Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-06
h Business Section Of
Portland Saturday.
Commercial Street Firms Dam
agsd About $11o,O00.
shale Block From Union to Dana
Streets In Danger.


hour Saturday night the entire block
an Commercial street from Union to
Dana was threatened with destruction
nv = fire which started in the third
aoor of the wholesale crockery store
Of George A. Young & Co, and which
practically ruined the heavy stock
Of Conant, Patrick & Co., wholesale
grocers, entailing q loss estimated Sat
,lr1av night at between 100000 and
100000
The fire was most threatening AZ
about II o'clock when it was burning
fierccly in the caStcrly~ portion OF the
Conant, Patrick building, adjoining
which is the store of f.. ii. Little OIL
Co with 10000 gallons Of machinery
oil 1t seemed at this time as II moth
ing would prevent the fire from eating
its way through the dividing wall and
communicating to the Oil IN which
event it WAS realized that nothing
could save the other buildings iii the
block Chief t,lurdgc directed all the
resources of the crippled department to
Keeping the fire away from the Little
building and the wall was drenched
with water. The cliief had small ex-
pectation Of success but by the hardest
kind OF work the fire was confined to
the Conant, Patrick building and,
what would probably have been ON"
of the most disastrous fires in recent
years, was avcrted. T
The fire started in the third floor
of the building occupied by George
4. h ti-f,f lIt +
ter the first alarm was turned in 1t
was apparently under control. 1t then
broke cut through the roof after work
ing it's way through a blind attic, and
after once getting in the attic it spread
rapidly.
The cause of the fire is a mystery.
When it was first discovered at $40
smoke was pouring from the windows
of the third floor on the front OF the
building occupied by George A. Young
e Co. The alarm was sent in from
Box Az at Union and Fore streets.
When the apparatus arrived nothing
hui smoke could be seen but il was So
dense and heavy that it was evident
that there was brisk fire inside
There was a considerable quantity Of
hay and excelsior used in packing
crockcry on the upper floors. Among
this were a number of bales of excel
sior from the w. II. WINSTON fire
which was put into the building wet
and one theory is that the fire caught
among these from spontaneous conf
buston 1t spread rapidly through the
building and the burning hay and en-
ccsior made a thick smoke that made
il difficult for the tiremen to work at
close range.
Notwithstanding the smoke Assist
art Engineers Payne and Ward with
Engine Co took two lines of hose into
the building and to the third floor.
They got at the seat of the fire and
were rapidly getting it under con-
troll when the floor gave way, tumb
ling tons of crockery about them and
driving them from the floor. 1t was
then that the fire got away from
them and burned through into the
blind attic and later bursting through
the roof After that it made rapid pro-
greSs in TIE big stock of groceries in
the Ccnant. Patrick building and in
few minutes the two upper floors in
that store were u roaring mass OF
flames. The fire ragged for several hours
in this building.
Much of the material was highly in
famable and the fire in the middle of
the building, could not be reached by
water, Although several good streams
were directed in through the windows
the heat was so intense that the water
was turned to steam and was of little
effect For half hour about II o'clock
the fire was intense alongside of the
wall which separated the Conant build
ing from the Little building and it
seemed as if nothing would prevent
the fire from breaking through. Smoke
poured through the wall filling the oil
store
East of the Little store are the
wholesale grocery houses of Steadman.
hawkes. 4 Co, and Frank d. True &
20. with heavy stocks. The proprietors
vi these stores were on hand. prepared |
70 move the books ont if the fire spread. |
livery available stream of water was
Continued on Page Two.)