The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-21
THE FREE STREET FIRE.
Investigation by the Board Of Alder
men Last Evening.

and the Board Then Considered the De-
mand of the Maine Medical School for
the Body of Lizzie Bailey.
A special meeting of the board of al
dermen was held last evening, Alderman
Thompson presiding.
City Messenger MCGOWAN was chosen
clerk pro tenn.
The Medical school of Maine applied
for the body Of Lizzie Bailey, a poor wo-
man who died in this city. The aldermen
from one and five voted against giving
up the body and the others to comply
with the request. Later the matter came
up again.
The matter of fire at II and IS Free
street, was taken up and Chief Eldredge
was called, and said that they found a
fire in the attic, and later in room
below. The chief said he failed then to
find any cause for the fire, or any conneo-
ton between the two fires. At the re-
quest of Alderman Thompson, the city
solicitor took charge of the case. Chief
Eldredge said that the attic was badly
burned. The room below was also
burned. There was bad hole in the
ceiling from the room below to the attic.
Chief Eldredge said that he at first
thought there could be no connection be-
tween the two firos, but later thought 1t
might have been possible that the fire did
as Mr.. Lowell claimed, go down through
hole in the ceiling. The chief said he
did not detect the smell of kerosene.
Captain Butler of the Chemical COM
pany, said he was at the fire. He did not
notice the hole in the ceiling. He agree
with Chief Eldredge that it was impossi-
BILE to tell where the fire originated. He
did not notice anything odd or out of the
way In the arrangement of the furniture.
In reply to question by Alderman
Kehoe, he said that in his judgment the
fire first started in the attic. He did not
see any of the people in the house.
Chief Eldredge was recalled. He only
saw Mr. Lowell He had apparently been
called from his sleep.
Patrolman Quinn, heard the alarm. and
was at the house in a very short time.
He met Mr.. Lowell and said: care all
the people outg" and Mr.. Lowell said !:
1.-THE children are all out" The witness
assisted in putting out the fire. There
was no fire in the front room at that
time He noticed that Mr.. Lowell was
getting out his goods. He was dressed in
his ordinary way. che looked as if
dressed in his ordinary street clothes.
"Mr. Lowell was excited and thought the
children were not safe. He then saw Mr..
Lowell second time. He could not say
whether Mr.. Lowell did or did not have
on collar and tie. 4
Patrol1nan Frank Merrill, said he did
not see any connection between the two
fires. He told Chief Eldredge that the
fire was in the attic. There was no ap-
pearance of fire on the ceiling in the
room below, and no water had come
down. He at first reported to Chief Ell
dIege that there was no fire in the room
below, Shut 1t seems there was"
Charles M. Davis, was in the building.
About one o'clock he was woke up.
There was sound of moving of furni-
ture overhead and talking. This oontin-
ned from one to two O'Clock up to the
time of the fire. He saw the refecuion of
a light, perhaps fifteen to twenty min utes
before the arrival of the engine. Had
known Mr.. Lowell about two years, and
never had any trouble with him. The
noise was 10 pronounced that night that
Mr.. Davis was forced to get up and dress.
Mr.. Lowell said the first he knew of the
+xxx< - <ho lols
woke him up. He went up stairs and the
boarders asked him to take their trunk S
out. He went down and put on his boots,
and went out and rang in the alarm. He
thought the noise mentioned by Mr.
Davis was imaginary, and said that there
was spite in his opinion, on the part of
''the people in the otherside of the
house, He added: eff it comes to the
question of nD5Ee I'd like to have some of
the people in the house down. Mr..
Lowell thought that the fire was caused
by rats getting at matches that had grad
ually worked down through the single
floor. In his opinion the fire in the room
below was caused by the hole in the CELL
ing where there had once been hanging
lamp. Mrs Lowell lost some of her
clothes. by the fire. He had $3.50 insur-
nee on the furniture. He had recently
moved a chamber set to house he owns
at Pride's Corner. This was probably
about four weeks ago.
To Alderman Kehoe he could not say
how long he had been insured. "When
Mr. S. Lowell got a settlement in the Bal
ley case she got the increase on the furni-
ture." He was insured with Mr.. Hartford
of South Portland.
P. B. Turner, said he adjusted the loss
The original policy, renewing one of the
previous year was for $500, but later there
was an addition of $3.50. The policy was
made out to Albert H. and Alice B.
Lowell. Mr.. Turner said that in adjust
ing the loss Mr.. and Mrs. Lowell made
no unfair claims, but met him in fair
spirit. The total allowance was S1S5. So
Later Mr.. Lowell called and said that a
pair of glasses valued at $40 had been
found. When he visited the house with
Mr.. Hartford, he found the same state of
things described by Chief Eldredge He