The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-29
How the Sagadahoc House and Ad-
joining Blocks Went Down.
PORTLAND STEAMERS GOOD WORK
MILITARY ON GUARD.

The Fire Broke Out in a Stable and Low
Water Pressure Gave 1t Dangerous
Start-It Soon Travelled from Building
to Building in All Directions-Pastors
and Congregations Went to the Fire
They Saw the Flames Subdued After
Hours of Hard work-Losses and In
surance.
Bath, January 28.-At about 9 o'clock
this morning, box As called the fire de-
partment to extinguish blaze in Shan
non 6 Huse's stables in the rear Of the
Sagadahoc. House. There was no hydrant
pressure. The flames were at first
confined to the office of the stable, but
gained rapid headway before the steam
ers could be used. The flames eat their
way into the large dry goods and crock
cry store of D. T. Percy 6 Sons, and
rapidly devoured the stately Granite
block, Union block and the Sagahahoc
house, sweeping as far north as the
block containing Odd Fellows hail.
They swallowed up the nest of wooden
buildings on Centre street, clear through
to the City Hall, leaped across Centre
street and did thousands of dollars dam
age to property, and cleaned out the east
side of Front street to the brick block
containing the Bath Times office. The
confagration was 5000, 900 one, the most
disastrous that ever visited the city. Re-
alizing the probable extent of the blaze,
Mayor Shaw telegraphed to Portland,
Lewiston and Brunswick for aid. The
response was quick, hand engines Niagas
ra and Kennebec of Brunswick being the
frstto arrive. Next came steamer We-s
nemovet, and No. Hose Company from
Portland, who did good service, being
stationed on the r&ilrnad wharf and hav-
ing a line of hose IN the thick of the
fight on Front street. Steamer L. G..
Peck of Lewiston and a hose company.
in charge of Chief Moriarity, arrived lat
er. AT 9.45
The Spectacle Was Appalling.
The entire Granite and Sagadahoc
blocks were mass of flames, tie east
wall of the latter plunging into the
street five minutes later. An hour later
only the south wall of the hotel was left,
Although in the very midst of the
flames, Granite block stood upright, until
at noon its battered walls were pulled
down to avoid danger. Very little was
saved by the tenants of these blocks and
on them the loss falls heaviest.
The streets were roped off and the
Hyde Light Guards were called out to
10 fire duty. For the first time in the
history of the city, sentries patrolled her
streets. On the east side of Front street
was nest of wooden buildings which
we're soon heaps of ashes. Next came a
prick block owned by the Peoples Twen-
;y-tive Cent Savings bank which was
'oon added to the. general destruction.
The fire was checked in the Times office, |
which was badly scorched and soaked. |
On the opposite side of the street. the |
lanes were checked aftel a stubborn |
light at the block occupied by w. G..
Vebber, druggist, A. G. Lermond, tailor,
md the Foresters' hall. Odd Fellows
lall was damaged by smoke, but the
progress of the fire in this direction was
tayed. Centre street, on its northern
ide, contained nothing but wooden
buildings from the Sagahahoc to City
Hall. The latter alone stands after the
ire, as the ancient structures went like
,aper boxes. The entire district from
'front.' street to the City Hall is flat, and
s far north as the Iron Works northern
Livision there is nothing but smoking
uins. The flames crossed Centre street,
corching every wooden store and dam