Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-16
WHOLE AREA ABLAzE
Old Orchard Beach Visited
 by Disastrous Fire.
HOTELS AND SEASIDE HOMES RUINED
Maine's Great Summer Resort on the Atlantic Swept by Flames. Loss Fully Half Mill
 lion Dollars,

f fa J OLD ORCHARD, Me-, Aug. 16. = Nearly one-half of Old Orchards sum- mer hotel section along the shore front was swept by fire last night, the loss probably amounting to fully half mill lion dollars.
 The Hotel Fiske, one of the finest on the beach, valued at $50, GOO; the Hotel Emerson, valued at $75,0CO, with its 1 furnishings; the Hotel Alberta, the AL dine, the Lawrence House and half a dozen smaller hotels, together with about fifty cottages, were destroyed within two hours. All the buildings are of wooden construction and, at i tackled by the flames and famed by a southwest breeze, were an easy prey.
 The Old Orchard fire department, con sisting only of one small steam fire en- zine and hose wagon, was utterly unable to cope with the blaze when it was discovered, and the firemen from nelghboring cities, Portland, Biddeford and Saco, who responded to calls for assistance, were hampered for some l time after their arrival by difficulty ! with the hose couplings.
 In spite of all efforts the fire spread ! to the eastward and was stopped only when it had exhausted the material on which it could feed
 The fire started in the Hotel Olym- pia, four story building. The hotel was in ruins Tn ten minutes, and it is reported that three children were 1 burned.
 At 9:45 p. m. the fire was raging over n territory of about fifty acres, in 1 which are located some of the largest hotels and summer cottages of the shore front. The Hotel Fiske, the Ho- I tel Alberta, the Aldine House. the Law renee House, the Lewiston House and several other hotels were soon on fire, and 1t was estimated that from fifty to ! seventy-flve cottages were also burned. , Engines and firemen from Portland,
 Biddeford and Saco were promptly on ] hand, but could do little.
 Old Orchard is full of summer vis- i itors, but a careful inquiry fails to show any loss of life.
 l Hotel Emerson, valued at $75,000, caught fire at 9:05 p. m., and the Bos- i ton and Maine railroad station was then abandoned. More than 100 build- ings were in flames at that time. fH
 From the Hotel Emerson the fire leaped across the main avenue leading
 from the railroad station to the shore and attacked the Hotel Seashore. This
 big structure, one of the oldest and ] best known of the guest houses here,
 was soon enveloped in flames and was 1 totally destroyed. A considerable gap of vacant land between this and other
 buildings to the west however, served ito cut, or the, further spread of the confagration in that direction. Tho Old Orchard House and other buildings
 on the edge of the camp ground plateau overlooking the beach were saved. i, It is supposed that an upset lamp
 was the origin of the blaze. Stores To- cated along the boardwalk beside the Boston and Maine railroad tracks soon caught fire, and from these the flames jumped the tracks and communicated with the Alberta hotel and several oth-. CT large buildings near the shore. An area of about fifty acres, where were located seven of the most popular of
 the hotels, all of which were filled to overfowing with summer guests, was all soon ablaze. Many valuable sum- mer cottages were also located in this district, and these, too were swept by the fire. Most of the guests managed to save some of their personal effects.