The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-03
MANY WERE HEAVY LOSERS
BY THE FIRE.
Scenes of Terror in the Blazing Village
There We're Neither Fire Engines or
Water Supply Beyond wells-Women
Stood in Line with the Men Passing
Water Buckets-He1p Summoned From
surrounding Townsville Loss was
About $4,000
Especial to the PRESS. J

Island Pond, VT, November Q. 2.-There
wassa fire this afternoon.at North STRAIT
ford, N. H., that for time promised to
completely wipe out that thriving place,
and which did destroy the larger portion
of the business section of the village.
North Stratford, while locally place
of some note, with large trade with the
surrounding country, has no fire engine,
hose or any other available means of
putting out fire. This afternoon fire
started in barn attached to the Hin
man House, the largest hotel in the place.
As soon as the alarm was given, the
people turned out and did their best to
fight the flames. They could, however,
do but little more than to try and save
some of the goods in the stores and per-
sonal property in the houses in the lire
OF the ire, and it was soon evident that
there was not a single building in the
place that was not in danger of being
burned. 1t was impossible to tell where
the fire would stop. AS far as the peo-
pie were themselves concerned it would
stop only when the place had been
burned over.
+ There was some striking street scenes.
People were trying their best to save
what they could, and piles of personal
proerty and of household furniture were
on every corner and heaped on every va
can't lot.
When the first alarm was given the
question was, where shall we send for
help?" Portland was out of the question,
and the only chance seemed to. be to get
the engine from this place, and strong
appeal was made for help. The Grand
Trunk property seemed to be in some
danger, and the telegraph operator, in
order to save communication with the
outside world, made all his preparations
for removing his Office and himself to
Hinman House stable went first, but in
ten minutes the hotel itself, a large
roomy structure, was on fire. and was
left to it's fate. The people realized
that it was hopeless to attempt to save a
building if the fire once reached it.
The town hall, large and handsome
building, went down, almost as soon as
general store of Pettee & Clark was also
burned. This was one of the largest
stores in that section, and was packed
with valuable stock of goods. HB.
Humans store went next, and at the
same time at least dozen small build
ings were on fire and were burned.
The Toohey block, where a very large
business was carried on, was burned,
very little being saved. The post Office
and contents were complete loss, and
to make the matter worse there were
tenements over all the stores, and in
that section of the village every building
large and smHll, was crowded
The going down of the large blocks,
one after the other, left the path open
to the flames to the rest of the village.
All that the people could do was to
i'm un6 hy1ol oke
to another, and as far as possible to
keep the buildings most exposed to the
flames wet down. The heat was so great
that it almost drove the fire fight ers
from this work, but still they tried to
do all they could. Women stood in line
with the men, and worked for hours, al
most without rest.
The Willard House was exposed to the
extreme heat, and to the flying bra nds,
and when the are-fghters were almost
ready to retreat again the news came
that the engine company from this place
had started, and that the best posi- BILE
time would be made. Letting every
thing else go, the people of the village,
by this time reinforced by men from
tention to holding the fire in check until
the Island Pond company could reach
them. The Willard House formed the
only barrier against the flames Had
that gone down the Grand Trunk prop
erty and almost every house in town
would have followed.
The Island Pond company arrived Just
in time. 1t is estimated that had they
been ten minutes longer on the way all
would have been lost. AS it is the larg-
est buildings in the town were destroyed.
1t is hard at this hour to get at any
thing like an accurate estimate of the
loss or insurance. The estimates of loss
range from $4,000 to $4,000, great
blow, considering the place. Cautious
business men estimated the insurance at
about one-half the loss. OF late there
has been marked dsinclination on the
part of insurance companies to accept
risks in villages unsupplied with modern
facilities for putting out fire except
at rates that are practically prohi ibitive.
Some of those who lost by the fire
seemed inclined this evening to place
the total loss at a much higher figure
than S55, 600, and to estimate the insur-
ance at less than one-half the loss..n
Az the present tins all danger of a
further spread of the flames seemed to
be over, but the entire place will be pa
trolled all night by volunteers. How
the fire caught In the barn of the Hin
man House is something of mystery,