The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-26
Terrible Fire.
Burning of the Portland COmpa.
ny's Works.
Five Hundred Men
Without w ork.
Loss, 100000.
INSURANCE, $4,000.

This morning, at a few minutes past 2, an
alarm was sounded from the Port land Compa-
ny's Works, and in a moment the sky was red
with the fire which proceeded from the paint
shop of the Company. 1t was full of combus-
tibes and in few minutes was all abaze. The
timber in its vicinity and half dozenittle sheds
soon followed. The fire department was on
hand as promptly as could be, but their streams
were hardly more effective than an April show
er. The heat was SO intense that it was impos-
sible for persons to go within 80 or 40 yards;
nevertheless the efficient men with huge doors
for shields, got near enough to make their work
effective.
The track of the Grand Trunk was fullsof
freight cars, and these smoking from the kind
ling fire were taken out of reach. In twenty
minutes the paint shop, 200 feet long, and sew
eral smaller buildings were destroyed. In the
paint shop there were several engines and cars
which were also destroyed. A splendid new
locomotive standing beside the paint shop was
badly damaged
As the paint, car and tin shops were burn ing
their pillows of flames swept up around the
valuable machine works and it looked for a
time as though the whole of this magnificent
industry would be swept away. Thousands of
men who are proud of the noble enterprise
looked on with sad faces, meanwhile, as the
fremen, protected as well as they could be and
inspired with the temper of salamanders, turn
ed their streams upon the large building where
the wealth and valuable machinery of the COM
pany was concentrated. When we left at half
past three, seemed as though the whole would
be lost.
Later-Better-F0ur O'Clock.
A PRESS reporter has just sent word that
the splendid machine shops WILL BE SAVED |!
and that the fire is apparently under control.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire was discovered by the Grand Trunk
Waterman, who says that he could have put it
out with bucket of water had it been at hand
In a moment, before he could give an alarm, the
whole inside seemed to be on fire. He insists
that the window was broken, which leads many
to conclude that is was the work of an incendi-
airy.
THE LATEST.
The buildings burned are the paint car tin
and blacksmith shop and other out-buildings
with large number of cars and engines. The
these were saved. Of course it is impossible to
to state the loss with any degree of accuracy,
but estimating from the whole value of the
works the loss cannot be less than $150OO0.
On the whole property there is an insurance
of $15OO0O, of which there is $4,000 each in
the offices represented by Dow & Palmer,
Rollins & Adams and Loring & Thurston.
On the whole it is the most destructive fire
that has occurred since the great fire of 1866
BRAVE BOY.
Richard Haley, aged Is, who lives at IS
Adams street, and employed on the revenue
cutter, when the machine shop took fire on the
roof, crawled up on the slate at the imminent
peril of his life and stampe i it out.
CREDIT DUE
A fire department. never showed more cool
ness and courage than did our Portland men on
this occasion.