The Portland daily press., 1891-05-04
Is THERE A FIRERuc2
People Believe That An IncendIary
Lunatic Aaunts the Promenade.

The people vino live in the western part Of
tue city, especially along Bowdoin street and
tne western Promenade, are firm in the be-
ileI that there is firebug at work along the
Promenade and that the many brush fires
that nave occupied the attention of Engine
company 8. since spring opened, are trace
able to his hand, instead of the hand of the
mlschief-loving small boy, as has been
thought. There have been six brush fires on
the slope of the Promenade, to which the
hose carriage from Bracket Streetshas been
| called. The plains beyond the track have
been set on Ere once, and Saturday noon the
old stoneware shop on the slope above Dan
forth street was found to be in flames, and
the department called to put it out.
A reporter of the Press is Informed by a
lady living on Bowdoin street. that every
time there has been Ere she has seen, either
just before or just after she first smelled the
smoke, strange man going either up or
down Bowdoin street, or down through the
cemetery. She describes the man as Of mid
Gle height and weight, with reddish face,
as though he were much in the open air
brown hair and brown side whiskers, of the
mutton chop" variety. He has worn an old
stiff hat that was once black, and, until re-
Gently, grey overcoat. Saturday, when the
lady saw him, he had no overcoat on, wear
ing blue suit with sack coat.
The fire was discovered Saturday at about
half-past II. When first seen by people on
Danforth street it was bursting from the
roof above stairway on the easterly end of
the building, and the building was enveloped
in smoke. Word was sent to the engine
house. and Assistant Chief Engineer Ray
with the hose carriage repaired to the spot.
Among those attracted to the scene was the
lady before mentioned. the driver of lumber
wagon who had been watering his horse at
the trough at the junction of Danforth and
ST. John streets, and the PRESS reporter.
The lady declared that she had seen the
mysterious stranger, just before the fire
broke out, come along the Promenade and
walk down along the cemetery fence. The
lumber cart man said he saw the figure of a
man come out OF the pines not far from the
old pottery, just before he saw the smoke
the first time, and go into the building. In a
few minutes he came out again, and walked
rapidly back to the shelter of the trees, where
he stood motionless for several minutes, as If
watching for something. A puff of black
smoke appeared over the roof of the pot
terry. The teamster jumped on his cart and
started to drive back to the transfer station
to pull the alarm, but as he could see no fur
Their signs of fire he concluded not to. He
drove over to the kerosene works and left
his load of shingles, and when coming back
over the bridge saw volumes of fame and
smoke pouring out from the roof of the pot
terry. He again started to pull the alarm,
but noticing that the firemen were already at
work, came along to help them. The fire had
made great headway and was extinguished
with considerable difficulty. AS the build
Ing was already practically in ruins from
previous fires there could have been no great
harm done in letting 1t burn to the ground,
but, as Engineer Ray remarked, in view of
the strong breeze it was better to put it out
and then pull it down If desirable.
Thus far the frebug seems to have con,
fined his attention to comparatively worth
less property. grass and the ruined pottery,
but as that peculiar form of dementia is no
respecter Of buildings, strong effort should
be made to capture. him before he does any
more damage.