Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1908 — MILLION DOLLAR FIRE, [ARTICLE]

MILLION DOLLAR FIRE,

City Hall and Police Buildings «f Portland, Me., Destroyed. Fire which caused damage of fl«000,000 destroyed the Portland, Mol, city hall and police buildings and endangered the lives of more than TOO persons. The city hall was occupied by city add county offices, while the police building sheltered the Supreme, Judicial and municipal courts, in addition to the police department. Delegates attending the Western Maine Knights of Pythias jubilee were in the auditorium of the city ball when the flames were discovered, but only a few persons were hurt. The estimated financial loss does not include papers in the office of the registrar of deeds, where everything was destroyed. Other city departments lost everything, with the exception of the city clerk’s and treasurer’s offices. One of the most valuable libraries in the State, the Greenleaf Law* Collection, was destroyed, with a loss estimated at SIO,OOO. The fire originated in the city electrician’s office and was caused by crossed wires, which made it impossible to ring a call for the fire department in any of the boxes. The city hall survived the great fire of 1860, although it was damaged at that time. The building had a frontage of 150 feet and was 250 feet long* Its central dome rose 150 feet above the roof. The building was constructed of colored Nova Scotia Albert stone, and contained eighty rooms.