The Portland daily press., 1890-12-31
WILL HOLD CONVENTIONS NEVER MORE.
Granite Hall In Flames While fne
Mercury Ran Low.
Augusta's Pride and Joy a ciitterlng
Mass Of ice.
No Place Now but the state House to
Hold Receptions In.

AUGUSTA, December So.-This city suf-
fered one of Its greatest losses In Its history
this morning.
Granite Hall, so we'll known to every visi-
tor at the capital and to every Maine Central
passenger who passes through the city, is a
mass Of ruins, having been destroyed by fire
In the early hours of the morning.
The loss comes at particularly unfortu-
nate time. Just before the beginning of the
legislative session. The receptions. ban
quets and parties, which come with the legls-
lature, were held in Granite Hall. and it will
be missed by society, while the city au-
thorities and several well known merchants
will have to look for new quarters.
The fire was discovered by j. L. johnson.
who was passing the building at 10 minutes
from Ii. A. Halls grocery store and gave the
alarm. At two minutes Of Cushnoc No; 1,
had a stream of water on the blaze. The
fire seemed TO be in the Office on the left of
the store and had good start. At 800
traces of fire were showing In the corridor
and nfficps on the first floor and holes were
cut and the fire fought from above. At 3 30
the fire broke out in the aldermen's room
and the 1uture of Granite Block looked
dark. 1t had worked its way through the
uOOrS all along uuu6T Ln6 rOOulS anu mdu6
bad fire to fight In a few minutes the
flames broke through, the floor of the hall
above and the whole building was doomed.
In the meantime City Treasurer Hamlin
had arrived and was clearing his Office of
what papers and books he could get out. At
O'Clock the whole roof of the building was
abiaze and one corner had fallen in. The
hremen were driven back. Attention was
now paid to surrounding buildings and
property to which little damage was done.
OF oh In fBn flN..tr
Granite Hall and the railroad tacks, was In
great danger and everything was taken out.
The handsome new pOstOftice was directly
across the narrow Water street, but it did
not suffer in the least.
the third story, which is occupied by the
large hall. is an entire loss The second
floor was occupied by the city. government
and the city papers were saved. Weeks &
Blanchard, pension att0I neys, and insurance
agents, also had an office on this floor. Their
papers were saved.
The first floor was occupied by c. K. Part
ridge. drugs, whose insurance Is $3.50; b. A.
Hall & Co, grOcers, insurance $500; S. s.
Williams d Sons, grocers, insurance $4,000.
The building was owned by j. Hnman of
Augusta. and George Kicker Of Rockland, in
surance SIT. 800.
The walls are standing to the caves and
1t would perhaps be possible to use them in
rebuilding. This cannot be determined un-
til they have been examined by experts. The
T0dT w III Is SOm6Wudb OuG OI pump auu
this, at least, might have to come down. The
building was erected about 80 years ago. 1t
was designed by Architect Fassett of Port
land.
The total loss is estimated at S5O,OO0, with
a total insurance of about $4,000.
Itwas terrible morning for the fremen.
At the time the alarm sounded the thermom-
eter gistered 22e below zero. Two firemen
were overcome by smoke and were carried
out of the building. @. W. Kicker was
knocked senseless by the falling roof. These
were the only injuries.
The ruins tnday looked like an immense
iceberg, the water having frozen almost as
soon as il touched the building and turned it
into q solid mass Of ice.
There Is no determining yet. of course,
whether the block will be rebuilt, but as the
hall is destroyed there can be no legislative
reception in 1t and the State House may be
used for the big party. There Is already
talk of erecting an opera house on the site Of
the building, as first class accommodations
for entertain nments has long been needed.