The Portland daily press., 1872-11-12


building. Nevertheless it was evident even |
then that there was no hope OF saving any |
buildings, because the fire was up above the
reach of the firemen. No stream of any mag
ntude can be carried above the fifth story by
an ordinary engine, except under the most
favorable circumstances.
THE NEXT STEP OF THE FLAMES.
About eight o'clock, soon after the first store
was completely enveloped in flames, the heat
ed window castings of the opposite store on
Summer street, Nos. &C, g. 20, and 70 of pre-
cisely similar construction, gave way and the
little flames began running along from one
window-sill to another. 1t went round the
corner almost like FASH but was stayed lit
Tie Wnen IL reached the corner of the building
ON Otis street Even then before it had de-
scended to the fourth story it was SO hot Ihat
no one conld pass along the street with llnPuh-
ity. 1t soon gained Roadway and reached VIII
throp block, the magnificent granite STRUCTURE
owned by j. NJ Beebe, and the finest block OF
stores in the city Here Houghton, Perkins,
Wood & Co. had 100000 worth of goods, and
Anderson, Heath & Co. s magnificent stock OF
dress goods, worth million and half, might
have been bought for old rags The fire ran
round the caves, descended to the next story,
and within fifteen minutes was coming down
the broad stairway like stream of moulten
lava A burning board was carried across
Devonshire street, lodging in the window op.
.,
was soon in flames. Meanwhile on Summer
street the fire was slowly but with terrible GER
tainty moving down the street, which ran rivers
of water, and rain of water was dashed back
from the buildings with a violence excelling
that of any rain storm
THE WOOL HOUSES CAUGHT
Extending along Devonshire street the cloth
ing house OF Kneeland, Harding & Richardson
afforded splendid avenue, and the fire swept
through the long passage-ways, coming out at
the rear end which fronts ON Federal street,
and communicating with the wool houses along
side.
From eleven o'clock until midnight the fire
made terrible Roadway. The efforts of the fire.
men seemed to be baffied and fruitless. On
every hand the flames were sweeping away the
most superb warehouses and the stanchest
blocks in the city. Arch street, Otis street, and
! Summer street from Hawey street to Church
| Green were one great mass of flame. The fire
did not move so fast down Kingston street A
huge force of steamers was put to work in Avon
| place, Bedford street and the streets farther
east, and thus opposed great check was APP
| piled to the southerly course of the cOnfiagra-
tion although it was hours afterwards before
| the firemen felt sure that at last they had won
a foothold against the flames. A vast cloud OF
cinders that arose from the great caldron of fire
was carried out upon the waters of the bay,
covering all the intermediate property between
| Otis street and the Hartford and Erie wharves
| Gathering yehemence as they progressed, the
flames now began to run down High street,
having enveloped the splendid block of granite
| stores on the site Of Daniel Websters late resi-
dence. AT the same time the Hartford and
Erie Railroad buildings caught fire from the
| sparks which descended upon them, and being
| of wood they Were speedily afiame Then all
the buildings on Federal street from High
| street to Broad were burning, and as the great
torrent of flame swept out from the doomed
territory, and cast shining radiance over the
water, a dull, angry roar was heard to issue
from them, which fairly struck terror to stout
hearts. All the vessels at the contiguous
wharves, on whose decks the sparks now began
to fall in showers were pushed out of the reach
of the confagration. About midnight the
flames which continued to gather energy as
| they rushed on, had enveloped the buildings on
both sides OF High street. down to the corner oi
Congress street. The astounding rapidty with
which the new brick and granite blocks in that
vicinity were Quilted by the fire convinced all who
saw them that Pearl street as well as Congress
street were doomed to quick destruction II
was truly terrible to witness such substantial
and costly blocks, as the granite buildings occu-
| pied by William b. Spooner & Company, on
Congress street. ST u NIB to the flames. The
fire seemed to attack these structures with
| equal readiness at every point, and whether
the horrd touch of fire was first in front, or
| in the rear, or on the roof, they appeared to
fade away before it. There was something
tigerish in the rush of the flames through
and over the great shoe and leather stores,
and when it reached the wool stores theiI
| force was accelerated seven-fold. At one
| O'clock it became evident to those who were
on this side of the fire thata solid mass of fame
quarter of a mile in width was moving up to-
ward State street, and parallel with it. What
| the result was to be no one could tell, and it
was plain to see that the last stand against the
Dorthward course OF the flames must be made
along State street There, if ever, could their
progress be stayed, although it might be hours
before the critical moment arrived Long be-
fore midnight the tongues of fire from the
burning buildings on Arch street had leaned
across Hawley street and attacked the hand
some semicircular block of dry goods warehous-
es on Franklin street in the rear centre. The
fire cut its way through this block with Won
| derful CELEBRITY. From this time the destruc-
ton of the remainder of the block to the corner
| of Winthrop square was but the matter of half
an hour, and then the beautiful cathedral pile
on the easterly side of Winthrop square was
quick to follow. The fire took first on the roof
and speedily eat its way down to the basement.
| From the point on Franklin street above. where
it had cut through from Hawley street. it soon
| caught on the opposite side, and the firemen
were driven out into Devonshire street and I'D
into Washington street, like so many mice es-
Gaping from flood. From one to two o'clock
the fire was at its height While it had pro-
gres ed SO rapidly in the direction of State
street on the one side and Washington street on
| the other, it had continued it's course up Sum-
mer street. taking in the Mercantile building,
| anu tHeH Olu ITlulUy Onurcn, Wnllo also Dufll-
ing with less energy the buildings ON the other
side OF the street. Then it began to be feared
| that the long line of steamers in Washington
street even could not stem the tide of fire, and
| ii they could not, then fremont street and all
the buildings between School and Winter streets
were doomed.
PEARL STREET.
Pearl street, the great shoe and leather CEN
tire of the city, is laid low; and instead of the
long straight avenue lined with tall granite
structures on either side, the spectator would
see nothing but dreary piles Of calcined granite
and smoking heaps of dull-red brick The
fire reached Pearl street at Just half past one
o'clock, the store of j. H. Putnam & Wheeler,
at No. SO, bursting into flames at that time
The fire caught the back part of the first story
from the burning buildings in the rear, and in
a few seconds had worked its way through to
the upper story and burned its way through the
roof. No engines were in that part Of the
street, the few in that vicinity being engaged
in fighting the fire over over towards Congress
street., So the flames had full sway, and in an
incredibly short space OF time the street was a
mass Of ruins. Before the fire made its ap-
pearance the merchants began transporting
their goods to place of safety.
THE FIGHT ABOUT WASHINGTON STREET.
The fire was already setting its wizard teeth
upon the rear walls Of the stores on the east
side of Washington street. and on both sides
doors were burst open and hundreds of stawart
arms bent to the work of relieving these large
establishments of their most valuable contents.
Every sort of vehicle that could be obtained
was brought into use, and the ponderous draws
were allowed to move freely all along the
streets, over the hose lines and among the en-
glnes for the sake of rescuing such property as
it was possible to save. Many of the dealers
on the upper side of Washington street took
like precautions. Rough looking express wag-
ons were driven away from book srores full of
the choicest works of standard literature in
sumptuous bindings, thrown in helter-skelter
Other teams carried away the contents of car
pet stores and the various retail establishments
MaSsrS NLaalzc P1t+