The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-15
BIG FIRE in DEERING.
L. P. Hawkins Shoe Factory Entirely
Destroyed.

One Hundred and Fifty People Thrown
Out of Emp1oyment-The Firemen Did
Excellent Service.
At 25 minutes to II O'Clock Saturday
night fire was discovered in the shoe
factory of L. p. Hawkins on Ocean street
In Deering, and in ten minutes the
whole building was seething mass of
flames. The plant was entirely dis
rroyed and not CENTS worth OF property
WAS saved from the building.
The total loss was $40. 600 or S45, 0oe
and this was only insured for about
$4,000, placed with Prentiss Loring &
Co. The loss to Deering it is impossible
to estimate as $50 people are thrown
out of employment.
Conductor Swan of the Portland Rail-
road Company, who runs on the Ocean
street line to East Deering, passed the
shoe factory at about half past ten
O'Clock. He was at that time making
his last trip from Portland to East Deer
ing and rs the car runs right past the
factory, Conductor Swan, as has always
been his custom, looked the building over
and at that time everything was all
right. The car proceeded on its way to
Fast Deering, dropped its passengers and
started on it's return trip. When climb
ing the hill near hunts corner on the
way back, Conductor Swan saw bright
/ blaze in the rear of the factory. He
watched it g minute and noticed that it
was growing larger every second. The
conductor at once realized that the facto-
ry was on fire and at the top of the hill
stopped his car and told some men who
were near to pull in an alarm. In a min
ute the Deering fire alarm rang from box
II. and the city swoke to find the biggest
and most disastrous fire blazing in Its
midst that 1t has seenssfor years.
Conductor Swan ran his car on to-
wards Portland and when he pas d the
factory only about 1000 feet from box II,
the whole lower floor Of the building was
ablaze and the fire was rapidly spreading
through the structure
1t WAS three-story wooden building
about 100 feet long by 30 feet wide. 1t
was finely equipped plant and Satur
day night it was filed with valuable
stock and hundreds of dollars worth of
made up goods. The building WAS erect
ed about eight years ago and the bust
ness never promised SO we'll or was SO
tlattering as it was when the fire de-
stroyed the whole plant There was
over $4,000 worth of machinery and
patterns in tle building and about $40,
900 worth of stock. The building itself
was valued at fully $40. 900 and this does
not begin to tell the value of Mr. Haw-
kins's loss last night. for the factory was
inundated with orders and there was
work enough ahead to keep the plant
busy for year ahead. Orders vera pour
ing in by the hundreds of dollars worth
and the outlook for very prosperous
season was very fattering.
The alarm from box II awoke Deering,
and the IRE department. of that city made |
remarkably swift run to the fire consid- |
ering the condition of the roads, which |
were very rough and not in the best of
shape for fast travelling. But behring's
firemen are plucky fellows and it only
took them little while to reach the
spot.
The engine company from East Deer
ing was the first to get TO the fire and
shortly afterwards the engine companies
from Woodfords, Morrill's corner and
Deering Centre hurried up. The fire
WAS by this time burning fercely and
it seemed as If the whole building was
blazing at once. Directly in front of
the factory and not five yards from it
stood a hydrant.
The wind which was blowing from the
northwest, swept the smoke and flames,
ont to the middle of the road and far
beyond the hydrant. The pIuoky fire.
men were not daunted by this, but |
quickly decided to got Inns on this by
drant if possible. Engineer Dick Smith |
wrapped wet blanekt about him as did |
other tiremen and they took the hose to |
the hydrant, which seemed to BIZ right |
in the midst of the flames. They coupled |
the line to the hydrant and did their best |
to turn the water on. Before this could |
be done the hose burned in two and the |
hydraDt had to be temporarily aban-
doned
The nearest hydrant besides this one,
which was rendered useless by it's proxi- |
nifty to the flames, was that at Limits |
corner, fully 1000 feet away. A line of |
hose was laid from this bydrant by order |
of Chief Engineer Peck and stream was |
turned on to the building. Soon another |
stream was got to work, hut so rapidly |
had the flames spread that there was
no hopes of saving the factory.
70 the west Of the shoe factory and not |
tan yards from it stood big stable, in
which were several valuable horses be-
longing to Mr.. Hawkins, together with
carriages, sleighs and other valua BILE
property. Still farther to the vest is the
house Of Mr.. Hawkins, and so hot was
the fire that it at first looked as If the
stable and the house must also be de-
ssroyed. A cross the street from the fac
tory, but standing little back from he
street. is the house occupied by Mr.. A.