Portland, Maine City Hall Fire
January 24, 1908
Portland Has Big Blaze - City Hall and
Public Building in Maine City Burned
Seven Hundred Persons at Pythian Jubilee
in Peril - Property Loss is $1,000,000.
Portland, Me., Jan. 25.-- A fire which
caused a property damage of $1,000,000 Friday
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
conflagration of 1866, when the city's business
and residential sections were almost completely
wiped out.
That there were no fatalities is remarkable,
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, and he was able to direct the
fight against the flames throughout, being
supported by two assistants. The financial
loss is estimated at $1,000,000, but this sum
will not cover the loss of the papers and
documents in the registry of deeds, where
everything was destroyed.
Other city departments were swept clear of
everything by the flames with the exception of
the city clerk's and city treasurer's offices,
the money and securities in the later being
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 libraries in the state, the
Greenleaf law collection, was completely destroyed with a
loss estimated at $10,000.
Iowa City Daily Press, Iowa City, IA
25 Jan 1908
 Fire
Started in the City Hall, Destroying County
Records for the Past One Hundred Years - the
Fire Chief Badly Hurt.
Portland, Maine, Jan 24. -- A
conflagration visited this city early this
morning and was not under control till ten
o'clock this morning. The flames were
fanned by a howling northwest storm, and
threatened the destruction of the city.
The city hall and the Methodist church were the
principal buildings destroyed.
Fire Chief Eldridge was badly injured; he was
struck by a heavy piece of pipe.
One thousand people attending a dance at the
Pythian hall had a narrow escape.
The fire started in the operating room of the
city electrician, at the city hall. The
loss of the city hall is six hundred thousand
dollars, partially insured. The city
records were saved but the county records for
the past hundred years, were destroyed.
The total loss is one million dollars.
Lima Daily News, Lima, OH 24 Jan 1908
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