The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-05
A DISASTROUS FIRE.
Poland Paper Company's Mill in
Ashes.

1ArC1Cu1arS Oh Inc II AES-I OEbldno ESOpic
Interested-Loss About 500, 600, In
sursd for $50, 0OO--One Hundred Men
Out of Employment.
One of the most disastrous fires which
has occurred in Maine in many months
took place at GilbertVile on the Andres
coggin river at o'olock Saturday morn
ing. The big pulp mill of the Poland
PapaT company was burned to the ground
and ore of the states best known and
most successful industries was swept out
of existence IN short space of time.
The Poland Paper company has its
headquarters in Portland and many of
side in this city. The estimated loss is
not far from 100000, while tine insur
enes on the plant, which is all placed
with the most rel able of companies, is
SIS. coo.
1t was little after three O'CLOCK on Sat
urday morning when the fire was dis
covered in tho pulp mill. 1t started be-
tween the boilers and the furnaces and
with lightning speed spread through the
entire building. A special equipment OF
automatic sprinklers and fire apparatus
with which the plant was furnished
aided in holding the seething flames in
check for a time and the employees of the
mill, TO the number of 100, who were Or
ganizsd into a well disciplined fire
brigade, for few minutes held the
flames in check. But famed by the
wind the blaze soon got beyond control
and although the mill hands made a
heroic struggle to save the plant 1t was
soon reduced to ashes.
The mill consisted of one large wooded
building and was finely equipped with the
most modern and costly machinery.
1t was situated at Gilbertville. about two
miles from Canton village on the banks
of the Androscoggin river, and the water
supply was ample to fight even the worst
kind of fire.
There was on hand at the time of the
fire large amount of stock, all of which
was destroyed. In fact the flames spread
through the building with such rapidIty
that 1t would have been utterly impossi-
BILE to have saved anything even if the
machinery or stock could have been re-
moved. The mill has been running on
full time aud gave employm ent to 100
men, all of whom are thrown out of work
by the fire.
The loss to Gilbertville village cannot
be estimated as the pulp mill WAS the
only large industry in the place.
MI H-x
son Paper company in 1879, but was pur-
chased of them by the Poland Paper COM
pany in 1889 and since that time has been
turning out enough chemical fibre pulp
TO supply the big paper mill at Mechanic
Falls This pulp mill has never been SO
highly valued and SO successful as it was
during tina months of February and
March and jHs6 at this time the loss
comes as quite heavy one on the Pc.
land Paper company.
Hon. William G. Davis Of this city is
the president of the Poland Paper COM
pany and Hon. g. x. Milliken ia Its
treasurer. The latter gentleman was in
Boston on Saturday and was at break
fast at the Parker house when the news
of the destruction Of the pulp mill was
Brought to hiM. Within an hour Mr..
Milliken had made arrangements to Sc
cure pulp for the continuance of the
manufacture of paper at the company's
mills at Mechanic Falls and not day
will be lost in the turning out of the
same quantity of fine book paper for
which the Poland Paper company is just
ly famous.
Whetherssthe pulp mill at Gilbertville
will be rebuilt oTnot has not been decided
as yet but meeting of the directors of
the Poland Paper company will be held
in few days and probably the matter
will be discussed at that time.
Hon. G. r. Milliken, the treasurer Of
the Poland Paper company, was seen on
Saturday night on his return from Bos
ton. He stated that the loss will be
somewhat larger than rhe insurance If
the valuable machinery on the plant is
materially damaged. The insurance on
the pulp mill at Gilbertville WAS placed
with the following companies,
state Mutual, s11, $50
Fall River Manufacturers Mutual, 5000
What Cheer, $500
Enterprise, $1,000
Hope Insurance company, $500
American, $500
Philadelphia Manufacturers, $500