GENERAL NEAL DOW ON THE GREAT FIRE IN PORTLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 576, 11 May 1868, Page 3

GENERAL NEAL DOW ON THE GREAT FIRE IN PORTLAND.

fTbo Secretary of the United Kingdom Alliance Ins received from Genera! Xea! Dow Uie following graphic description of the great Are in Portland, j December 31, ISW. Air dear Mr Barker, —You probably remember that it was you who, in the streets of Manchester, communicated to me tinintelligence of the burning of this city, aud that 1 believed the account very much exaggerated. The machinery here for the cs’iuguishmcnt of conflagrations is so extensive and complete that, in the absence of any details of tho affair, I could nor believe that a third of the city had been destroyed in a night. Perhaps it may nor. be ui ,interesting to many of the readers of the Alliance Avows to know something of our “ fire department,” which, in its construction and apparatus, is very much like that iu most other American cities. The hand engines, i.e., those operated by muscular power, are no longer employed. The last of those formerly belonging to the department arc retained in their houses, and kept in perfect, order to bo used as auxiliaries in case of an emergency; but we rely entirely upon steam fire-engines for the means of checking and extinguishing conflagrations. These are beautiful machines, of admirable workmanship and great power, and are always kept in perfect order and readiness for instant action. We have four of them in this city, each kept in its own house, built expressly for it, wiih all needful accessories and appliances. These houses are located in different sections of the city, so that all parts of it can be easily and promptly rescued by at least one of the engines. Each of these is supplied with a pair of good horses, and an engineer and driver, who are always on the spot by night nnrt Hay, In each en«”n»house is a gong, with which the attendants are instantly alarmed by telegraph ou the first appearance of a conflagration, and at the same time notified of it? locaiitv. Fuel of a highly inflammable character is always ready in the fire-box to be touched with a itStchj and tbs bor«£s sJt'"**' !*■* !-»***.

ness, except the head stall. The attendants

are alarmed at dead of night by iou l strokes on the gong, which tell them at the same time where the fire is to be found. They, like the horses, are always in harness. The engineer instantly lights the ure, and throws open the doors ; the driver puts on the head stalls: both assist in putting the horses to the machine, which is instantly driven off at a run. In six minutes the surplus steam is rushing ou‘ at the safety valves; —in five minutes from the moment of lighting the fire the engine is ready for work, and capable of throwing from several pipes an enormous quantity oij water with great farce and to a long distance, vertically or horizontally. To each engine are also attached a sufficient number of firemen to operate it with vigor. These are at home or about their da ly avocations ; and at the same moment tint the engine-houses are alarmed by the the church bells—also struck by telegraph —notify the engine men and all others of toe fire, and of its exact locality, so that the assistants, running to the point indicated, are promptly upon the spot, and at work with their machines.

You will not wonder, therefore, that I received with some doubt the first accounts of the fire which was reported to lime levelled to the ground two hundred acres of houses, shops, and other buildings in the thickest part of the town, and to have turned ten thousand people out of doors! 1 did uot know then, tor the story was not told, that the wind blow furiously at the time, and that the fire commenced among the shavings, chips, and light wood of pouters’ and boat-builders’ shops—the buildings themselves being of wood—situated by the harbor on the windward side of the town, A thoughtless boy threw a fire-cracker among the shavings Iving carelessly in large quantities among a' group of wooden buildings. Instantly the whole were on fire, the flames raging fiercely, and driven forwards towards ttio heart of the town by a violent gale. Sparks, cinders, and flaming fragments of wood were carried far up by the wind, and filled the air, falling over all the city to the leeward—a storm of fire, threatening it with instant destruction. The engines were powerless iu such a tornado, ami had no effect whatever in checking 11 io rush ot the flames. LVople ran away to their own bouses, and, mounting on tne roofs, strove to protect them from the fiery shower with which they wore lit orally covered. So distant were they from the seat of the fire that they had no thought flic conflagration would reach them, and so lust precious time tli.it should have been devoted to the saving of their furniture and valuables, i'ho flames rushed on, leaping madly from house to house, and from street to street.l Long blocks ol houses and shops, attacked i in the rear, would no instantly on fire! throughout ail their interior, and the flames would be chiveti by the fury of the wind all the door* and windows in front, like fire from the mouths of cannons, quite across the widest streets, and so both si le.ol ihe streets, and of many great streets, weie on fire at the same time, and were no more passable by anything living than a furnace wou d be A gentleman of my acquaintance, living in a large hau-o, was on t.io roof with his servants, keeping it wet with water, when a neighbor cried out to him to eomo clown, for the .house was on Lire within, and he had difficult v in making! his way out. A friend of mine had a large I warehouse,fire proof a-< it was thought. Hisl neighbors wished to being their goods into! it lor safety. There were ou it gutters I and shutters of iron, and he knew the rcofj to be perfectly safe. Ho was within, with! many assistants, with pails of water and dippers, with which to wet the woodwork exposed around, the doors and windows ; but when the lire burst upon the budding, the iron doors and windows “curled up,” lie said, “like birch bark,” and with a single crash the glass gave way and the flames instantly tilled the interior, giving scarcely time tor lus people to escape with their lives. Directly opposite tins warehouse, across a wide street, was a draper’s establishment, with great windows of plate glass ihe ow ner was within with his servants, arm hud. been busy in preparing the costliest of his goods for removal from the rear iroin lus warehouse. Wnen all was ready lor the removal, he went out to see how argent the danger really was, and took special note of the wide street and lofty block of lire-proof warelioust-s opposite, wnich interposed between the fire and his premises. lie was confident the flames| eouid not surmount the barrier and attack! him, and went back into his warehouse. In I ten minutes from that time, he said, the alas.-! in his windows was red hot, and falling now n in a semi-fluid state. Driven out ol his shop, he went to his house, nearly a mile directly in a path wfh die wind. Hero, with his servants, he protected the trout and roof with water. The street was wide, aud lined ou each side with a row of elm trees, opposite to him were large houses, of wood. These were destroyed, whim his house, being, of brick, sheltered by the trees, and constantly plied by his servants with water, remained untouched. After the danger was over to him, as he thought, he went out upon the trout steps. Up street, down street, iu front—every way as far as he could see, was an ocean ol tire. The air was glowing like a furnace, and full of burning cinders, and uo living creature but himself anywhere to be seen. It seemed as if the world was on fire, and he the last man ! \V hiie he was there for a few minutes, his house was attacked by the fire in the rear, aud could not be saved. Far away from the spot where the fire originated was the City Hall. Tin’s, cosily, and very handsome building is of stone. Its iofy gilded dome towered above the other buildings in town, and could ybe seen from afar.

I'bis was so apart fiom. other buildings that no one thought it in danger, and it was used as a depot for the storing cf great quantities of merchandise, furniture, and valuables. By-and-bye, far up ou its dome, was seen a little tiara?, no larger than

one's liancl, ana immediately the wboie structure was in a blaze, and was destroyed, except the many city and county offices that it contained, which were actually fireproof, and were saved with all their contents. The next day tea thousand people were without shelter or food, but before night provisions were sent in from every direction in iiuiueiise juautities, and the Government furnished ali the tents that were required for their comfortable accommodation, so that the fields iu the neighborhood of the town appeared as if an army was encamped in them. No feeling of despair, or even of discouragement, was for a moment entertained by anyone. On the contrary immediate step* we taken for rebuilding the waste places, and workmen were to be seen busy among the ruins before the debris was cold enough to be moved with unprotected hands. Indeed, on the morning after the fire, builders were already under engagement* for extensive contracts, and numerous workmen engaged.

On my return to the city in December, 1567, the waste places were nearly restored, and in a style ot architecture and quality of work far superior to the old. 1 wondered at the change when 1 first saw it. It seemed as if Aladdin and his lamp must have been engaged in it. Great blocks of magnificent warehouses occupy the places of inferior shops and dwellings, and even lots of land that were vacant before the conflagration. A superb public schoolbouse (free), costing 150,000 dollars, stands on the spot occupied by a poor building of the same sort costing not more than 8,000. And so it is everywhere throughout the burnt district. Curiously enough, the legend on the city arms is Resurgam ! and the town has already risen from its ashes regenerated and more beautiful than it ever was. The energy and enterprise of the people in all the great work excite the admiration of all strangers who witness it.

The moat striking feature about Portland were Us inumerable shady trees by which every street was adorned. Many of these streets though wide, were completely a:died with living green, and were coo!, shady and delicious in our hot summer days. In the burnt streets these trees are ail gone; nothing is left of them except short, blackened stumps. Everythin" combustible was utterly destroyed ; in the Jury of tlie wind and the intensity of tha heat, nothing that tiro could consume was spared ; nut a cartload of charred wood could bo found on the entire burnt distil ;t; the llames left nothing behind but the soil and brick, atone and iron. In the huiry and confusion amid tha heat and blinding smoke, members of families were separated from each older. U often happened that men were intensely occupied in the attempt to save their shop* and merchandise, and so engaged for many hours until driven away by tha flames. Then on going home, half a mile or more away, they would tiud their dwelling destroyed with ail Us contents, and the family gone. It would be many hours, in some cases, a day or more before all tno members of the family could be assembled. Eitlie placards were seen attached to bare chimneys, notifying George, Charles, Willie, or soma other, that the family nead-quaiters wero at such and such a place. It was wonderful to see the cheerfalness with which the people bore up under the great disaster, even m cases where extreme personal inuouvuuieneo was added to heavy, perhaps, irreparable pecuniary losses. The flames came m many esses so suddenly upon the people, that no tune was lelt to save anything, except plate and other small articles of value ; and even when furniture and merchandise had been removed with great labor, the conflagration spread over the places of deposit, and all wero lost.

ihe streets and squares iu sumo places were heaped with merchandise anti vanuus valuables, tumbled in haste irom shops and wai chouses. Tuieves prowled urouud in search oi plunder, and many came from neighboring cities. ihe police, notified by telegrapu of their counug met them at lue stations, and gave them lodging at public cost —in the gaol! Xo protect persona ai.u property, the authorities ruled itieso pruiiigates «itu a higii hand. (Ji'.izeus under anus, with .. uued ritates troops, patrolled the streets to guard tbe general welfare, until the citizens siiouid uai'e time to settle down into a state of I quiet and security.

Xliis great cmilligration destroyed pro* pmv to tue amount ot leu millions of dollars, luiliciiug Heavy losses upon a great many ot me people—eustressiug losses upon mauy ; but m ten years tills will all ue forgotten, aud the improved coudiiun of the city will induce the people to regard it as a public beiieiit.—i'ruiy yours, .Neal Dow.