The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-25
The Little Town Has a Terrible
Fire.
HUMAN LIFE AND MUCH
PROPERTY DESTROYED.
Started in the Office of Hotel willard by
the Explosion of a Lamp-Some Ten
Buildings Destroyed-A Poor Helpless
Tramp is Burned to Death-Brave
Efforts is Save Him Fruitless.
ESPECIAL TO TEE pREss.1

ESPECIAL TO TEE PREss1
North Stratford, N. H., November "a =
A great fire occurred here this evening,
and one man, Joseph Riley of Holyoke,
Mass was burned to death.
| At $50, when many of the guests of the
Willard house were at supper they were
startled by a cry of "fire,'' and in a few
minutes the hotel. very large building
for country place, was mass of flames
and smoke. The fire was caused by the
explosion OF large lamp, the burning
oil was scattered all about the room and
in a moment the fire flashed from room
to room, and many of the guests were
unable to even remove their personal
property.
In the midst Of the excitement tramp,
who was in one of the chambers, linger-
ing between life and death, was forgotten
until 1t was too late to save him.
His case was very pathetic Last
Friday hack was sent down over the
Grand Trunk on a fiat car, when near
this place it became unfastened and
rolled off into the gutter perfect wreck.
For some time it was left where it was as
wreckage, but at last some section men
examined the wreck and found a man
under it half dead, fearfully cut and
helpless. He was unconscious at the time,
but later after he was removed to the
| Willard house gave his name as Joseph
Riley, and said he once lived at Holyoke,
| Mass. His case, while not regarded as
hopeless was very critical, and he was a
helpless prisoner in the burning hotel
There is but hand engine here, and
| the local fire department. was totally un-
able to fight the fire with any degree of
success. The Maine Central station was
in danger. but was saved by hard work.
The Willard house when the fire started
was soon a mass of ruins 1t was owned
| by the Willard family, and is estimated
to have been worth about SIS, 600, and
was insured for only small sum. 1t was
leased by William Buck. who lost his
furniture and fixtures, estimated at from
$4,000 to $4,000.
The fire department.. assisted by the
citizens generally, tried to save the
Iwohey block, but its soon met with the
fate of the Willard house. Beside the
total loss Of the block, all the stores in
the building with valuable stock of goods
were burned. The fire spread rapidly,
and it was soon evident must burn itself
| out, as it was simply impossible for tn
citizens with totally inadequate fire fight
ing apparatus to save single building
terrific, and brands from the burning
hotel and the Twohey block were
scattered all about, and the fire spread
from house to house until nine large
buildings were on fire at once Fortunate
ly the great lumber mills were out OF
reach Of the fire, being on the opposite
side of the river.
All the thoroughly frightened people
could do, was to remove some of theil
4 household goods and personal effects in
advance of the coming of the flames, and
pathetic little groups OF bewildered and
sobbing women and children stood
around what they had saved and watched
the destruction of their homes.
A single steam fire engine would have
not only saved the place, but would have
kept the fire confined to a small sectior
of the Willard house itself.
) The scene when the tramp Joe Riley
died was one likely to be long remem.
bered by all who witnessed 1T. The lamp
exploded in the office Of the hotel, an
during the next few minutes the helpless
tramp was forgotten, and as he lay in his
hended his danger. At last he did under.
stand his fearful situation and his cries
were heard above the roar of the flames
and the falling in of some portions of the
building.
Three times brave attempt was made
| to reach him, and three times the men
were driven back scorched and half suffo-
Gated They could hear him shout For
Gods sake save me. Don't let me die, Z"
but to have made another attempt would
have been to have perished with him.
They fell back, and a moment later the
walls fell in, and his body went down in
| the midst of the flames. 1t was an appall-
| ing sight, and when the last effort to
save him was given up, the sympathy felt
| for the poor wanderer was manifest by
all who knew that human being as in
the doomed hotel.
Beside the losses already mentioned
the clothing store of w. Freedman, the
grocery store of Mills & Co., the meat
market of W. II. Lovejoy, and the under-
taking rooms of J. G. Hutohins were
burned, together with the dwelling
houses of William Kennedy, p Blais,
| Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Lowe, Mr. Donnelly and
W. Freedman.
The total loss will exceed s35. 900, and
| will probably fall short of $40, O0O with
an estimated insurance of between SIS. 600
and $780, 900. although the exact figures
| arnot be ascsrtained tonight.
| The fire simply burned itslef out about
ten o'clock. 1t will be very bad blow
to this village, but the buildings will in
most cases probably be rebuilt.