The Portland daily press., 1896-12-23

work on it, false alarm was turned
in from box 48 at the CORNER OF Market
and Commercial streets.
Monday morning at 8. 30 o'clock, one OF
j. Henry Rines's employees discovered a
fire in the blind attic of the large brick
block at 542 Ia Congress street. known
az the Rines building, which was blaz-
ing feroely. The flrsmen from engine
is company out out this fire after some
bard and effective work. About the
time the first blaze was extinguished a
second was found at the other end of the
building in . closet. This one had been
started by the use of half empt1sd can
of ievilled ham and was burning briskly
when it was first seen.
YESTERDAY MORNINGS FRtE.
The sixth fire was discovered yester-
day morning in the brick building
owned by the Lynch heirs at the corner
of Temple and Congress streets, and the
blaze was started In hall way at the
head of the staircase.
Ii was s5 minutes after O'Clock when
Mr.. Moses, the blacksmith. remarked &c
friend with whom he was talking
that he thought there must be IRE IN
Reform Club hall Another glance told
was quickly sent to the chemical engine
house. The men were on the spot In q
few moments, but reported that there
was too much fire for them to handle, So
an alarm WAS rung by CITY Elsoerlclan
Cummings who happened to be on the
SPOT. The regular dremcn made snort
work of the fire, but not before they mao
put on considerable water. :,
1t wss beyond doubt all 1ncenalary NE
and was set in manner similar to the
others which have been discovered the
past week.
The rascal opened closet in the hall
way, set FIRE to some paper and got the
blaze we'll started. Then he took board
and placed the end against the door al
the head of the stairs, making what Is
known az a Clutch lock- Closing ths
door behind him, he allowed the board
to slip down on the inside, fastening une
door securely. When the urehen az
tempted to reach the fire they had to bat.
far the door TO pieces with their axes. IL
was wicked piece of business.
The entry way and closets at the head
of the stairs were badly charred, but the
fire did not get into the Reform Club
hall or into the Gospel Mission rooms
The rooms on the third floor were Oiled
with smoke. These are the apartment
occupied by the Reform Club as d clut
room. and by the brotherhood OF Loco
motive Engineers. There is considerable
damage to the furniturs and walls Of
these rooms. The water from the entry
way penetrated to the rooms below, do
ing considerable damage in the periodical
store of Louisa II. Beal q Co., where
part of tho clustering came down anC
some of the stock was 500 ked: There
ere slight traces of water in the store
occupied by II. H. Hatch, and the corner
store occupied by W. A. Allen, the stall
builder.
The loss on the building will amount
90 several hundred dollars, and the dam
age in Louisa Fl. Beal & Co. IS to perhHp
$3.50 or 5000. The entire loss Ia covered
by insurance.
A strange thing about the Lynch blocl
fire is that Deputy Marshal Hartnet
visited the building at five minutes Il
seven O'Clock and inspected 1t carefully
| Everything was all right at that time
| Twenty minutes later the fire was blaz
INC furionsly. 1t must have been startet
only few minutes after the police office
left the building.
THE SEVENTH ATTEMPT
at fire setting was also made yesterda.
morning or Tuesday night. About
quart or perhaps more than quart o
| kerosene oil was poursd under the doc
of the Davis block at the corner of Con
gress and Exchange streets The doc
| was looked, but the oil ran beneath j
| and soaked into the carpet on the hal
way. Matches had been lighted an
dropped through the hole in the doc
| where the letters are put i'll. 1t was evi
| GENTLY thought that the matches woul
| ignite the oil in the hall way. but the
| didn't and the attempt to fire the build
ing failed.
THE EIGHTH ATTEMPT.
When the workmen at Bacon's printin
esta blishmeut in the Thomas block a
1e1 Middle street, opened shop at o'uloc
, esterdsy morning, suspicious signs G
fire were discovered. just inside tn
| outside door the floor was covered wit
kerosene oil. No oil of any description
had been used about the building An
consequently there are the best of reason
of believing that attempts were made
start blaze there.
ARRESTED ON SUSPICION.
Two young men were arrested yestel
day forenoon on suspicion of being cor
carned in setting several fires in this cit
during the past week. A gentleman OF
served them on the corner of ExchanG
and Middle steets and understood on
to say to tine other: "We'l set the nez
one down here" He kept them in vie
until they went into Safford's restaurar
on Temple street, and then fastened
tho police station. The two young me
were taken to the station and kept ther
a couple of hours. 1t was finally prove
by them that they arrived here OIL tn
Boston boat yesterday morning, upO
which they were released. They sal
they belonged in Lincoln, Mass, an
we're on their way to Springvale.
PROBABLY The WORK OF A
MANIAC.
1t is the generally accepted belief tht
all these fires, fake alarms and attemp
at incendiarism have been the work of