The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-02-11
THE PREVAILING EPIDEMIC.
Another Big Fire Added to the
Winters List.
DelanO'S Lumber Mil on Fore SIreet
Destroyed Last Night.
Several Members of the Department
Slightly Injured.
The Loss 10 Mr.. DelavO and the
Other Occupants.
Hard Work by The Piremen Checks
the Flames.

SITUATED Ia the rear Oh the mill and had burnt
up through the roof of the drying room in
which was from 5000 to 10000 feet of dried
lumber, wrapping it in one mass of flame,
before the water was put on. A stream was
put on from the side on pile of boards and
Others from the front, while several more
were sent on the roofs of the old Littlefeld
& Wilson mill, and Phenix's pattern shop on
Cross street, and still others from the yard
and raised platform in the rear, and from
the ladder of the Hayes truck. The fire
worked its way steadily up from the base
ment to the roof, burning out of window af-
ter window, and floor after floor, and at last
burst through the roof.
Portland people are fast getting into the
habit of turning out to fires when the sec
ond alarm comes in, and so by the time the
was at work at the burning build
ing last night the streets in the vicinity were
crowded with people. The police, under the
direction CT Deputy Merrill, roped Fore
street and the mill yard off, and left clear
space for the men to work in. All agreed
that the ropes were better managed than
they bad ever been before, and that much OF
the excellent work of the fire department
was due to the police arrangements. Outside
the ropes, SO dense was the crowd, that II
was almost as hard to get away from the fire
as it was to push through the jam to point
where one could see the building
A Hard Fire to Fight.
The most Of the fire was in the rear of the
building, it having been communicated to
every floor through the dry shaft. When
the water was put on 1t seemed to have I'M
mediate effect, but it was soon apparent that
the fire had gained considerable Roadway on
the inside of the building. for volumes of
smoke poured from the building. making it
impossible to see where the water was most
needed.
From the bridge that led to the building
used for the storage of mouldings, ETC., and
from the tops of piles of lumber the firemen
fought hard to subdue the flames and keep
them from spreading. From every window
came sheet of flame, which died away as
The water reached it, only to break out anew
when the streams were directed elsewhere.
Time and time again did the fire break
through the roof, and was as many times put
out, until finally the entire rear of the build.
Ing was one solid mass Of flame, which en-
quilted the roof also. Soon the rear wall fell
and was immediately followed by the rear
half of the roof.
How Three Firemen Were Hurt,
When the rear end of the building fell
cries of Look out! Its falling!" arose from
the crowd to warn score of fremen who
were standing on the bridge connecting the
mill with the store house for dried lumber.
The men sprang out of the way of the falling
timbers, but the roos came tumbling down
upon them.
1t seemed to the crowd who were watching
the progress of the fire that at least three
men disappeared under the ruins, and an
awful cry of Save the menw went up from
the crowd, who surged up to the building,
blocking the passage way.
Pipeman Howard A. Fogg of Caseo 8, was
struck in the back by falling timbers, and
Hoseman Charles A. Stickney hurt his arm.
Clerk James F. Day of truck p, was struck
across the stomach. and Lester u. Bragg was
cut about the legs. Levi Blake of the same
truck, was thrown against the rail of the
bridge and fell to the ground below, hurting
his side. The Hayes truck lost two of the
best ladders In the crash, and Casco 5 men
leftipart of their line in the ruins
The crowd made way for the firemen-af-
ter the men were found not seriously in
jured-who were working like beavers to
get their hose which they had dropped in
their flight from beneath the ruins. The
stream from the extension ladder of the
Hayes truck, which stood in the passage,
was shut off on account of break in the
pipe and only one stream was playing on the
rear of the building. The flames started up
again before another line was brought to
bear upon it, but it was soon evident the fire
was under control and the other buildings
were not in danger.
Seen From the Front.
While the fire was rapidly working its
way upwards at the back of the building,
from the front poured dense volumes of
smoke. Each window was pelching forth
great clouds of it. 1t rose in sheets from
the narrow space between the burning mill
and the brick block adjoining and it crept
out under the caves and at the corners of
the structure. There was no wind to take
the smoke away and il settled to the streets,
at times entirely 0bscuring the front of the
the firemen being unable to see
the windows into which they were trying to
direct the streams. AS the fire boxes of the
engines were opened, the light reflected in
The smoke deceived the crowd which each
time thought that the flames were getting
the upper hand and bursting through the
roof.
Ladders were promptly raised against the
brick block ajoining and from its fiat roof,
the firemen worked to good advantage, keep
ing the roof of the mill SO wet that when at
last the flames did break through, the nteri-
or of the building had been so completely
burned out that there was no material
left inside to make big
blaze. On the side of the
roof next the brick block was a chimney or
ventilating shaft up which The fire rushed.
Near this chimney, in one of the upper
stories, there was evidently n quantity of
oil or some similar substance for, after the
oulohc udu Oiodlou away tHS IRE mere RACED
fercely the streams directed against 1t SEEM
ing to have little effect. Time and time
again the blaze shot up from the big ventIla-
tor, If ventilator it was, and each time a
well directed stream drowned them out.
This went on for an hour or more, the men
in the street sending water up into the
windows behind the curtain of smoke
around the building and the men on the
brick block sweeping the roof and picking
off the lines OF flame as they darted up
through the roof. But the weakening Of
the building by the fire bad its effect and at
about the time the rear wall fell out, great
plle Of wood in the garnet, near the center
Oh the building, crashed its way through to
the ground. the sound as each floor gave
way resembling series of explosions. 1t
was then that the fire shot up in the front Of
tne building but the efforts of the firemen
soon resulted In beating it back. When the
upper floors and the heavy machinery and
the lumber piles were all down the firemen
closed in On the fire and swarmed all through
the building cutting and slashing and splasb-
ing and putting it out
The Burned Building.
The Delano mill was building running
from Fore toward Commarciol ctraa+ -