Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-09

~ Portland Me, March San investi
CATION was being made today Of the
circumstances attending the fire, which
burned the annex and the top floor of
the Press building and caused losses
aggregating about 100000 last night.
Threatening Letters Received
The publishers Of the Portland Daily
Press, whose plant was burned the sec
ond time within nine months, have re-
ceived q number Of threatening letters
from German sympathizers because OF
printed articles. and for a time close
watch had been kept on the siX-story
building.
The cause of the fire had not been de-
termined. 1t started in the back of the
annex fourth floor. occupied as SHIRT
waist factory, where the fire last June
originated at practically the same time
of night. within half an hour after it
had been vacated by occupants other
than those of the newspaper plant
People in the vicinity witnessed what
appeared to be pyrotechnical display
for number of minutes. coming from
the fourth floor. although il was not
known there were any fireworks or OK
rlosivpe there. one or two explosions
also were heard when the fire fist
started.
Set Says Inspector
building Inspector Charles a. Ham
son. after thorough inspection OF the
annex. said: in my mind there is no
doubt that the fire was set, and that II
had been well and deliberately planned.
It seems hardly possible that ffe'
arising from combustion or from de-
fec.iye wiring could spread with such
rapiditN."
Fire Chief y. p. Butler would not say
tie fire was incendiary. but came to
the conclusion that it started on the
hack If the fourth floor. next to the
elevator well, Just outside the shirt
waist factory.
The Press Own Story
Friday mornings issue Of the Press
has tbe following to say in regard TO
the origin Of the fire:
The question now is. how did this
fire start, and what made il get gong !
So ouicklv and so furiously. The first
Indication Of fire was, as stated when
{ q WRITER oi tItlS ot'lN CT J''H' '>N
els T. NJ. began to smell a pronounced
dor of burning rubber. Somebody out :
in Tho corridor said something ABOUT
fire. and on looking out of the WIN
dow in front of which he sat. the
writer saw = sudden shoot of red
fame out Of the third window from the
rear. on the fourth floor of the build
ing 1t was the work of just about
three seconds to call up fire headquar-
tiers and to notify them that The Press
building was or fire and for them to
sound an alarm from box 3. The next
the back of the building and before
1c steps had been taken the he'll alarm
began to sound on the Taper in the
office BY that time the whole of the
fourth floor occupied by the shirt waist
was a live torch and fire was
showing through on the two floors
above. Ard then before the firemen
got to work it was fairly rioting
through the whole building When the
fire was roaring its hardest little
things were coming down in the space
between the two buildings, all ablaze,
burning with a pale blue flame and
splitting like Roman candles. They
were in thousands. and the firemen
whC were working the hose remarked
Upon them and how pretty they were
Every once in While one of them
would blow up with pronounced pop