The Portland daily press., 1896-12-18
TWO FIRES.
Both Of Them in Buildings Belonging
to the Clapp Estate.

L. d. Austin the Clothier Meets with
Quite q Loss-The Other Suffered Only
Slight Damage.
The alarm of fire from box at 70. 40
'clock yesterday noon called the depart
mens TO a small blaze in the block at the
corner of Elm and Congress streets. The
fire caught In the corridor which sepa-
rates the barber shop owned by Mr., Chas
Sherry and the shop of Mr.. james Smith
q shoe repairer, located on the second
floor. Mr.. Sherry was the dYst to dis
cover the fame and he Immediately mott.
fed Mr.. Smith that fire was in progress
in the hall Mr.. Smith at once began::to
move his personal effects, and q young
man named Chas. Macdonald. who was
in Smiths shop, FASTENED to ring the
alarm. At the corner of Preble street he
met patrolman Webster whom he notified
and the officer sent in the alarm.
The department responded and in few
moments a stream from the chemical
was sent into the blaze.
The fire originated in some paste5oard
boxes that were lying In pile in the
corridor. 1t L. thought that some one
maet have gone upstairs, lighted Cigar
and then carslsssly thrown the lighted
match into the pile Of boxes.
The damage was confined to the
sheathing partition that separates tho
two shops, and the loss will not probably
amount to more than $50. The property
is owned by the Clnpp heirs and is sufi-
GENTLY insured to meet the loss.
Assistant Engineer George A. Dow and
Hoseman Rowe received bad cuts about
the hands caused by falling glass.
Dean Bros. shoe store is on the FIRST
floor Of the building but they lose moth
ing. Hon. George B. Emsry's law ofics
was somewhat smoked.
The alarm of fire about O'Clock yes
terdsy morning was caused BY blaze
in tie Clapp block adjoining the Casee
bank building on Middle street. The
fire evidently took from pile Of sweep
ings, at the foot of the second fight OF
stairs. When the flremsn arrived the
blaze, under the strong draft, was max
ing vigorous Roadway up the stairway
to the roof. There was little damage by
fire except the stairways, perhaps g few
hundred dollars to the hui lding. or
which Anderson, Adams & Co.. had th.
insurance.
Mr.. L. D. Austin, ssthe clothisr, on TIN
first floor, was pretty we'll wet down
He had between twenty and twenty on
thousand dollars worth of stock will
this insurance: North British $1,000
Philadelphia Underwater, $4,000, with
Augustus Chaplin; Quincy Mutual $4,000
with J. q. Webster; Providence Wash
ington, $500, Union of Philadelphia
1880, Mercantile Fire and Marine, 81 500
with Morse & Guptill; s11. 500. Mr.. Aus
tin told PRESS reporter he could nc
estimate his loss.
MIR. Lyons, travelling man who hal
sample room for underwear on til
second story, IL out of the town, bu
his damage must have been small. Hon
Geo. P. Wescott had an Office on th
floor. The third story was used by sh
| bflCkJdy6tb Oulou AOI y AouRC E0OI, nA
the attic was very low studded and ful
of dry inflammable material.
It was q bad fire to fight for the fir
had such control in the stairway, whe
Mr.. Nelson, bricklayer, pushed ope
the ontside door. of the building and dii
covered the flames, and the smoke wa
very dense. The room occupied by tn
BricklAy ersss Union must have been COZ
siderably scorched. Tbs ceiling in Aul
tins store was SO soaked that it CAV
way In several places.
The only damage done in the Case
Bank building WAS the charming Of tn
wood work around the doors Of HoI
B. D. Verrin's law Office, and the Gel
ing of the T. B. Davis Arms Compan
was slightly wet. Miss Mary j.
Olnpp owns this building. a. also that o
Monument square injured In the aftel
noon.