The Portland daily press., 1893-08-15

timber, so word was sent to the city for
help. The Boston & Maine authorities
responded by sending about so men, who
began vigorous fight as soon as they
arrived The signal house and Richard
son house were saved, but the flames
could not be controlled, and rolled rap
idly over the property of Earl hume
well, Elmer Tibbetts aud Edward Crock
er, towards the place of Henry Nutter
in Cape Elizabeth. Many acres burned
over during the afternoon. The flames
ragged on both sides of the bog road,
which runs from the ''know nothing to
Knightville, via Barn Hill,'' and travel
lers were warned that it would be unsafe
for them to try that road. The Boston
q Maine men had a very hard time fight
ing this fire. No water was to be had,
and their only hope was to head off the
fire by means of ditching. Many times
they were forced to run for their lives, SO
fast did the fire run.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hunnewell had a
narrow escape. The first thing they
knew of they knew of the fire was when
great black cloud settled down over
their house, and they rushed out, only to
find that they could scarcely breathe. 1t
was only by the most desperate work on
the part of the railroad men and towns
men that their buildings were saved.
For some time it seemed that they must
leave the buildings to their fate. and
save their lives, but they stuck to their
work, as one man said last evening, and
saved them ali.
The alarm became general throughout
tho town, and the three selectmen, F. w.
Newcomb. George Scammon and Benja-
min Carter, took charge of the gangs,
and under their direction an attempt was
made to keep the fire within as narrow
limits as could be under the circum-
stances. The flames could not be fought
to advantage close at hand, and SO they
retreated to the Fogg road, where they
made a stand and built back fires. They
were not altogether sure that they could
manage their own fires, for with the ex-
perience of one of the gangs of 80 men
working under the direction of Seth
Towns, of the Boston and Maine, they
knew that the flames could go against
the wind, of course under ground. Mr..
Towns and his men were astonished to
see fire spring up against the wind and
at point they supposed to be beyond
the danger line.
The back fire at the Fogg road. saved
Higgins's beach from immediate danger.
1t halted the invading line of fire at a
point about mile from the beach, and
it is hard to see how today, supposing
the fire to start in again with full fury,
it can cross the flats covered with water,
and the large creek. Unless it can &C
complish that feat, the beach is safe.
The people of other sections believe the
cottagers at the beach are all right but
that is not the opinion of the cottagers
themselves, who were dreading last even
ing the coming of today.
A guard was kept up all last night, and
every effort will be made today to pre-
vent the spread of the fire. A strong
effort was made yesterday to feed the
host of men who were at work. Mr..
and Mrs. Frank Plummer, Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Robinson, Mr.. and Mrs. Simon
Libby, and Mr.. and Mrs. John Libby,
were very active in the work. 1t is due
to Mr.. Oliver, station agent at Scarboro,
to say that he worked hard to save the
property of the company, and that it
was largely through his efforts that the
word was sent out to other sections of
the town and to Portland.
The Fire at the Park.
The liveliest time of the day was at Rig
by Park, where another fire was set by
locomotive little after that at the
''Know Nothing" The trotting track is
surrounded by high board fence, out
side of which run for much of the way
deep ditch, which had in it little
water yesterday. There are three large
stables at the park, two of them near
the westerly end, near the railroad
track. and third about a half a mile
this way, also near the track. The two
are Association stables for horsemen
from away, and the third is the club
stable, owned by Portland horsemen.
The fire started near the Association
stables. At first it was not noticed
much, but about O'Clock an alarm was
given that the flames were coming into the
stables. AT once there was great ex-
citement. There were in the two stables
which stood near one another with a
common court yard between, about 30
blooded horses. c. FL. Nelson had there
80 horses which could have been worth
not less than thirty or forty Thousand
dollars. The great stallion Nelson was
not there, having been sent to Nashua,
N. H., that morning, but Dictator Chief