The Portland daily press., 1892-09-03
DOUBLE ENDER In RUINS.
The Ferry Boat Cernelia n. Burned
at Her Dock.
WHARF PROPERTY AT THE CAPE
BADLY DAMAGED.

@----~-
The Fire Broke Out at IL. 20 This Morning,
on tho steamer-Her UpperWorks We're
Entirely Destroyed and the Hull
Gutted-The Buildings on the Wharf,
Owned by the Town, Also Burned.
The hundreds of South Portland peo-
pie who have been making their daily
trips to and from this city by the double
enter, Cornelia H., will ride on her no
more. Her hull rent by the flames lies
in the ruins of her slip and the upper
works have entirely disappeared. Theboat
made it's last trip from the city at 11.30
last night and was secured on the Cape
side as usual. Capt. Geo. H. Upton was
in command yesterday and Richard
Baumgartner was engineer. After the
boat reached the Cape, the fires were
banked as usual and at 12 o'clock all of
the crew had left her for their homes.
At 1920, Mrs. Charles Sloman, from
her cottage near by, saw the light of fire
bursting from the ferry boat. 1t looked
to her as if most of the fire was in the
end of the craft towards the city. That
would indicate that the fire originated
around the engine. A guest at Mrs.
Sloman's, Captain Lewis, ran out to give
the alarm but several persons had seen
the fire and the people were soon
Running to the Scene.
Constable Edward Fowler saw the
flames probably as soon as anybody and
hastily aroused people living near by.
The fire spread so quickly in the light
wood work of the deck houses that
nobody got to the wharf in
time to board the steamer. Before one
o'clock, the super-structure had disap-
peared and the fire was making its way
up through the heavy main deck.
But, in the meantime, the flames, as
the hurricane deck crumbled beneath
them, had leaped to the roof, high above
the driveway of the slip, and had also
clambered into the sides of the landing.
There they clung and spread until the
heavy drop, the waiting room and the
piling which formed the slip were blazing
merrily. Fortunately there was little
wind to carry the sparks and embers SO
that they fell in showers to the water
near the wharf The Hampden boats
moored near there were hastily moved
to save the sails which might catch fire
from the sparks. This danger was
evidenced by large holes in the sail of
one of them.
To the west of the ferry wharf is the
wharf on which are the coal sheds of
William Spear. filed with coal and wood.
Lying at this wharf was the schooner
Lizzie Carr of Thomaston. She had arrived
in the morning with coal for Mr.. Spear,
and of course her cargo had not been re-
moved. At one time it was SO hot
around her that her sides began to steam.
1t was nearly dead low tide, which made
it difficult to move her, even had the
means been at hand. Her captain and
his crew, therefore, took lively interest
in the time Of the arrival of
The Portland Fire Boat.
whose assistance had been requested
shortly after the fire broke out. At
about half-past one, the red and green
lights of the Josephine Hoey were seen
coming across the harbor. She ran up
until her nose touched bottom between
the ferry slip and Spears wharf. By
this time, however, the danger of the
fire spreading, unless it crept up the fer
ry wharf, was about over, only the shell
of the burning buildings being left, and
the ferry boat being unlikely to harm
anything but itself. The fire-boat
soon had two streams at work,
directing one from her deck and extend
ing line of hose to the ferry wharf.
The people had worked with will,
but there was comparatively little they
could do. The Sebago water supply has
not been turned on yet and it was i'm
possible to make much impression on
the flames with buckets, the only means
at hand for fighting fire. However, the
planking of the wharf was removed for
some distance to prevent the flames go
ING up town that way, and the two bar
reis containing oil for use on the boat
were quickly taken from the shed in
which they were stored. A few settees
and other articles were also saved. The
oil shed was wet down by means of
buckets. Men and boys gath
cred on the schooner Carr already to help
there. but fortunately their services were
not needed.
At 2 O'Clock only few timbers of the
ferry house were standing. The hull of
the Cornelia was full of fire, but the stout
timbers seemed to be holding their own
pretty well. The flames rose to short
distance above the deck, and the deep
red showing through the port holes made
them look like the fiery eyes of some
kmysterious monster o. tbs deep. The
Cornelia H., with the blact mass of her
| hull looming against the light OF the
| fire and those fiery eyes probably as
closely
Resembled the Sea Serpent
as anything seen here since the big turtle
was advertised as that tabled creature