The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-25
City Hall in Portland Maine, is
 Totally Destroyed
700 PEOPLE IN BUILBING
Not a Person Was Killed of the Hun. dreds Who Left the Hall and Only One Man Received Any
 Injuries.

Portland, Me. January 24.-A fire which caused a property damage of s1,00o.o0O early today destroyed the city hall and police buildings, and endangered the lives of more than 700 persons. Although known as City hall, the building was divided between city and county offices. while the police building sheltered the supreme, judicial and municipal courts, in addition to the police department
 The fire was the worst In the state since the great Portland connagration of 1866, when the city's business and residential sections were almost com pletely wiped out.
 That there were no fatalities is re- markable. as there were more than 700 persons attending the western Maine Knights of Pythias jubilee gathered in the auditorium of the city hall when the flames were discovered. Only a few persons were hurt. Chief Engineer Melville Eldridge being the only one known to be seriously injured.
 The financial loss is estimated at $1, 000 900, but this sum will not cover the loss of the papers and documents in the registry of deeds, where every thing was destroyed Other city de- partments were swept clear of every thing by the flames, with the exception of the city clerk $ and the city treas urers office, the money and securities in the latter being, it is thought. in- tact. One of the most valuable libra ries in the state. the Greenleaf law col lection. was completely detroyed.
 The blaze originated in the city electri- clans office and was caused ey cross. wires and this made it impossible to ring call for the fire department in any of the boxes. The fire was discovered by newspaper man on his way home, who noticed a red glare as of hissng wires in the city engineers office. He tried to pull an alarm from a nearby box, stationed outside a fire station. Ths signal rang the station alarm and brought the firemen from that house to the scene, but they and few others who were sum moned by telephone constituted the whole fire-fghting force for half an hour, dur ing which time the flames gained such headway as to become uncomfortable. When Chief Engineer Eldridge arrived on the scene he gave up all hopes or saving the building and confined the ef- forts of the department to saving sur rounding property
 When the flames were discovered Will liam A. Turner, chairman of the meet ing of the Pythan body, was met in tho hallway by three men who acquainted him with the conditions of affairs. Cool r ly he entered the auditorium and ascend- ed the stage, interrupting the rights of investure which was going on at the time. He calmly told the assembled members of the existing conditions and thus averted a panic bringing out more than 700 persons unintured
 Earlier in the evening there had been more than 1500 people in the auditorium for the jubilee and had the fire occurred then, packed as the hall was, many lives might have been lost
 Chief Engineer Eldridge sustained his injuries by the breaking away of Sa- mese coupling of hose, which hit him in the stomach. When the flames com municated to the police building. where the city jail Is located, the prisoners were set free. These prisoners had been ar- rested for only minor offenses. The build- ing. which was a five-story structure ot brick, burned up and down from the third floor. as did the fire in the city hall. Aid was summoned from Bath, Bidde- ford Saco and Lewiston. but the latter was the only city to get its apparatus to the city before daybreak.