The Portland daily press., 1895-05-11
The Worst Fire for Years At Ban
gOr Last Night.
GAS COMPANY'S PLANT THE FOOD
FOR FLAMES.
Several Houses Burned-A Fight to Keep
the two Large Gas Receiyors-Bal
Cranks Who Would Not Desert the
Game for Fire.
Especial to the PREss.l

(Spec1al TO Inc FhESSJ
| Bangor, May 10.-The worst fire for may
| years broke out here this Afternoon at
about 5 o'clock. At that hour an alarm was
rung in from box 90, which is at Wood,
Bishop &; Co. s foundry, and three minutes
later general alarm was sounded. When
the firemen :irst arrived they found the
houses occupied by Conductor Daniel
Wescott of the Maine Central railroad,
Patrick Connolly and Mrs. Bridget Culran
il flames. Situated directly behind these
houses was the gas works of the Bangor
Gas company, and here the fire is supposed
to have started, in the coke house. 1t
| spread to the dwellings, and as soon as they
were burning briskly, sparks set other
buildings belonging to the Gas company,
and the firemen found that the con1agr ra-
tion would be such that general aialm was
necessary, and SO it was pulled in. In one
of the buildings were five hundred barrels
of tar, and when the fire struck these. i'm
mense volumes of smoke and flame arose,
and in a few minutes the whole plant was
at the mercy of the fire fiend.
Thousands of people rushed to the scene,
but the eight hundred people who were
watching the ten inning ball game at Maple
wood park never left their seats until it
was over.
Situated within two hundred feet on
either side of the gas works was the big
plant of the Bangor Stone Ware company
and Wood. Bishop s. Co.'s foundry. The
whole crew in the latter establishment
turned out to fight the fire, and keep It
from burning their buildings down. There
was light breeze. and the fire blew direct
| " hn -
times, but not to do any great damage
With heavy wind thousands upon
thousands of dollars worth of property
would have been wiped out. On the back
side of the gas works were situated two big
gas tanks filed with supply that would
last the city for a week. The firemen fought
nobly to keep the fire away from these
tanks. and they succeeded. There was no
way to let the gas out. and had they caught
fire and exploded thousands of lives would
have been lost.
During the fire. Hugh McManus, a hose
man, was badly injured by being struck by
piece of slate. lie bad 10 be carried home.
The rear of the house occupied Dy Frank
Gellerson, who came to Bangor a few weeks
ago, was destroyed. and the other dwellings
above mentioned were badly Quilted by the
flames. These houses were owned BY the
Gas company. 1t is impossible 10 correctly
estimate the entire loss. tonight. Some say
it will reach S5O,000.
Conductor Wescott had $500 insurance up
on his furniture and there was some insur-
ance on the houses. but how much the
PRESS reporter was unable to learn.
Mason and Palmer had some insurance upon
the coal that was burned in shed near. the
coke house. AT seven o'clock tho fire was
under control, but it will take all night to
put it entirely out.
During the confederation Detective
Thomas y. Allen arrested man for steal
ing effects that had been brought out of the
houses. He had his pockets full of handker-
chiefs, napkins, trinkets, etc. He gave his
name as Joseph Chandler, and saiu he be-
longed in Salem, Mass.