The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-04-04
FIRE LONG WHARF.
The cooper shop of C. D. Themes
& Co. Burned.
The Entire Fire Department Called
Out to Fight the Flames.

At about 1890 O'clock a-t night an alarm
of fire was pulled from bnx M. 43, calling the
fire departmental Long wharf, where the
building occupied by g. ID. Themes Is Co.,
coopers, was found to be all ablaze. Just
before the alarm the ferry boat Cornelia H.,
sounded her whistle and moment later the
whistle at Goudy & Kent's bakery began to
blow When the alarm was pulled the fire
had been in progress nearly half an hour,
and when the department arrived the flames
were streaming from the roof, making the
vicinity as light as day freight train,
which CHANGED to be passing, delayed the
hose carriages few moments, but 1t was
not long before their lines of hose were
stretched down the wharf. The engine of
the freight train also sounded its whistle
and before many moments second alarm
was pulled, calling the entire fire depart
ment to the scene.
In the meantime stream from the United
States revenue steamer Dallas, which hap
pened to be laying alongside the wharf, was
got on the fire, and presently the fire boat
came steaming into the dock between COM
mercial and Long wharf. and as soon as
possible had a line Of hose out.
For time it looked as though the adjoin-
ing buildings must be destroyed In one great
confagration. The sparks from the fire,
which at five minutes to eleven o'clock had
burned through the roof of the entire centre
of the building, rose high in the air and fell
into the water or upon the roofs of adjoining
buildings Fortunately there was no vessel
close to the building. The steamer Dallas
was nearest and in the most danger but the
fire was got under control before it could
reach that part of the wharf where it would
be likely to damage the steamer. The heat
was intense and the crowd of men and wo-
men who had gathered in the immediate
vicinity were obliged to fall back as the
roof tumbled and the windows were knocked
out, allowing the intense heat from the In
terror a chance to escape.
One by one the different hose streams we're
turned upon the flames, but for long time
they seemed to have little effect At last
however, when all were turned upon the
building from three different sides 1t became
apparent that the fire was under control and
could not reach beyond the building In
which 1t started. The flames evidently start
ed in the upper story Of the building for
was unburned. All the windows and doors
were broken open that the water might be
more effectually put on. and at O'Clock the
fire was practically out.
There was hardly a breath of wind. and it
is owing to this that there was not very
much more destructive conhagration. Had
there been a wind probably all the buildings
on the wharf would have been destroyed and
number of vessels must have also suffered.
just below and opposite the building in
which the fire started are the coal sheds OF
Sargent, Dennson 81 Co. The People Ferry
landing Is nearly opposite, and nj. ).
Small 81 Co.'S net and Irvine store, N.
A. Woodman 81 Co.'s paper and oakum store.
A. w. Dodd q Co.'s oil manufacturing house
Chase Bros big grain store, and the office OF
Sargent 81 Dennison are farther up the
wharf, and must have been burned had there
been wind blowing from southerly direc-
ton.
The 1--WE stores burned were in one two
owned by c. ID. Themes, one by the Preble
owned by the Preble heirs was rented by Mr..
Themes, who sustains the bulk of the
loss. Mr.. Chase, Of the firm Of Chase
Bros, said that his store was not
much damaged and that it was insured,
Mr. Themes said in regard to the fire: THE
second story was fall of cooper's tools and
stock, there were also hundred or
more barrels of salt and four SCENES.
| have $1,000 insurance on stock
with j, ii. Webster, but 1 do not
know how much the building was insured
for, neither can estimate my loss, but twill
be considerable. The stores value at about
81 900 EACH"
A number of oil barrels and the large
amount of dry stock made the fire rapid
ty one and of intense heat.