The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-15
aeusst sss oui.ssisn. ID Washington, H. e.
IN BEHALF OF q
SUFFERERS BY THE FIRE IN PORTLAND, MAINE.

SHOWING the result oil efforts III bniS CITY w
raise funds for the sufferers by the great nre
in Portland on the 4th of July last it seems
proper that you sohuld be Informed OF the ine7
tory of our work. ,;
Very soon after the sad news OF the cai lam
ty had reached this city, me asures we s,o tran
to call public meeting of all among IaSraa
sient and resident population here VIZ Io''soIasa
to lend succor to the destitute H. N, a,rars n
in Portland. Prominent ainonS "a .,nnb IS IL -.
this was John A. Poor Esq, ~ \; VI eno
ot4i c;.,noy of the work accomplished IL owing
On ~ 49, nd thorough plan he recommend
W 'n1 M hai 81 meeting was held on Tuesday
euaninp july 10, 1866, at the City Hall. May
or Wallach presided ~. L.lE ~ la,
] rrha HIM Horato King presented the fol-
lowing preamble and resolution: ~ -E.ts8
"Wbereas the city of Portland, Maine, was.
visited by destructive and ealamitous fire on
the night Of the 4th inst, by which the largest
part Of the business portion of the city was de-
stroyed and many thousands of its people re-
duced to want, entailmg upon whole com
munity an amount OF suffering aud loss
heretofore unparalleled in our country: Il. IL
"Resotoed, That the people of Washington,
and of other sections of the country now So
journing in it, here assembled, express their
cordial sympathy with their friends IN FORT,
land, whose beautiful city is laid waste, ana
their readiness 10 contribute each 10 his MEANS
TO relieve the necessities OF those who have new,
er failed to remember others IN IKE afiicuohl'
On motion of Gen Howard, an executive
committee was appointed, composed OF tiie IA a
lowing gentlemen: Hon. ii. .: Ahdersois "a
c. Spaulding, Hon. Horatio kins, ueorS S,;6 ~
Bailey Isaac c.. Nesmith, i. Deahe, "A. ki ich-
ard / n Hartley. George w. Mcclellan, w m.
Orme. Horatio Bridge and Hon. T.. y. french.
This committee met at The City Hall On We'd
j nes,lay evening, July IL and among those pres
ent, in addition 70 the oGn an n wefe Hon
Senator Howe, of Wisconsin, Secretary McCul-
Ioeb Hon Horatio King, Hon. }. II. Rice, Hon
s. Perham Ex7Goy. ii. j. Anderson, Hon. E.
b. French, and Hon. X. Wallach.
Hon s. Perham was elected chairman,
Llewellyn Deane, secretary, and Nm. ). Hunt
ington, treasurer Various reports We're then
made of donations and collections, which indi-
Gated the liyeliest sympathy IN this COMMUNE
ty in behalf of the needy and suffering among
you. The reports We're chiefly from Maine men
who had earnestly and OF their own accord set
about at once doing what they could to gather
means for alternating the present great distress
in your sorrowing city. The mtiniticent con-
tribution OF $1,0O0by George A. Bailey, Esq,
formerly of Portlals.l but Tor many years IN
business here, was also announced. This, We
believe is the largest donation by any one per-
son in the numerous contributions made in
this behalf all over the land, and the prompt
ness and quietness with which it was done rem
ders it all the more praiseworthy. q ..ii
The touching appeal published under author
ity of yourself and Messrs. Barnes and McLel
Ian was also read Generous contributions
we're then made by Gen. Howard, Secretary
McCulloch, c. A. Pitcher, Esq, and others.
The committee proceeded to district the
whole city carefully, and appointed ispb-com-
mittees for all these as follows: .a .li3tii
Presidents House-Hon. Hugh McCulloch.
State Department-GeorgeE . Baker, Esq
War Department-Col. III. Clay Wood and
Maj. S, Dana. - ,..,t.- .Is,..
ley and 4. y. Hobbs i.'i' D. iDiAa go !
Interior observation-disclosures. A. &. Spaul-
ding and l.. Deane. AS
Post Office Departmental G! w. Nc
Lellan and Hon. Horatio King. oii d
Navy Messrs. II. Bridge and
S. p. Brown,
Quartermaster Generals OfficeAThomas X
Jones and j. III. Kimball. : a..t 1858 Ai4t
Internal Revenue Bureau-Messrs. e. A
Rollins and Charles E. Pike.
Second Auditors Objection. f. b. French
Freedmens Bureau-Brig Gen. Charles IL
Howard and W. P. Drew.
Navy Yard-Admiral Smith. 7li ''l' 81
Senate-Hon. Noah T. S. Perry, and A
Pickard. uaf.:..E .....
House Of Representatives-Hon. Sidney Per-
Pay Departmental. c, Nesmith. 4f,-.s
booksellers and Printers-Geo. A. Bailey
Bankers and Brokers-Ex Gov Anderson
and w. s. Huntington. llfuisE,t,- I I 49,
In accordance with a vote, a committee was
appointed to wait on the ministers OF Washing
ton and confer with them in relation to taking
up subscriptions in their churches 4Il
The next day subscription papers
were perpaled, at the head of which was a
copy of the appeal" above referred to-
l send you with this letter these original pa
pers, which may be interesting for present
and future examination. circular letter was
also addressed to the pastors OF the several
churches, communicating the above vote, and
their response is indicated by the items in the
accompanying account AT a later day sec
ond circular was issued, asking for donations
of clothes. A copy of each circular is here
with enclosed. 'i, 4.gl1 'ts 7' CHiit 'ap
The work was pushed on with great ZEAL
On all hands the collectors met with the mosi
cordial sympathy, thohgh most of those called
on for help had no social or business relations
with Portland and were strangers to her Cit
zens and our State. Every one seemed to fee
the urgency of the call and generous willing
ness TO respond. In some Instances the
amounts mentioned in the lists do not indicate
the entire donation by individual signers. =
Many gentlemen sent sums OF money private
ly to personal friends whose needs they had al
especial interest i'll ministerIng to. Above
$500 are known to the executive committee to
have been sent in. this way, aud there was
doubtless more. Members of Congress also
sent individually. In this connection we note
that Sykes, Chadwick 81 Co, Of Wiilards' Ho-
tel, sent $3.50, and Hon. II j. ID. Fuller, $780,
AS these and the above-referred-tO sums in no
sense passed through our bands, they do not
appear in our statement. Several packages OF
clothes were also forwarded. ''4'i' -
The sums collected before the organization
of the committee We're forwarded by the gem
tlemen who obtained them, but the amounts
were generally returned to the committee in
the list of subscriptions. The money collected
under direction OF the committee was deposit
ed in the First National Bank, with tile cash
Ter, W. 5. Huntington, who had kindly CON
sented to act as our treasurer. 1t was suppos-
ed that you would have drawn tlie balances
from time TO time as fast as any considerable
sum accrued, but there seems to have been
some misunderstanding at the Bank on this
point. The particulars of Mr.. Huntington s
receipts have been made known to YOU by the
account sent October IL, 1866 and hence mere
ly the aggregate is set down in our accompa-
nying statement. Since his account was made
up, several small sums have been handed in
for payments OF subscriptions. These were at
once forwarded to you, and appear in our state
ment.
1t will be perceived from the figures we give
you that full twelve thousand dollars 12.OO0)
have been collected here for this noble and hu-
name purpose. ' %t
We must especially thank the Globe office
for the cheertulness with which they gratuit-
ously printed the numerous circulars, &C. the
committee found 1T necessary from time to
time to publish This work was done in addi-
ton TO generous pecaniary contributions from
the proprietors and the employees in their of
fee. In the same connection we also mention
the Chronicle and Intelligencer of the daily
press of this city, while to these papers, and
the Star and Republican, We are under large
obligations for valuable and free assistance III
editorial and advertisement
The meetings of the executive committee
were many, and their work and that OF the col
lectors very arduous; but all these services
were rendered most cheerfully, and each SEEM
ed to vie with the other in zeal for carving ON
so good cause. '-A4
We cannot close without saving that we
heard with especial pleasure that you were so
greatly blessed in your efforts to provide for
the wants of your afflicted and destitute towns
men. We are also rejoiced to hear that your
city has, in the few months which have passed
since the condagration ragged, made such rapid
steps towards recovering from the effects of the
disaster. We trust that few years will suffice
TO blot out all external traces of the woe and
desolation and that the fact of the Great Fire
will only live in history. So long as that rec
ord lasts, it win be good for men TO remember
how cordial, fraternal, and Christian was the
common response III sympathy and means for
the needy and sorrowing IN those dark hours
city u % '7'7
With respect, your obedient servant, .ts
Us ttn l.. DEANE, Secretary.
Memorandum of the collections in Washing
ton, ID. @. reported 10 the Executive Committee
in behalf the sufferers by the Portland Fire.
Commissioner of Public buildings sl53 90
navy department. .-. t.... ...... so 90
Patent Office 200 90
&. A. Pitcher, anu COLLECTIONS at largo II-. Az 90
Secretary's Office, Interior Department I05 90
Freedmen's Bureau 255 75
Quartermaster Generals Office 4L. 1872 90
George A. Bailey . ... Y.., a. ], 900 90
Booksellers and Printers '' 500 10
Pension Office ht .uJnHut -ifG 60 134 30
Indian Office 4 ,s.- b. f... -.,, . Gag .-. 40 80
State Department 2I2 90
- ,f.is II j.