The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-09-20
Threatened To Be a Bad Blaze But
Was Well Handled.
Fire Was Confined to
the Third Floor.
The Loss On the Building Will
Not Be Very Large.

The indications were ct the outset that
might of It and the chances seemed to be
that they would come out at the little
end of the horn when the night was at an
end. The alarm from box 4l2 at 12.45
O'Clock this morning. was for o fire in
the four-story brick block at the corner
of Fore and Cross streets, formerly
known as the Commercial hotel. Patrol
men Fell and Cousins discovered the
blaze, and when they saw 1t first 1t was
threatening to become o conflagration of
no mean proportions. On tho third floor
Of the building, facing Fore street, the
flames were coming out of the windows
and seemed to be mounting into the floor
above. Patrolman Fell pulled the box
which brolght out the fire apparatus, but
the call men of the department were a
little longer than usual In getting onto
the scene.
This handicapped the flremen not a
little for 1t was necessary to uss long
aud heavy ladders and the permanent
men and the few call men on hand at
first were not able to do the work re-
quired of them. When the call men mr.
rived the big ladders wers soon put In
position and the work Of subduing the
fire began.
The old Commercial house is very
high and very long building. 1t Is com
monty called a fire trap of the worst
sort, but the firemen have had one or two
previous struggles against their arch
enemy on this very spot and know 1t
very we'll by this time. They did very
little fighting at long range, but got at
the seat Of the trouble at once when they
| got to work.
In tine corner OF the building near
the Dolan block there Is an elevator well
and It was near this that the fire started.
Chief Eldridge 30 distributed his men
about the Fore street side of the build
ing that they were able to concentrate
all OF their water upon one spot and soon
subdued the flames.
The building Is owned by Edward Il.
Carleton, treasurer and manager OF the
Portland Door, Sash and Blind company,
which occupies the fourth story OF the
building. The fire did not do much lam
| age In the fourth floor which Ia also ooou-
pied by ]. 1. Barbour, pattern maker,
and also by Job Sanford, tap mauufsc.
turer. The fire originated on the third
floor at the Fore street end, as has been
stated, which was unoccupied. Beneath
this unocoupied part of the third fiooI
are the work rooms of the Hsyes Too
company of which Edward G. Webb IL
manager and treasurer. The damage tC
this company will be on account of water
This cannot he very large as the chief en-
gineer set his men to work baling out the
water which had aeoum ulaued on the
third floor as soon as the fire was extin
guished On the ground floor Is the Gree.
ley Steam laundry. Very little water and
no fire reached this part of the building
SO the loss cannot be large.
1t is impossible to estimate losses OF Il
give Insurance, but II there is any insur
ance on any of these places the loss vii
be fully covered by 1t. Mr.. Carleton SAID
that he valued his stock and the build
ing at so, 0o0, and thought he was insured
for $1,000. The building was not greatly
damaged and the loss cannot exceed
$1,000 on stock and building.
An argument In favor of UNDERGROUND
electric light wires WAS given when thu
firemen had to manipulate for some tim
in order to get the Hayes trucks Ions
ladder into position owing to a set o
wires which prevented its being raised il
the place where 1t was wanted.