The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-21

Much More Property Was at One Time
In Danger-Aid Summoned From Cam
den and Thomaston-Losses lWell3 Cow
cred By Insurance-Plans For Rebuilt
ding.
Rookland, March 20.-The entire lime
manufacturing plant Of Perry Brothers
has gone up in smoke and thousands of
dollars damage has been done to the priv
ilege controlled by the A. F., Crockett
company. A conservative estimate places
the damage at $50, 900, although subse-
quent developments are likely to enlarge
these figures.
At $40 Friday morning the alarm
sounded from box 4S. The confiagration
proved to be the Perry Bros. lime plant,
located at the extreme northern end of
the city and occupying several acres along
the water front.
Chief Engineer Bird wired Thomasaon
and Camden for assistance. Help from
Camden was out of the question, but
the chief engineer reached the Thomas
ton department., and in due time her
steamers and large department were on
hand.
The four lime kilns which composed
the Perry plant, but which are SO close
together that they answer the purpose of
one enormous building, were mass of
flames, and the three-story block facing
Main street and containing the Perry
Brothers store, office and a tenement
were marked for destruction The tene.
ment was occupied by John j. Perry and
family who escaped from the smoke and
Hames in scantily- clad condition
The fire had rather queer origin. The
heavy rains melted the snow in the street
which is at an elevation of several feet
over the kilns, and the surface water be
gan to run down on the roof of the kiln
shed through small hole in the roof and
made its way to the floor where the loose
lime speedily ignited.
In the big shed was a double crew
which had been stationed there to antici-
pate a fire that might be started by this
mornings high tide and when they
chanced to catch sight of the ruin that
WAS SolAE vi DCulAO UlSIu bll6lF &SUOulSQ-
ment made them spellbound They made
few frantic efforts to extinguish this
unlooked-for blaze, but so full was the
shed of lime and casks that they saw the
case was HOPELESS and began to scramble
for place of safety. One of the men be-
came dazed by the smoke and noxious gas
fumes and was literally dragged from a
fearful death by his companions.
The lime casks make most difficult fire
to fight and the firemen had to be relieved
every threesminutes SO suffooating was the
smoke and gas. When the block contain
ing the store caught fire it looked as if
nothing could save the area of houses di-
reotly in the path of the oonfagration.
The residence of Hon. A. f. Crockett.
one of the finest in the city, stood about
one hundred feet away. The slate roof,
however, saved the day, for had that
caught nothing could have saved the
houses.
The first kiln to burn was at the south
ern end of the plant and adjoining the
Ames kilns. The hurricane blowing in
a southeasterly direction swept j. the
flames through the three connecting
kilns owned by Perry Brothers, and be-
fore it could be brought under control at
the north marine railway, the big block
above mentioned and two kilns owned by
the Robert Crockett estate, which were
| leased by the A. f. Crockett company,
we're destroyed. while nearly 5000 feet of
the LIMERICK railroad trestle work had
fallen and considerable portion of the
rolling stock had sucoumbed.
The north marine railway was also con-
siderably damaged.
The damage to the Ilimerook railroad,
| which not only had it's main line on the
| Crockett & Perry Brothers privilege, but
which supplied all of the above-named
kilns by long spur track, all trestle
work will be about $40, 600.
| Director E. r. Spear at once tele-
graphed Portland for Lumbar to rebuild
The company was quite well, il not fully
| insursd.
Perry Brothers loss will be hardly less
than $50. 0oO,a the -four sheds were valued
at about $1,000 the block at $40, 600, and
| two OF the four kilns valued at $4,000, will
have to be entirely rebuilt. There were
$500 loaded lime casks in the sheds and
about 15 900 empties, which are worth, in
the aggregate $4,000.
The A. +. Crockett company had 15 900
| empty casks and about 10000 laden
casks, making their loss from that souroe
$3470, to which will have to be added
about $4,000 for loss of kilns and damage
to kiIns, making their total loss almost
$4,000.
The damage to the north marine rail-
way will be about $1,000. The above are
fairly we'll covered by insurance, distrib-
uted among five insurance companies.
Path of the Flood.
| Middlatown Conn March % -V,ho