The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-03
IN ASHES.
Portland Rolling Hills Des-
trOyed.
Loss is Over Seventy
Five Thousand.
Cnc Hundred and Twenty-Five Ten
thrown cut Of Work.
IT, Q Flant was About To
Be Sold.
A Chvn'e That Mills Nay BE
Rebuilt.

The Portland Rolling Mills at Lisopln
we've burned TO the ground shortly after
80 O'CLOCK last nlgat. Nj q Il. Mill
Aen, ths presiasns OF the company, es.i-
mates the Ioss on tue plaat al s75, ,0eO,
nile the insuraHcs am0ua0s to S57, 900.
This hre throw l-5 mon out of employ
ment. The strong northeast wina which
was blowing Et the time ths trs origin.
ated, spread the flames with greas rapid
vented the hreEen from doing effective
work ON the main nI bnilaing. Ihe
cause of the fire is unknown. Other
buildings in range Of the cloud OF sparks
from the blazing structure caught lire
again and again, but were extinRuished
without much damage being done by vol
untesr iiremen and those from the city.
1t was shortly after o'e!ook when the
night watchman Of the plant, Rufus Ack-
ley, discovered the fire. The men em-
ployed at the mills had finishes their
work early in the srtefns,-S ~ were
preparing today to heg'n work on a new
line Of orders with which the mills have
of late been overrun. When Ackley dis.
covered the fire 1t was burning terceIy
In that part of the mill between the lathe
shop and the bar nill. While the cause
of 1t is not known 1t is thought that tie
ire originated around boiler near this
place 1he wind was blowing a gale
he a..
man realiz-d the danger the plant was In
the flames had IN ounted high among the
big wooden beams which supported the
roof and that entire section of the plant
vas wrapped in lire. Being all alone at
the time the fire broke out he attempted
to get pump to work, but soon saw
that with the rapidity with which the
flames worked their way through the
building his efforts aers useless.
In the meantime some one outside the
mill hal seen the fire mounting to the
roof and had ran across Vaughan's bri ge
and pulled in an alarm from box Sls at
the corner Of st. John and Danforth
streets. This box brought out two engines
and the other apparatus which responds
TO this box in Portland, but on reaohiug
the city limits at tue Driige the firemen
hesitated about going into Ligonia with
out orders from the chief engineer. Mr..
EldFidge was attending a meeting of the
board Of engineers at the Central Fire
station and his horse was up town. As
quickly as possible he hastsned to the box
from which the alarm had sounded and
without hesitation on arriving there or
dered the fire apparatus TO the scene
The Portland Rolling Mills covered In
all over half an acre OF ground. While
the various departments of the mill were
under one roof q all connected there
were In reality four separate buildings
The fire started in what is known as the
bar miiis, and worked along through this
and into ths other parts of the mill which
surrounded 1t. Famed by the wind which
was constantly increasing in force the
fire lesped from roof to roof until from
one end to the other the large plant was
a mass of seething flame. The tiremen
were unable to make any impression on
this furnace and turned their attention 10
sa wing the detached buildings of the
plant, with great success. The scene was
one Of grandeur, but to the men who have
depended upon these mills for years for
heir daily bread the picturesque features
of the fire did not appeal. 10 them 1t
was calamity almost beyond estimate
and In disconsolate groups trey stocd
about the high banks near the mills amid
the showers Of sparks and In the thick
black clouds of smoke and read In them
the vision Of long, cold winter with
out employment.
The lnrid light from the fire which
seemed to grow more intsnss every second
was reflected In the heavens and to the
dwellers In the city ii seemed as If the
entire town of Ligonia must be In
flames. From peak to psak, from top to
bottom Of the gigantic Woodsn structure
the waves of flame leaped and jumped
higher and higher towards the sky. The
tall brick chimneys of the plant, i've or
ak in numte-, stool in ths midst of an
ocean of fire, thslr tops now obsoured
by clouds OF smoke and sparks and then
when the wind blew these elouds away