The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-10
FIRE In DEERING.
1t Quilted the House and Stable of MI.
Herbert A. Harmon.

was LIghtlnS-She Narrowly Escaped
Serious Injury-A Runaway and Other
Deering News.
About II o'clock yesterday forenoon an
alarm from box 5, Spring street, Wood
fords, called the Deering department to a
fire in the house owned and occupied by
Mr.. Herbert A. Harmon at the corner Of
Grant and Mechanic street. Mrs. Harmon
had occasion to use the gasoline stove,
which was kept in the summer kitchen, a
small room adjoining the main house and
the shed attached to the stable. Mrs.
Harmon had lighted part of the burners
and was turning the valves to light the
remaining jets when the faucet of one of
the valves came out and the oil SCATTERING
against the flames of the lighted burners
caused an explosion, and the room was
at once in flames. Mrs Harmon was for
tunate that her clothing escaped the
flames. The only damage which she sus-
tanned was bad burn on the right hand.
DR.. Toplif was near the house at the
time and dressed the hand. A passerby
seeing the house in flames ran to box 5
and turned in the. alarm The department
responded promptly and in few minutes
stream from the hydrant opposite the
house was in use. The fire spread rapidly
and in less than ten minutes the house
was in flames from cellar to attic. The
heat from the fire was intense and added
to this the extreme heat from the sun S
rays made it hard work for the fire fight
ers. Several of them were more or less
affected by the heat and were forced to
drop out for awhile. Mr.. Henry 1llsley
of hose 2 was one of the first of the de-
partment to reach the fire. He was
compelled by the heat to withdraw, but
in a half hour he was in condition to go
into the flames again. The house owned
by Mr.. P. J. Morgan at numbers and
8 Grant street is quite near to the Harmon
house and had it not been for the prompt
and faithful work of Hose 8 this property
too would have been in ashes. The citi-
zens aided tn firemen materially in re-
moving articles of furniture and other
valuables. but the greater part of the
furnishings were burned to ashes The
organ and piano were rescued but it was
with great difficulty. The Harmon house
was owned some five years ago by A. B.
Jordan and was quite thoroughly quilted
by fire at that time ana after extensive
repairs was bought by Mr.. 81. A. Har-
mon.
1t was quite recently that Mr., Harmon
had completed some important additions
to his home and had added a large
amount of new furniture. The house and
stable attached were completely Quilted by
fire and nothing remains of any value.
Mr.. Harmon estimates his loss on house
and furniture as about SO, 900 on which
there was an insurance of Sc, 800 in
the following companies Fire
mems Fund of California, American of
New Jersey, Home Mutual of California,
Boston Marine Of Boston. The fire de-
partment is deserving of credit for the
manner in which they handled the fire
which was hard one to..fght as the fire
worked in between the walls and cell
ings. After the fire which lasted until /
O'Clock, Mr.. Harmon furnished the fire.
men with refreshments which were great.
ly relfshed. Mr.. Harmon's furniture tina
was rescued was put into house owned
by Mr.. John Gard, as Mr.. Card very
kindly rendered Mr.. Harmon the use of
the same until such time as he could
make other ARA ngements.
A lively runaway occurred yesterday
morning at Woodfords at about 1890. The
horse owned by Chas. Carter and attached
to milk team was standing alone, when
street sprinkler which was standing
near was started along Deering avenue.
The noise of the water rushing from the
sprinkler frightened the horse attached to
the milk team and he started posthaste
along the avenue from Mechanic street.
The run was but brief one as the horse
was caught near the new Odd Fellows
block. 1t was extremely fortunate that
no one was injured, and it was renarka-
BILE that the milk team was not wrecked
as the horse dashed between an electric
light pole and a tree, and there was not
much space between them.
The committee on laying out new
streets of this city are having a brick
sidewalk laid over Fessenden street.
The city was nearly deserted yesterday
as nearly everyone that could possibly
do so left for Portland to witness the
parade Of the Knights of Pythias About
30 members of Rocky Hill lodge K. of P.
went into Portland to participate in the
parade of the forenoon and to attend the
clam bake at Long Island.
The members of the city government
were the guests of Alderman Aver last
evening at his home, after the business
meeting of the government had been at.
tended to. Refreshments were served and
the city fathers enjoyed the hospitality of
their colleague until late hour.
A young man named Hopkins was be-
fore the court yesterday charged with
malicious mischief in the vicinity of East
Deering. The judge heard the case and
imposed fine including costs amounting
to $500.
George w Lane n carDenter a few