The Portland daily press., 1886-01-29

fhe building and the roof were entirely de-
stroyed, the walls alone being left standing.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The
store was locked up and left as usual and
there was nothing in it likely to have set
fire to the building.
Foss & Deering had a heavy stock in hand
which was all lost. The firm have an insur-
ance of $50 900 placed with Sterling Dow in
the London, Liverpool and Globe, the Nj
agara and Queen Mr.. Deering stated last
night thathe hoped this amount would cover
the firms loss, but could not state definitely
whether it would or not.
Us. Winslow G. Co. had an insurance Of
$1,000 with William Allen, Jr., in the
Guardian of London, and were also insured
in the agency of Dow, Coffin g. Libby.
The building was insured with Palmer &
Anderson.
Fire on Middle Street.
AT about half past one o'clock this morn
ing Mr.. Seeley, the hickman, was returning
home, and as he passed down Middle street
discovered flames in the furniture store of
Deane Brothers & Sawyer. He Immediately
raised cry Of fire, but it was some time be-
fore the engines, still at the scene of the fire
on Central Wharf, were able to reach the
spot. When at length the steamers were in
position and the hose laid, the fire, which
was burning freely on every side when dis
covered, had gained terrific Roadway. The
building was full of inflammable material,
the upper story containing work room
filed with paints and oils and dense volumes
of suffocafing smoke poured from the win
dows.
The fresh wind famed the flames, and the
men were soon forced from the ladders to
the street below. Sheets of flame were leap
ing across the street, endangering the build
ings upon the opposite side, and the solid
brick wall above the low wooden buildings
on the corner of Exchange street was smok-
ing, while the flames sprang from the win
dows upon that side of the building. The
adjoining streets were as lightas day and the
heat soon became intense.
About half an hour from the sounding Of
the alarm, the wall at the rear was seen to
sway out, and Immediately the whole north
erly corner of the building fell with a crash
through the roof of the low wooden block
beneath.
A report went quickly through the crowd
that three firemen were buried beneath the
fallen wall, but our reporters learned the
report was happily false. The men had
narrow escape, however, from being buried,
under the wall
Shortly after this the remaining part of
the wall fell through the roof of the stores of
Edgar E. Mckinney and NJ. S. Fisher, and
the stores were Immediately ablaze. Streams
!; - &Io of &ho
across the way and they were saved from fire
although scorched and blackened. Three
large plate glass windows in the store of
Marrett, Bailey & Co., were broken by the
heat.
Until three o'clock the front wall of the
building remained in place, the mass
of burning timbers behind it sending
sheets of flame through the windows.
At this hour, the wall, with the exception
of few feet adjoining the Casco Bank
block fell into the street, from above the
first story. This gave the fremen chance,
and they soon had the flames under control.
At the rear of the burning block number
of streams were playing upon the fire, and
the men stationed on the roof of the low adj
jacent buildings could throw the water where
most needed
Towards Exchange street the fire had not
extended beyond the two upper stores in the
wooden block.
The brick building which was burned was
substantial structure, owned by Norton,
Chapman & Co. Deane Brothers & Sawyer
occupied the entire building. Mr.. David
Deane stated that the stock on hand was
worth about $4,000 or $4,000, on which he
thought there was an insurance of some
$4,000 or $4,000.
The one story wooden building on the cor
ner of Exchange and Middle streets is own
ed by the Fox heirs. The two stores adjoin-
ing the burned building were destroyed, the
remaining portion of the building being un-
injured. The upper store was unoccupied.
NJ S. Fisher, who occupied the next lost his
entire stock of hats and caps. The
other occupants of the building did not suffer.
The Casco Bank block was not injured.
Windows in the rear of the Rossini block
were broken but the block escaped serious
damage.
The firemen had hard night of it and
their success in combining the fire as they did
is worthy of praise.
The fire is supposed to have originated in
the cellar near the elevator shaft, and to
have spread through the building by means
of the shaft.
AT the hour of going to press, the fire was
confined to the ruins of the brick block, and
was nearly out.