The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-12
A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
The Big Saw Mill of the Berlin Mills
Co. Burned.

Covered by Insurance-Narrow Escape
of the Entire Plant and Village.
The Berlin Mills company's saw mill
at Berlin, N. H., was burned Saturday
night. Fire caught from a hot box.
Fire was confined entirely to the mill.
Insured. This mill was built in 1852
by the late John B. Brown, Josiah S.
Little and Hezikiah Winslow. We under
stand the mill will be rebuilt at once.
The plant of the Berlin Mills company,
stretches for about three.quarters of a
mile along both banks of the Androscog-
gin river at Berlin. The big frame wat
empower saw and gristsmill and grain
storehouse buildings, including bulkheads
and fumes, is at the head of the plant.
The building covers about as much
ground as City building, but is not as
high, being two stories in height. Next
below the saw mill-about $50 feet south
side by side, come tho frame water
power planning mill building and the
'clapboard" planning mill building, the
latter about 20 feet away from the plan
ing mill. These two mills were each some
$50 feet long. Below these buildings, for
a long distance, stretch the sheds and
storehouses, until one comes to the big
pulp mill and paper mills. On the oppo-
site side of the river, running parallel,
are the extensive lumber yards. The
saw, planning and clapboard mills were
provided with the most modern and
expensive machinery, water wheels, saws
and force pumps, automatic sprinklers,
alarm and electric light dynamos, lights
and tools, besides great quantity of
long and short lumber and grain and
feed.
The saw mill and contents was entire
ly destroyed. The people worked with a
will. The steam fire engine owned by
the company, did first rate service, the
automatic sprinklers helped materially,
so that the rest of the great plant and
the big lumber yards, together with the
extensive plants of the business corpo-
rations in the village, and the town itself
were saved from destruction.
Where the fire broke out was in the
basement of the saw mill near the lathe
machine, and when the trap door leading
into the basement near this machine was
opened, a perfect sheet of fire drove the
men back.
AS soon as Mr.. VIM. ". Brown was noti-
fed of the fire, he ordered Grand Trunk
special and at O'Clock yesterday morn
ing, accompanied by his son, Mr.. Herbert
Brown, went to Berlin. At the same time
they notified Mr.. E. c. Jones, who has
the entire insurance on the plant, who
was at his cottage at the Cape. Mr..
Jones came to the city at once, put on a
large force of clerks and typewriters, and
| when, few hours later, he received no
tees from the companies he represents
for the proof of loss, was able to wire
back that the official forms had already
be forwarded. This may be called
hustling.
The insurance on the property de-
stroyed was exactly 100000. This amount
is divided in sums ranging from $1,000
to $4,000 in a great many companies,
the principal being the London & Lam
caster, the Liverpool & London & Globe,
the Lancaster, North British and Mercan-
tile, Granite State of New Hampshire,
Niagara, British America, National of
Hartford, the New Hampshire, Etna,
Globe of New York, Manufacturers and
Merchants of Pittsburg, Phoenix of Hart
ford, Pennsylvania, Royal, .Caledonian,
Orient, Underwriters, German of Pitts
burg. Besides these there were number
of others whose names Mr.. Jones could
not give last night. The companies will
adjust the loss at once, and Mr.. Brown
will begin rebuilding the mills today after
clearing off the debris. The loss on the
property burned is said by Mr. Brown
to be about 100000.