The Portland daily press., 1900-04-30
MUCH SMOKE.
some Flame and Several Hundred Ex-
cited People.

About quarter past eleven o'clock Sat
uray night, q fire was discovered In
Dumphey's block on York stressh one
Of the largest II not the largest tenement
house In Portland. The big building
extends from York street nearly down &,
Commercial and contains altogether near
ly ~ families.
In the lover corner Of this block Ii
the grocery store Of A. l.. Dixon. Ii was
in the back part Of this store, eviden tly
used as store room, that the fire origf-
mated. MIR. Dixon had been out Of his
store not more than five minutes when
Louis DuDphey. son OF John Dumphey,
who owns the block. saw the fire blazing
in the store below the rooms occupied
by his father and found smoke comm
up through the hole about the watt
pipes.
tie nouse were In bed. or course there
were many children slesT ing on the
three stories Of this wooden structure,
and when young Dumphey began to
shout fire and 6 I've the alarm q scene OF
great exoitemenS followed. some one
ran to the nearest telephone and called
the chemical engine, and engine to
the scene, and when they reached there
ere ire had spread throughout the entire
store and the smoke was pouring In
clouds from the upper widows.c Of the
building. From almost every window
in the big building women wsre issning
out and crying for help and the street
was nllsu with an excited throng which
poured out like bees from their hives
from the neigh boring tenement houses
Children were screaming, men shouting
out orders which no one seemed to heed
and the tire was really making ALARM ing
Roadway and threatened TO destroy the
entire BUILDING or cut OF she s1sps by
the st air ceses from the uppsr stories.
Capt. Butler Of the chemical engine
didn't hesitate long about uullinR In q
ger eTal alarm when he saw TIE sxtent Of
tie fire and its location. Paerolnan
Michael Fell ran to the nearest boz which
happened TO be 81, and turned in the
alarm.
Whils the engines we're on their way
TO the epot, Capt. Butler and the other
firemen on hand were net az all slow
about getting to work. They got q
chemical stream and line Of hose into the
store, the doors OF which they had to
force, and practically checked the fire
after few minutes Of exceedingly hot
work.
While this was going on the screaming
OF the dig house. There was no real
danger at that time because the smoke
was not dense enough to prevent the pso-
pie from coming down the stair cases,
unless they were crippled, too old, or
too young. Deputy Mnrshals firth and
Chenery and dozen or more policemen
had plenty to do to keep the excited ten
ants In the stIe;t in oroer and away
from the doorways Of the house. Some
OF the women persiitsd In going inside
claiming that their husbands or children
we're helDR smothered mp stairs, but the
scattered families we're soon re-uniked
and the excitement gradually subsidized.
John Dumphey, who owns the building.
. as sick in bed over the store where the
- was blazing, and ives brought out
cY Patrick A. O'Iool. who found the cid
= 40 in room filed with smoke. Mr.
.)auphey was apparently little the worse
Tor the excitement attending the hre.
sail that he had $1,000 insurance on
tia building, placed through tine agency
u. Dow 81 Pinkham. This will be- more
ran enough to cover all damage to the
o-!lGiag. The loss OF A. l.. Dixon, the
-ccsr. . will be quite large, but the
snlcunt of insurance carried by him
Md not be learned last night.
The families of thomas Foley, John
isstos and Coleman Mulkern will
s9Fsr some loss from smoke and water,
b theLother families in tine building did
nos srffar any loss. Tine nrsmen stopped
rha blazs on the urst floor and 1t was
mostly confined to the store. Had tn
tiIe come an hour later there might have
been loss Of life as the building is
crowded with men, women and children.
Patrolnan Haagets tried the door Of the
store not two minutes before the fire WAS
discovered and saw no stems of the tire
at that time. Ths GAUSS of the blazs Is q
good deal of mystery.
There was something said about an
oil lamp exploding, but no one could be
found who knew anything about IL.