The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-18

$4,000 and This Is Covered by Insur-
ance.
The alarm from box So last night was
for fire in the building at 5S7 Congress
street.
At about half-past seven O'Clock last
evening passers by on Congress street,
in front of Geo. G. Shaw & Co.'s store,
noticed that there was strong.smell OF
smoke in the vicinity, which seemed to
be issuing. from the building I'm which
the store is situated. Among others who
noticed this smoke was Councilman
John L. Corey. He stopped to investigate
and seeing cloud of smoke pouring
out Of the upper windows of the wooden
building in which Shaw's store is locat-
ed, concluded that the place was on fire
and started to pull in an alarm. Atsthe
same instant several men began to yell
fire, and boy ran to Engine rs house
and pulled in an alarm from box So.
Councilman Corey ran to the entrance
to the Portland Club, the next stairway,
above that at 5S7 Ia, and went up stairs.
In the doorway he found DIR. G. M. Tai
bot, the dentist, and Philip E. Higgins.
These gentlemen hurried up two flights
Of stairs through the club house and out
on to the roof of Mr.. Shaw's building.
Here there was q chimney coming up
from the back room of DR.. Talbot's office
and though this the smoke was pouring
as ii 1t were the outlet for a. volcano.
The three men by roundabout course
over the roof, through the apartments of
Robert Graham and past the rooms of
the Y. W. G. A. reached DR.. Talbot's
office. Here they could hear the crack
ling Of the flames and in opening the
door to the workroom, back of DIR. Tai
bots Office the men were met by cloud
OF smoke and flame.
The tiremen had arrived.by this time
and as soon as they could get the streams
to work they began to drown the fire out.
The chemical engine had made the
quickest hitch on record and Capt. But
Ter and his men had one of the first, If
not the first stream on the fire.
1t was a very bad fire to fight. 1t got
between the floor timbers and worked its
way up beneath the roof of Shaw's candy
manufacturing department and here axes
and hooks had to be brought into play
to get at the fire. Adjoining this build
ing is the Congress square hotel, but it
was too far away from the blaze to be
damaged any; The rooms of the Portland
damage resulted here. The Y. W. G. A..
rooms on the same floor rs DIR. Talbot g
office, were also filled with smoke and
this drove the occupants out in hur-
ry.
DR.. Talbot's office was flooded with
water and the back office was wreck
Theirs was about 5000 insurance on the
fittings here, which will cover the loss
The water leaked down through the
floor of the Office and into the store of
Geo. O.. Shaw & Co. s below. The loss
to the stock will be heavy from the
cause, probably somewhere In the neigh
borhood of $4,000. Mr.. Shaw said it was
impossible to estimate the loss last night,
but it will probably be near this figure.
1t is fully covered by insurance. The
loss to the building, which is owned by
Geo. 9. Shaw, will be about $1,000. In
surance here covers the loss.
Chief Eldridge and his men got right
into the heart of the fire at the first send
off and fought the blaze at close quar-
ters The fire was extremely we'll handled,
as all have been under Chief Eldridge's
administration, and the department has
the credit of having subdued, without
great damage, what was an extremely
dangerous blaze on the send off.
The cause Of this fire is unknown.