The Portland daily press., 1897-06-17

Beneath the Main Entrance-No Clue
to the Culprit.
Yesterday was the day the fire bug was
due to make his appearance, and when
he had failed to show any evidences of
having been at work at sunset those who
had been hanging about the engine hous
es went home in disgust and believed the
| bug had let another day go by without
doing some of his tricks. But these per-
sons judged too hastily. The fire bug
put in his appearance yesterday and
though it was tride late when he did
excitement he caused and the very dan
gerous locality he selected for it's scene.
| Last evening about 100 ladies and
gentlemen had assembled in the Friends
meeting house ON Oak street to listen to
a sermon by Rev. Mr.. Samson of North
Carolina. The service was being held in
the vestry and the doors opening at the
foot of the stairs leading down from the
main entry were closed. At the foot of
| these stairs two doors open to the right
and left into small closets and toilet
rooms. The door ON the right leads into
a toilet room and from here another door
opens to sort of closet which Is nearly
under the hallway of the main entrance.
In this latter closet is sort of cellar way
which was Uttered with waste paper, a
barrel or two, some shavings left in the
place when the new edifce was built
and the sweepings from the toilet room
and closet.
1t was about half past eight o'clock
and all was quiet in the church save for
| the voice of the speaker. Without, Oak
| street was nearly deserted and only a
very few people had passed by the church
during the last few minutes. Miss
/ 3eeler and Mrs. Warehouse, who live
in the house just north of the church,
were sitting in the parlor in which there
was no light. Suddenly Mrs. Waterhouse
noticed that there was very peculiar
light shining through the narrow window
of the closet which is on a line with the
vestry windows. She had not seen a
light in this window before during the
evening and watched it for few min
4
ion. During this time the light steadily
increased in strength and the Pickering
grew more pronounced while the lady
thought she could distinctly see the
flames.
Mrs. Waterhouse told Miss Beeler of the
| light and called her attention to the win
dow. The young lady hurried out into
| the yard and smelled smoke. She acted
promptly and with great presence of
mind. Instead of raising an alarm Miss
Beeler hurried into the church and down
into the vestry of the church. Mr.. Sam
son was still speaking and without inter-
rupting him Miss Beeler called gentle
man IN one OF the rear, seats outside into
the hallway and told him she thought
| there was a fire in the little closet referred
to above. The man opened the toilet
room door and cloud of smoke rolled
out into his face. He stepped back into
the vestry and in calm voice told the
congregation of the fire and though the
announcement created considerable ex-
element the people passed out of the yes
| terry and out on to the street in very
orderly manner.
Meantime Mr.. L. NJ. Douglass had
grabbed pail of water which was be-
meath the water cooler and had hurried
into the cellar way The bucket when
thrown on the flames did not subdue
them by any means, for the fire had too
much Roadway for that, but when the
pail OF water was followed by the whole
cooler filled with water the flames were
partly subdued. Some one had run over
to the house of engine 1 and gave the
alarm and the firemen hurried up the
street with pony chemicals, and after a
few minutes had succeeded in subduing
the flames.
The fire did very little damage, and in
| fact, had not fairly been started before
it was discovered and subdued. Five
minutes more and the whole lower floor
of the church would have been in flames
the escape to the street through the main
entrance cut off and the congregation
might have forgotten that there is an
other door entering the church from the
back way and become panic stricken.
Careful inquiry in the neighborhood
failed to bring forth any clue to the fire
bug. No one had seen him enter the
church and no one had seen any one
leave it although there were people sit
ting in the window of Mr.. Staples S
house directly across the street. The
same tactics were pursued as in former
fires of this sort. An sout of the way
corner of the building, little frequented
was selected by the fiend for his work,
and only good fortune prevented seri-
Gus fire, which might have resulted in a
loss of life. 1t would seem that no public
building is . safe unless it's doors are
| guarded and even then this fire bug, if
he had his usual nerve and good fortune,
would escape. 1t is the strangest case in
the annals of the police and fire depart
ments and it is supposed that the work
must be that of some crank or crazy
person. The only question now troubling
the minds of every one is, whose build
ing will be next selected for this fiend s