The Portland daily press., 1900-07-02

Has D6COlH0 an annual occurrence, broke
out early Saturday morning, burned all
day Saturday and Saturday night, but
was finally under control at noon yester-
day. 1t was very hard days work for
the fremen, but by dint of constant
effort they finally got the fire under con-
troll and subdued as well as it is possible
to subdue it. The forest fire cost the city
q handsome figure. Had Portland bought
the woods which caused all this trouble
long ago, cleaned them up and removed
the underbrush so that fires would not
gain SO great Roadway, the money which
has yearly been spent in subduing these
fires would more than paid the interest
on the outlay required.
About nine o'clock Saturday morning
the alarm of fire from box 43, corner
Market and Commercial, preceded by
the newly adopted signal of three strokes,
called the Portland fire department. to
what might be called the annual woods
fire on Peaks island. It appears from
the records stamped indeibly on the
memory OF tn e residents of the island
that 1t was just one year ago today that
the woods were afire, and it will bs re
membered the blaze required the SER
vices Of quite a number of the fire depart.
ment as well as volunteers to force the
flames into submission.
Chief Engineer Eldridge. as soon as the
department. had arrived at the wharf,
directed that about sixty men should go
down on the fire boat and render such
service as might be required of them.
The fire boat was made ready and with
the hremen accompanied by Chief 81
bridge started for the island. Over
against the clouds on the back side of
Peaks island could be seen den So masses
of smoke that gave evidence that the
fremen were in for a hard days work
1t was not long before almost the entire
populace Of the city had become aDprised
of the fact that there was fire on Peaks
island AMI during the forenoon and af-
ternoon the steamers of the Casco Bay
line and the steamer Alice Howard were
kept busy in carrying people to the ISL
and to view the fire and its havoc.
On arrival at the island the tiremen
very quickly run off the 1900 feet OF
hose carried down on the fire boat but
this was fCand inadequate to reach the
fire, Notwithstanding the fact that the
fire boats hose was coupled onto the
thousand feet of hose kept on the island,
making four thousand feet of hose in
use. The water boa= Fannie g., ac-
oompanied the fire boat to the island and
as soon as Chief Eldridge could ascertain
just what was needed in the way of hose.
he directed the Fannie G. to return to
the city and secure 1900 additional feet of
hose. The fire boat was put into 1mme-
date service, tielng up at the old Jones
wharf, when the engines were set sat
work and stream of water forced up
over the hill to fight the fire which was
rapidly gaining Roadway and in danger
of working back onto the island in the
direction Of several cottages. AS soon
as the men were well placed and the fire
boat doing good service CHIEF Eldridge
TO the city, leaving Ass istant
Engineer Hodgdon in charge.
The fire broke out in the woods ON the
land owned by Mrs. Adeline Adams on
Island avenue Saturday morning about
seven O'Clock. An alarm was sounded
calling out the Peaks island fire depart
ment. The Peaks island members of the
department stretched the thousand feet
of hose in use by the island company and
were soon hard at work endeavoring to
subdue the flames. The water, owing to
the heavy wind that was blowing, seemed
to act just like SO much fuel, so all hopes
of checking the fire were abandoned, and
Capt Sloan of the island fire company
sent a message for help to Chief Engi-
neer Eldridge who ordered the alarm
sounded calling out the members of the
local companies The Peaks island fire.
men were called out last Wednesday eve
ming to fight fire that originated in
about the same locality and to all appear I
ances they had entirely wiped it out, but /
in the opinion of the firemen as well as
the islanders it is probable that the fire
must have worked its way into the peat
boys whore it has been mulling away for
several days, and famed by the heavy
winds Of Saturday burst out into flame.
That portion Of the island where the fire
started is near the back side of the ISL
and and includes inl it the land owned by
Mrs. Eunice Brackett and John f.
Bracket, along what is known as Island
avenue. The fire is believed to have
in the first place by someone
having thrown either match Or light
ID cigar stub onto the ground which was
Try as finder. Saturday flames leaped
through the woods with lightning rapid
y. At times there were three or four
Jumps Of bushes and trees in scattered
directions burning E1iercely. Owing to
he long stretch of hose, some over $500
eet, which was eventually in use. it
vas impossible to get much of water
PRESSURE and this fact hampered the men
n lighting the blaze and keep it from