The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-21

amined Today-What @. A. Plummer
Observed at the Dominion House.
The innr1est on the cause of the fire in
the Dominion house on Monday morning
was continued yesterday afternoon by
the board of aldermen. Several import
ant witnesses we're examined but before
the hearing can be concluded 1t will be
necessary to take the testimony of several
witnesses who were not present yesterday
afternoon. These witnesses will be sum-
moned this afternoon when the hearing
will be concluded.
Lyman W. Hanson, employed by the
insurance companies to make inspections
of fires was the first witness of the after
noon He stated that in room on the
second floor of the Dominion house he
found that the carpet had.been soaked in
kerosene and cabinet bed partially
burned. In room on the same floor,
which had no communication with the
osher room he found that an organ had
been partially burned and behind the
organ a big hole had been burned in the
wall. He could find no place where the
fire in either of these rooms could get
through to start any of the other fires in
the building. 1t was Mr.. Hanson's
opinion that the fire was inoendiary; that
kerosene oil had been used in starting
three separate fires and appearances indi-
Gated that an attempt had been made to
start a fire in fourth place.
Mr.. Hanson had some talk with Mr..
Niles, the proprietor of the house, in
which Mr.. Niles said he had no idea how
the fire had started. Niles said he had
passed by two of ths rooms where fires
had been started on his way to the front
door TO answer the summons OF McDon-
aid but no had not discovered either of
these fires, either on his way to the door
or on his return Mr.. Hanson examined
the oil can in the kitchen and found that
it contained about two gallons. The oil
can had been filled on Friday. Mr.. Han.
son asked Mr.. Niles if he had ever had
any trouble with any of his boarders.
Niles said that he had had some trouble
with one man, whose wages he had trus-
teed. Niles said that he did not suspect
this man of having set the fire because
he could see no way for this man or any
one else to get Into the house without his
knowing 1t. The back door and the
office door were bolted on the inside and
the front door was locked by Yale lock
to which there was only one key. Mr..
Niles told Mr.. Hanson that he could not
account for the changing of the mattress
es from the cabinet bed in the parlor to
another room where it was found covered
with bed spread on Monday morning.
Mr.. Frank 81. Plummer, the insurance
agent, testified that one day he was in
Morrills store on Moulton street talking
to Mr.. Morrill, about insurance matters
when Mr. Niles first spoke to him. Mr..
Niles asked the witness if he (Mr. Plum
mer) insured furniture. Witness told MIR.
Niles that he did. Niles said that he had
been talking with another insurance
agent about insuring his furniture but
that the agent had asked him S15 on
thousand which he could not afford to
pay. Mr.. Niles said he thought that the
rate was exhorbitant. Witness told Niles
that be could not cut this rate as rates
were fixed by. the board of underwriters
Later, about December 5th, witness saw
Niles and put a thousand dollar policy
on his furniture written in the New Eng
land Underwriters Insurance company.
A few weeks later Niles approached the
witness and said that on looking over his
property he had come to the conclusion
that he did not have enough insurance
and believed that he would want $500
more This amount witness had placed
on NiIes's furniture and had delivered the
policy to him on Saturday night before
the fire on Monday morning. Niles had
also asked the witness what the method
was of estimating the loss of furniture
destroyed by fire. Witness had told him
that it would be necessary for Niles, in
case of q fire, to make out list OF the
articles destroyed and swear that 1T was
correct. Witness was led to believe by
Niles that Niles did not have any other
insurance other than that which had been
written for him by the witness. Witness
explained that the amount OF the loss
had been adjudged on the dominion
house fire by the fire insurance adjusters.
Niles had claimed that the property in the
rooms where the tires had occurred was
worth before the fire $3.50. The adjusters
had placed the amount of damage at $3.50.
This had not been paid and settlement
had not been made with Niles as yet and
would not be made until the result OF the
investigation was known. 1t was the
custom for the adjusters to settle upon
the damage done by fire as soon after
the fire as possible but it was not paid
Immediately.
Mr.. c. A Plummer, of the insurance
firm of Plummer Brothers, was the next
witness. He went to the Dominion house
after the fire about noon on Monday and
made careful and thorough investiga-
ton. Mr.. Niles had told him that the
ell found on the carpet in room eight had
been spilled there by the breaking of q
lamp Niles showed the witness lamp
which had been broken and which was
in this room. The lamp would contain