The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-06

black smoke. By crawling on his hands
and knees he managed to fird his way
back TO the street door and was hauled
ont almost exhausted. Several other mar
row escapes of this kind were reported.
The night watchmsn Of the T. p.
Beals company Is named Frank Enoch.
He was on Market street only few min
utes before the alarm was pulled In and
then went to the other building of the
Beai's manufaotury In the rear Of the one
on Market street to put some water In .
boiler. When be returned he found the
street. filled with smoke and the flames
lsaping from the lower windows OF the
building.
Chief Eldridgs, almost ~ soon ss he
arrived on the spot sent word to the IRE
boat which was at her dock on Portland
Pier to prepare 10 handle one stream. A
line Of hose was laid ~ the fire boat and
then in,truotions were sent TO her to play
away. The result was beyond the sx-
peotations Of ths men who were detailed
to handle the stream. The big pump Of
IT,. are boat sent oceans Of water throuh
the hose and 1t required the united
strength Of several men to handle 1t.
To make matters worse about the d re-
the electric lights were turned out and
the french were left to work In dark
ness. This was done by orders Of some
one a. Q precautionary measure. Market
street is very narrow and 1t is Oiled with
wires. In handling the ladders the fire.
men were constantly exposed to great
danger while thess wires were alive and
10 was wise move 10 turn of the electric
light current but 1t left the street in tctal
darkness
"If the wall between ths two build.
ings only holds we are all light" said
Captain 4. p. Beals to q PRESS re.
porter. "Our loss will be quite heavy be-
cause OF the smoke even II the wall does
hold. can't tsll you just how much In.
suranos We have on our goods but 1t Is
large enough to oAre for smoke loss, but
not big enough perhaps to make rs whole
h. -tnok L. hv~rad
At 8s'oiook the fire which had beer
burning for an hour aud had hssn fought
for this lsngth Of time. was still not un-
der control. The cellar Of the buildisg
WAS one living mass Of famss end the
more water that was poured into the
cellar the hotter the flames seemed to
grow. Yhs fire had evidently been work
Ing its way down towards Middle street.
and by e'clook the sutirs basement was
on fra. IL seemed certain thas the entire
building would be guttsd by the flames.
CLisf Eldridse's disposition for 1g hting
of the FIRE wsro supsrb. Ho was by
all odds the coolest man about the burn
Ing building and his eoolness Inspired
oon nndsnoe among his men.
The only fear was that the dividing
wall between the building Of the I. p.
Bsals building and that occupied By the
r. o. Bailey company whioh was on
nre, would give way. II this happened
the sKtirelbiock would be doomed.
Assistant Cstef Engineer Hatch was
detailed by Chef Kldridge to keep his
eye fxed on this dividing wall and he
WAS given fou= streams Of water with
whioh to kesp IL cool. Right along
side OF 10 was biszins hsrce fire which
10 seemed impossible to sxtinguish, but
the four streams, one 70 each floor were
90 maaipulatsl that The hope Of saving
the dividing wall seemed good. On the