The Portland daily press., 1886-11-06
FIREl FIREi FIRE
What Seventy Towns In Maine Do
When This Cry Is Heard.
The Few Villages That Keep Their
FIre Departments Effective.
Several Big Places Whose People
Need Waking Up.
Twenty-Five Good Sized Places That
Have Not Even Hand Tub.
Many Communities Realizing Their
Helpless Condition.

The disastrous fires which have occurred
recently in Eastport, Pennington and Booth
bay, have caused general anxiety on the
part of the citizens Of the small cities and
villages throughout the State. In severaIl
ener getic efforts have been made to better
the facilities for lighting fires; in others
there has been some talk; while in many
others there is nothing to indicate that the
fatal security Of the community has teen
disturbed. After a careful investigation
conducted by correspondents all over the
State. the PRESS is able. this morning, to
State the condition of about seventy of the
smaller cities and larger villages in the State.
Some Of these places are well provided in
case of fire; several are ready to cope with
anything but an extraordinary conhagration !;
but greater number are likely at any time
to experience severe disasters. In a few
villages the neglect is almost criminal The
cities Of the State are generally well protect
ed ; and in only three of them, Calais, Bel
fast and Ellsworth, have inquiries been
made.
OF the seventy places investigated, nine
are provided with steamers: SkOwhegan,
0ldtown, Wateryille, Thomaston, Calais,
Fairfield. Sanford, Hoult0n. and Bar Har
Harb0r. Houlton and Bar Harb0r also have
systems of water works. Houlton's are very
effective, having cost $4,000 Bar Harbor,
in spite of its steamer and waterworks, is
thought by good judges not to be protec ted
so we'll as 1t should be. Calais has two
steamers and a system of waterworks nearly
completed. Almost all the nine places have
hand engines as well as steamers; skowhe-
gan has one; Oldtown, two; Wateryille,
three, and hook and ladder truck; Thorn
aston, two, and hook and ladder truck;
Calais, two; Fairfield. two; Sanford, one;
and Houlton, one.
Thirty-nine places have no steamers, but
rely principally on hand engines. A few
have waterworks, and the Aroostook towns
Presque Isle, Fort Fairfield and Caribou each
have Remington or Eorse power engine,
said TO be very effective. In few places, as
Bridgton, Pittsfeld and Oakland, the hand
engines are supplemented by hydrants.
There are upwards of fifty hand tubs owned
by these towns. Winthrop, Norway, South
Paris, Brunswick, Saccarappa, Cumberland
Mills and Woodford's, are protected by wa
ter works as well as by hand engines.
completed this fall, and Presque Isle
in the spring. The other towns that
rely on their hand engines are Ellsworth.
Belfast, North Berwick, South Berwick,
Dover, Foxcroft, Oron0, WaldObor0, Machi-
as. Bucksport, Richmond, Bowdoinham.
Dexter, Kennebunk, Phillips. Lincoln, Cor
ham, Damarisc0tta. Warren, Winterp0rt,
Pittston, T0psham, Camden, Searsport, Lis
Don, LISBON rails. In very many, III not
most of these places, these engines are en-
tirely inadequate to conquer fire such as Is
liable to start in dry or windy
time. Either there are no reservoirs or they
are few and often placed where they will do
comparatively little good. Ellsworth and
Belfast are the two places where the greatest
negligence has prevailed, although the in
habitants of the latter city are now bestirr-
ing themselves. Gorham, though smaller
village, is just as badly off. Dover and Fox
croft have realized their helpless condition.
North and South Berwick are only partially
protected. Bueksport and Phillips are talk
ing of waterworks or steamers to give them
the protection which they do not have. At
least twO-thirds of the towns that pretend to
be prepared for fires without steamers are in
a state Of doubtful security. In many there
are no regular companies, even ii the engines
are kept In order.
The villages that do not have even hand
engines are of course very numerous. as
among them are included everything from
the stores and few houses at the cross roads
to fair sized villages like Freeport, Cape
Elizabeth. Yarmouth or Millbridge. The
condition Of twenty-five Of them have been
examined carefully; N0rridgewock, Free
port, Millbridge. Cherryfeld. Newport, New
Sharon, Canton, Yarmouth. Buckfeld, Mad.
ison, China, Pembroke, Wilton, Jay, Unity,
Limerick, 0rland, West Buxton, Cape Eliz-
abeth, Mechanic Falls, Cornish and North
Anson. A few places like North Anson
| have force pumps and hydrants.
The descriptions Of the preparations of
| each village follow