The Portland daily press., 1893-08-15
RIGBY PARK INVADED BY
THE FLAMES.
Tretters Hastily Removed. HoW G.
II. Nelson Led the Fire Fighters.
BUILDINGS AT THE PARK AND
ELSEWHERE in DANGER.

All Told There Were Three Fires in the
Woods and Bog Land-Horsemen, Rail-
road Hands and Citizens Made Brave
Brigade Several scarboro Families
Owe the Safety of Their Homes to the
Efforts of the Misunderstanding Fought
Fire with Fire-Mr. Nelson Worked to
Save the Stables at the Park While His
Own Property Was Burning.
The whole country insthe direction of
Scarboro seemed ablaze yesterday after
noon. Huge volumes of black smoke
rolled up in that direction and, floating
away before the fresh northwest wind
for miles, clouded the whole horizon to
the southwark. Many people in this
city watched the spectacle from house
tops and high points of land, especially
from the Western Promenade. The most
exaggerated rumors got abroad, to the
effect that the stables at the mile track
had burned, and that the houses at Hig
gins's Beach were burning. The reality
was bad enough, but not quite SO bad as
this There were in fact three separate
fires, the one nearest to the city being
at Rigby Park and at Scar
boro ''Know Nothing where the rail
road tracks cross; and still further away
at Scarboro Beach station, five or six
miles from Portland.
The cause and condition of all these
fires were, the same. The immense Dogs
of Scarboro and Cape Elizabeth, begin
ming just beyond Cash's Corner and ex-
tending thence broad and long for many
miles through Scarboro, are at this time
as dry as finder. The short but abundant
vegetation of these boys forms with the
roots extended into the rich black muck,
sort of peat, very inflammable when
dry, and burning with a heavy, pungent
smoke The fires on these boys are very
deceptive, for the reason that when they
seem to be extinguished on the surface
they may be burning as fiercely as ever
under the surface. In a place apparently
free from fire the flames will suddenly
blaze up on dead tree trunk or around
an old log, and presently the whole area
will be ablaze. No fire is worse to fight,
and where property is exposed the risk
remains long after the flames seem to be
extinguished.
The fresh northwest wind of yesterday
bore sparks from the locomotives on the
Boston and Maine tracks and soon kim
died the fires. The first to start was on
the southeasterly side of the track at
Scarboro Beach station, about five or six
miles from Portland, near point on the
railroad track about a quarter of mile
this side of the station. Almost as soon
as it caught it developed into such con-
fagration that the neighborhood was
alarmed. Messages were sent to Port
land for such of the inhabitants as were
there, and soon quite large party of fire
fighters had gathered. The most severe
struggle was for the preservation of
the buildings of Messrs. William
Fogg and Charles Fogg, who live
about three-quarters of mile from the
place where the fire started. The two
sets Of buildings are quite near each
other, and both were menaced, for the
flames swept across the three-quarters
of mile with great rapidity, rolling
Il hIoaly apanlrn hofnpa
them. There was very little water with
which to fight the flames, all the bitches
in the bog being dry. So plows, shovels
and hoes were called into requisition to
dig bitches around the threatened places
This work was very difficult, because of
the thick and pungent smoke that rolled
down upon the workers. Men could not
work long in it, and when the flames
would refuse to stop at their barricades
of earth, they would have to flee to
new point and make new stand.
The Fogg buildings were saved, al
though the flames came very near, but
the fire was not stayed, and continued to
burn with energy in other directions all
the afternoon. At 5 o'clock, many acres
in the neighborhood of Scarboro Beach
station were smoking.
About noon the locomotives started
more trouble along the track nearer
Portland. A spark alighted near the sig
nal station at the 'know-nothing, and
at once the usual blaze followed. At
that time there were at that place the
crew OF the steam shovel, the crew of a
gravel train and another crew laying
new rails. AS soon as the flames were
seen, all these men rallied to fight them,
but they could make little impression.
Both the signal station and the Richard
son house were menaced, besides much