ruins The
Post Office and Custom Houseis ruined
though it is thought that the records are
safe in the vaults. Tne American, Com.
mercial, and International House, and
Woods Marble Hotel are burned.
Eight churches and the new city buildings
are destroyed. The National History
| Rooms are gone.
Two thousand families in the heart of the
city are turned out Of the city by the fire.
and some $40 600, 900 Of property destroyed.
| All of the business portion ofthe city except
Commercials. is burned over. | send
| from here, as the wires were not up when
left Portland at nine this morning. The
! fire was still raging when ! left, though it
was thought to he under control Help was
had from Saco, Bddeiord, Bath, Gardiner,
and Luwistown.
PARTICULARS oE TIE FIRE--FIFTY BUILD.
INGs BLOWN UP--HALF THE CITY DE-
STRoYED.
PORTLAND, Me-, July 5, 1866,
The fire has completely swept through
the city. from the foot Of Highest. to North
ST., on Munjoy, destroying everything in its
track so completely that the lines of the
streets can hardly be traced, and space of
one and half miles long by quarter of q
mile wide appears like forest of chmneys,
with fragments of walls attached to them
The wind was blowing gale from the
south, and n tremendous sheet of fame
swept along before it, devouring everything
in its passage, and the utmost exertions ofthe
firemen, aided by a steamer and hand
engines from several other places, could only
succeed in preventing it from spreading in
new directions
Many buildings, perhaps so, were blown
up to check the flames; but the inhabitants
could scarcely do more than flee with their
families to the upper part of the city, saw.
ing such goods as they could carry, though
every vehicle in the city was employed with
excellent effect in moving goods
The Custom House, being fre-proof,
escaped though greatly damaged The
court records in the upper story are probably
destroyed
The splendid city ard country building
on Congress ST.. which was nearly fire preof,
was considered safe, and il was piled full of
furniture by the neiehboring residents, and
then il was swept away with all its contents
Half the city is destroyed, and that half
includes nearly all the business portion, ex-
cent the heavy business in Commercial st.
The fire commenced little below the
foot of Highest, in a board-shop 1t next
burnt Upnam's Touring mill, and then
Browns sn yarhouse with all its surround.
ings; the Staples & Sons and Richardson's
ioundries, and nothing else on Commercial,
ST.. OF consequence,
1t next swept what is called Graham's
corner, composed of small wooden buildings,
clean. II then burned up as far as the old
varnum House, on Pleasant ST., one-third
the way up Cen,er.st., halt the wav up
Cotton st., completely up Cross ST., Union
St. Temple ST., and Exchange st.
1t swept down ON the northerly side of
Fire ST., to India ST., on the east, while on
the west it moved along diaRonally across
Middo'st., and down to Cumberland, tax
ing the Elm House, but sparing the first
Parish Church.
Then from Chestnut st, to North.s St, it
made clear sweep on the southernly side
Of Cumberland-st., and the same was the
case with Congress ST., and everything else
to Firost., as far as Indiast
All the banks are gone,
All the newspaper offices are burned
But three printing offices are left.
All tho iewery establishments, all the
wholesale dry goods stores, several churches,
the telegraph Offices, nearly all the statione.
ry stores, and the majority of the business
places are destroyed.
The fire is still raging below Cumberland
St, making back to the westward, the wind
having changed.
Capt Inman has toegraphed for ! 800
tents to accommodate the hemeless inhabi-
tants. air
1t is almost impossible to tell where the
people lived, the ruin and destruction is so
complete. .,..f .5.
The upper side of Forest, is swept
clean to India, except two buildings on the
corner of India at. Woods Marble Hotel,
the Freeman, louse, the American House,
the Elm House. tho International House,
the Commercial House, the Sturdevant
House, and kingsbury's Hotel are all de-
stroyed.
Congress ST., from Chestnut-st. to the
Observatory, is cleaned on both sides. Not
a building is standing on Exchange-st.,
Federal.st,, is entirely destroyed, as is Gum
berland ST., from Pearls st, to the hill on
both sides Ua ion, Plum, Temple, Lime
aud Siyer-sts, are entirely cleaned, and
Franklin, from Fore to Oxford. All of the
wholesale, and most of the retail shoe
stores are destroyed
A steam and hand.engine came in from
Saco, and hand engines from Biddeford,
Gardiner, Brunswick and Hallswell
The Portland Society of Natural History,
for second time, has lost its valuable col
lection--a misfortune which will appeal to
tho generosity OF other societies throughout
the country.
1t is estimated that about 1000 buildings
are burned, aud property destroyed to the
amount Of $40, 900. 900, which is probably
insured about half.
The State valuation was S2S, 100000, and
the real valuation must be over $50, 900, 900.
Fully one,third must have been destroyed.
/ II II