The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-04


Awakened by Mrs. Kane and What
They Knew About the Fire.
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen held
an inquest yesterday afternoon on the. fire
Thursday morning at 2. % O'Clock at 2l5
Cumberland street. in the house occupied
by Mrs. Kane as lodging and boarding
house. The examination was conducted
by City Solicitor Morrill, and County At
torney Libby was also present but took
no part in the proceedings. Insurance
Commissioner Carr was also in attend
ancemen, firemen and others. Aldermen
usley, Rounds, Pagan, Mcdonald and
Leighton were in attendance and the
mayor presided. All of the inmates Of the
house where the fire occurred were ex-
amined with the exception of Mrs. Chase,
one of the boarders, who was reported to
be too i'll to attend.
CHIEF M. N. Eldredge of the fire depart
ment was the first witness. The alarm for
the fire rung in at 2. 40 a. m. on Thurs
day. When the chief went into the hall
way at 215 Cumberland street he found a
bed in room over the front hallway on
fire. Before this was extinguished bed
in a room in the rear was found on fire
On the third floor two Dlore fires were
found and on the fourth floor there was
another fire. All Of these fires were con-
fined to the beds and seemed to have been
md foot ha1,
bed near the head of the bed in all cases.
There was another fire on the first floor
and two more in the basement. The
Chemical engins extinguished all.of the
fires. The fires occurred in the rooms
which were unoccupied.
The fire on the first floor occurred in a
closet off the kitchen. 1t took the depart
ment about an hour to extinguish all the
fires. AS soon as one was extinguished
another fire would be discovered. All of
the fires were started about the same
time. The head boards Of the beds had
been burned through in nearly every case.
John n Long, fire assistant engineer
of the fire department, was the next wit
ness. He discovered the first fire in the
cellar. 1t was in some rubbish but no.
where near the furnace. After this fire
was extinguished the frelnen tackled an
other one up stairs. The up stairs fire was
put out and then another fire was dis
covered in the rear of the basement, which
had burned through the floor. Captain
Long went on to tell about the discovery
OF the other fires which were scattered ell
over the house. There were eight fires in
all, and all were blazing at the same
time. It was his opinion that the fires
had been burning twenty minuste. 1t
would have been impossible for any one
fire to have started any other fire in the
house.
Patrolman Frank I. Pillsbury said he
was on Wilmot street when he saw two
men running towards him. They were
on their way to the Chemical engine
house. The officer discovered fire in the
cellar and after investigating it. pulled
in an alarm One of the men who told
the officer about the fire was named MI.
Goud, who rooms at 2l5 Cumberland
street. Mrs. Kane told witness that the
people in the house were all up and
dressed when he asked her about it. The
people in the house took out two trunks
and sheet filled with articles of various
kinds. Mrs. Kane had her clothes on and
also an outside wrap of some kind when
the policeman reached the step. The other
people in the house were partially dressed.
Deputy Hartnett summoned Mrs. Kane,
into the house. She was sitting on a
trunk out of doors. When asked to go in
to the parlor Mrs. Kane faiDted away and
was taken to the police station under
arrest.
Mrs. Emma Augusta Kane was the
next witness. She is very large woman
and was plainly. but neatly dressed. She
said she is a widow and has lived at 215
Cumberland street for three years. Five
rooms in the house were occupied on
Wednesday night. There WAS not an I'M
usually large number of vacant rooms on
Wednesday. Mrs. Kane owns all OF the
furniture in the house. There is $500 In
surance. on the furniture which is placed
with Harmon and Anderson, as agents.
UQlS 1uSuEdEGo SlOOO WoO PAnSSo oAi DiAo
furniture when witness moved into the
house, and the remainder year or 90
ago. She had $1,000 in cash when she be-
gan to furnish the house and this was
nearly all expended in furniture. The rest
of the furniture had been bought from
time to time. She thought $4,000 had been
expended by her for furniture in all.
Mrs. Kane's room was in the rear on
the first floor. Mrs. Laura Chase occupied
the front parlor on the front floor. Wit
ness said the papers were mistaken when
they said there were eighteen rooms in
the house. There were not as many as
this. She had not seen any of the fires,
but had slnelled the smoke in the corri-
doris. Witness kept the front door locked
after nine O'Clock at night. She was at
home all the afternoon on Wednesday and
only her regular boarders were in the
house that night as far as she knew.
Mrs. Kane said she went to bed at nine
O'Clock. About half past two O'Clock she
started to go to the bath room. She was
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