Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-08-24
Fires In the Clty-A large amount Of Property
Observation-Disclosures on the Streets.


Yesterday afternoon as the town bell was
ringing for one o'clock, it suddenly changed
its tone to that of an alarm of fire, and the
alarm spread quite extensively, arousing the
bringing out the engines. A man walking up
on the railroad track, discovered that the
shed of the Railroad company, about 800
feet in length, opposite the trotting park, was
on fire. He hastened to give the alarm, as
did also the workmen in the steam mill on the
opposite side of the river, who had noticed
the fire. The fire undoubtedly caught from
spark from the engine of the noon train
down. COmbustible material was in an ex-
posed position in the building, which must
have fastened the fire. The engine COM
panies were quick in getting as near the fire
as possible, but it was not in position to be
reached by them without very great effort.
The Pacific engine was taken on to a raft of
was formed from the river and buckets of
water were passed up over the bank. This
water was mostly applied to the sleepers of
the track in the vicinity. The track was
somewhat injured and had to be repaired be-
fore the dummy passed up.
The shop contained 10000 of oak lumber,
which had been made ready for the manufac-
ture of cars, and was very valuable, worth
$4,000; COCO of hard pine lumber, valued at
about $500; the lining for about forty potato
cars, valued at $500; the large snow plow
manufactured at the cempany's works last
winter, and which has never been put to use,
costing $500; stoves, smoke stacks, and other
articles, worth $500 all of which were des-
troyed, two small snow Il5ws only being
saved. The building was worth about $1,000.
The entire loss of the company will approx
mate $20,0O0 portion of which is insured.
While the fire at the shop was under full
Roadway there was considerable commotion
on Gage street, Rines' hill and vicinity, as
the brisk wind took the cinders and burning
pieces of shingles and light wood, and car
ried them in every direction. No rain hay-
ing fallen for several weeks, the roofs of
the buildings were like finder, and the sparks
and the cinders found warm welcome. At
one time twelve different buildings were on
fire, the most of them on Gage street; some
had just caught and the fire was stopped by
ripping off single or dashing on dipper
of water; but others were quite serious and
threatening, in some cases rising to respect
able blaze. A place was burned on the roof
of George w. Sylvester's house about four
feet square; this house caught twice. The
coffee grinding mill of B. Libby & Co.,
caught and fire was communicated to the in
| side. Fire caught on the roof of James d.
Brooks house, the house of Allen Church,
| and on the roof of the large wooden build
| ing used as an office and storehouse by the
| railroad company just west Of their boiler
house. In all of these cases the FIRE was ex-
peditiously extinguished. The engine COM
| panies were all on hand, hurrying to and fro
| to do whatever service in their power
About half-past one the alarm came that
| fire had broken out at the dam, which set the
tide of humanity in that direction. A cinder
| from the burning shed had been carried full a
mile and half, and lodged on the roof of a
two-story wooden store-house, opposite the
factory Office, owned by the Sprague Com
pany, and containing forty bales of cotton,
cement, lime, lumber and other small stuff.
All the cotton was rolled out, as well as other
articles of storage. Three lines of hose were
attached to the hydrants in the factory, which
are always in readiness, and soon a flood of
water was put on the roof and through every
part Of the building, extinguishing the fire in
about half an hour. The building was dam
aged to the amount of about $500. The
workmen at the factory were ably assisted by
the Augusta fremen in their efforts. With
the present arrangement at the factory it
seems almost impossible for a fire to get
much Roadway.