The Somerset reporter., 1908-01-30
Portland's City Hall DESTROYED.

dGDdIbIIlgilIH
and the police building in which were
the Supreme judicial and Municipal
courts, were completely ruined BY a
fire early Friday, which ehdange red
the lives OF more than 700 persons ana
destroyed valuable records dating
back over a century The fire wab
the worst in the state since the great
confagration of 1866, when the city's
business and residential sections were
almost completely wiped out.
Death was absent from the fire, a
fact considered very fortunate, as
there were more than 700 members OF
the western Maine Knights OF Pythias'
jubilee gathered in the auditorium Of
the City Hall when the flames were
discovered. Human injury was limit
ed to but few known persons, Chief
Engineer Melville y. Eldridge being
the only one known to be at all seri-
ously injured. He was able to direct
the fight against the flames through
out with the aid Of support from two
assistants.
The monetary loss is estimated at
$1,000, ,00O but this sum will not cover
the loss of the papers and documents
lost in the registry OF deed where
every thing was destroyed. Other
city departments were also swept
clear of everything by the flames,
with the exception of the city clerk s
and the city treasurer's Offices, the
money and securities in the latter be-
ing believed to be intact, although it
will be almost impossible to ascertain
definitely until the vaults have cooled
sufficiently for an examination to be
made. One of the most valuable Ii
braries in the state, the Greenle af
law collection, WAS completely de-
stroyed with a loss estimated at $40, :
900.
The blaze originated in the city
electricians Office and was caused by
crossed wires The network of wires
in the Office which controlled the fire
alarm and city electric lighting cir.
cults was soon kissing and blazing
and it was impossible to ring q call
for the fire department in any of the
boards. The fire was discovered by a
newspaper man on his way home, who
noticed a red glare as of Kissing wires
in the city engineers Office. Whe
he realized the extent to which it
might reach he tried to pull general
alarm from a nearby box, stationed
outside a fire station. The signal
rang the station alarm and brought
to 10 p NJ
they and few others who were'sum
moned by telephone constituted the
whole fire fighting force for half an
hour, during which time the flames
gained such headway as to become
uncomfortable.
When the flames communicated TO
the police building where the city jail
is located it was decided TO libe rate
the prisoners and they were set fire e.
The building, which was a five story
structure of brick, burned up and
down from the third floor as dld the
fire IN the City hall.
Aid was summoned from Bath, Bid J.
deford, Saco and Lewiston, but the
latter was the only city to get its ap-
paratus III the city before daybreak.
When it arrived it was too late to
against the flames.
A water tower of the Portland de
partment was rendered useless in the
early stages of the fire by the falling
of coping from the high dome above
the City Hall building.
The City Hall survived the great
fire Of 1866, although it was badly
Quilted at that time. 1t was first open
ed in 1859 and in 1867 was re opened
after alterations and repairs following
the fire of the year before. The
building had frontage of $50 feet
and was 25U feet long. Fhe center
dome, which surmounted it, rosc
above its roof l5U feet.
The only damage OF consequence to
surrounding property was the burn
ing of wide hole in the front OF the
roof of the Chestnut Street Methodist
church and the wetting down OF the
interior of the church. This damage
is estimated at $1,000. 1t was neces-
sary to take three lines of hose
through the editice i'll order to fight
the fire in the portion of the city
building separated from the church
by narrow passageway.
The valuable law library of the
Greenleaf Law Library association,
which was lost, was located across
the corridor from the Supreme court
room and contained several thousand
volumes valued at least at $4,000
In this were the Maine reports from
the institution of the state and other
very valuable books that had been
purchased or presented 10 the asso-
citation.
The burned area is bounded by
Commerce, Myrtle and Chestnut
streets and Cumberland avenue and
covers ut least two-thirds of that
ground.