The Portland daily press., 1886-03-29
a BAD FIRE.
Burning OF w. N. sanborn & Co.'s
Furniture Store.
The Building Under Guard Pending
an investigation.
The Estimated Losses and a List of
the Insurance.

~ III tftI1 OliC VI VIC lOuA obOAiCoy htkaOuSu
confined apparently to the back portion. The
next store above, that of N. NJ. Perkins &
Co., wholesale and retail dealers in hard
ware, was filed with smoke and the fire had
worked into the basement of this store. The
flames were breaking from the rear windows
of the Sanborn establishment and illuminat-
ing the surrounding streets The entire
block was in danger and second alarm was
sounded.
The first thing to be done was the removal
of the stock of powder in the hardware
store, and this was promptly effected under
the direction of Chief Engineer Cloyes.
Lines of hose were laid and two streams
directed into the windows OF the upper
stories from the fiat roof of the building ON
Cross street in the rear of the burning build
ing This enabled the firemen to throw
water directly upon the fire in these stories,
over the narrow passage-way separating the
buildings. and gave them an opportunity to
hold the fire in check, although the struggle
was ha1d, and for some time doubtful. The
water did it's work, however, and by 7 O'Clock
the flames were subdued
About ten minutes after the iremen COM
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seen from Free street in the front part of
the store A stream was sent in that direc-
ton and the fire at this spot quickly put out.
An examination of the building after the
fire showed that the force of the fire was
greatest at the elevator shaft, in the eastern
corner at the rear of the store. Here the
wood work was charred and deeply burned,
and the shaft was evidently the central point
from which the flames spread in each of the
four stories and the basement.
The attic of the store was used for the re-
pair rooms and was divided by a partition
running across the middle of the building
parallel with the front. The rooms ON the
Free street side of this partition had not
been penetrated by the flames, although the
side in the rear room was charred and
burned. The elevator shaft terminates in
the corner of this room and the cylinder ON
which the rope is wound hung from the roof
here and the flames had burned deeply into
it. The doors used to close the shaft, were
shut at the time of the fire. but were burned
through and one of them was hanging down
into the next story. The plastering on the
side of the shaft in this story bore evidence
of great heat and under the slope of the
French roof had crumbled entirely away
from the wall The heavy roof timbers rest
ing upon the rear wall here were considera-
bly, burned and there were numerous holes
where the flames had burst through the roof
The flooring had also suffered to some ex-
tent and the boards had been burned through
while some Of the timbers will have to be
taken out. There was not much furniture
in the room and what there was is there still
although scorched and blackened.
The appearance around the top of the ele-
vator shaft and in this room seems to indi-
cate that it was here the fire originated, and
that the burning material fell through the
shaft starting the flames on every story from
roof to basement. This is one theory. The
fire may have operated in the other direction
and the flames worked their way up through
the shaft from the cellar or one of the lower
floors. On no floor, apparently, did the fire
work more than twenty-five feet from the
elevator shaft.
On the ground fioor,t the book-keeper's desk
at the rear and the furniture nearest it is
burned somewhat and most of the goods are
scorehed, the varnish having peeled off and
everything showing that the fire must have
been an exceedingly hot one. When
the men entered the building, they at
once discovered the cause of the light of fire
seen in the front part of the store. Along
the lower wall about midway between the
front and back of the room is a series of
shelves, or benches, rising to about the
height of six feet and on which were placed
a lot Of cane and willow chairs. AT the end
Of this shelving nearest Free street, several
heavy pieces of furniture, consisting of sec
rotary, commode and hat rack were placed
in such a position that a small, enclt sed
space was left In this space was a quantity
of partially consumed infammable material,
leaving little, if any Doubt that the fire at
this point was of incendiary origin. There
was no other fire within twenty feet of this
small blaze and the fire had not reached any
point above or below it. The willow chairs
on the end of the shelving were somewhat
scorched. 1t is said that windows, near the
elevator shaft, when the fremen reached the
scene were open.
In the basement were stored large
amount of excelsior in bags, cot beds
and other infiammable material. This was
not burned and the fact that it was not
touched by the fire would seem to support
the theory that the fire had originated in the
upper stories.
Very little of Mr.. Sanborn's stock was
burned, although badly wet and smoked. Mr..
Sanborn stated that his stock was worth
600 and that he would sell it for $500.
He said that he left the store at about six
o'clock and did not return. The elevator
shaft,he said, was entirely enclosed by parti-
tions but that the doors were sometimes left
open. Mr.. Murch the foreman said that the
store was closed at the usual time Saturday
night and everything was then apparently,
all right.
N. M. Perkins g. Co. suffered severely by
water, their stock of hardware being thor
oughly wet down and the loss being esti-
mated at $4,000. With the exception of a
small blaze in the cellar where the flames
worked through, there was no fire in the
Perkins store. There was some smoke and
a little water in the tailoring establishment
of F. T. Lunt & Co., in the next building, on
the corner of Cross street Members of the
firm stated that their loss was little if any
thing. Their stock was not damaged, they
tl0uglC. lluTSLOn HluSlc StOT0 anu bl6
rooms in the upper part of the building had
a small amount of smoke in them but suf-
fered little damage.
After the fire was extinguished, the chief
engineer placed guard of firemen in the
burned store and admittance was denied to
all persons. This action was done pending
an investigation which will be held if the
companies make complaints. Crowds gath
cred in front of the building during the day
and there were many floating rumors as to
the cause of the fire.
The burned portion of the building is
owned by Fl. j. Libby and the estate of F.
o. Libby. The damage is not heavy, the
walls remaining sound and the roof, with
the exception of a small area, not being
much the worse for its ordeal. At the rear
of the building the few charred pieces of
wood in the window openings, show the
great heat which the building must have I'M
dergone, but otherwise there is no indication
on the exterior of the fire. The loss on the
building will not exceed $4,000, and may be
covered by something less than that sum.
No A was HAVING ite hnuSe on