The Portland daily press., 1882-01-31

The works of the Kennebec Framing Compa.
ny are situated at the Fairfield station, on the
| branch road from Waterville to Skowhegan.
The company manufacture the frames and fin
ish of buildings, and give employment to some
65 men, Among the capitalists interested in
the enterprise are Hon. Abner Coburn of
Skowhegan, Warren w. Rice, formerly
warden of the Maine State Prison, S. A. Nye,
James Dascomb, Edward Lawrence and others
The works consist of two large wooden build
ings, situated at right angles to eack other,
aud an annex recently erected, 50x60 feet and
20 feet high This annex contained the boiler
and engine rooms and about half of it was used
as a planning mill. The engine was Of 120 horse
power, with two boilers.
Previous to the explosion the engine had been
shut down as there was not steam enough to
run the mills, and the engineer was engaged in
getting up steam. The engine was in one room
and the boilers in another, the two rooms being
separated from each other by door. The boil
err or fire room as it was called, was quite re-
sort for men about the mill, who would drop in
there frequently to get warm. AT the time OF
the accident there were in the fire room: Noah
Rice, clerk for the company, most estimable
young man, who went in to see about the
mems time, as it was near pay day; Charles
LeMare, fireman; asd John Avery, iaborer,
who went in to get warm. In the next COM
partment, he engine room, were Robert
McCoomh, the engineer; John Smith, foreman,
who came in to give the engineer some direc-
tions about starting up; and two French Cana-
dians named Isaac Faukee and Joseph Dyer,
Two men had just gone out of the building.
The clock on the boiler indicated eighty pounds
Of steam.
Engineer McCoomb opened the valve to start
up. LeMare, the frman, was shoveling fuel
into the furnace. At this moment the explo-
sion occurred. The building was completely
wrecked, and the three men in the fire room
instantly killed; the men in the engine room
were not killed outright, although two of them
will probably die.
As soon as the steam cleared away little,
volunteers began the task of extricating the
dead and dying from the debris. Where had
stood this annex containing the engine and
boilers was a vast heap of ruins. Great beams
were piled up on each other, and bricks and
mortar were strewn in all directions. Frag-
ments of iron and bricks were thrown 300 feet
by the explosion. The great chimney, so feet
high scanned and cracked by the shock, threat
ened to fall at any moment. The annex was
totally demolished and one side of the planning
mill was blown up. Clouds of Kissing steam
rose from the debris. A shaving loft close by
caught fire, and it seemed as if confagration
was inevitable Here and there amid the steam
and ruins could be seen human figures.
The physicians of the town were promptly on
hand and worked assidously TO alleviate the
sufferings of the wounded. The first man
reached was John Smith, the foreman. He
lay under steam pipe, with his head and
shoulders projecting. Blood was oozing from
cuts on the face. Although in terrible con-
dition, the man proved that he was OF the stuff
of which heroes are made. "Never mind me, I"
he gasped, "get out the more badly injured
ones first" 1t was found that no bones were
Joseph Dyer laid by his side under the big
pipe, hurt less than any of his companions.
Isaac Faukee was found to be cut on the head
and badly burned. McCoomb, the engineer,
was alive, but badly hurt.
After two hours of incesSant labor, the body
of young Rice was found in standing posture,
pinned to the wall by timbers, with two great
gashes on his head One arm was thrown over
the beams. To render this case peculiarly sad
dening, his parents were almost dlstraught by
their affliction. His mother swooned, and his
father was nearly prostrated by the shock.
John Avery was found buried in the ruins
covered with iron, bricks and lime-having ap-
parently died from suffocation. Poor LaMare,
the fireman, was last found. He was feeding
the furnace when the explosion occurred, and
the boiler head had blown off, hurting him
backwards some six feet against wall and
falling upon him. The conclusion must have
produced instant insensibility; his body was
found to be literally cooked. His legs were
broken.
THE VICTIMS.
The following is a complete list of the dead
and dying:
Noah Rice, killed. Young Rice was about
q years Of age, unmarried, son of Warren W.
Rice, formerly warden of the Maine State
Prison.
Charles LeMare, killed. LeMare was
French Canadian, employed as fireman. he
leaves a wife and four children.
John Avery, killed. He was about 60 years
of age, a laborer, and leaves family.
Robert McCoomb, engineer; external wounds
about the head and scalp; internal injuries.
Recovery doubtful.
John Smith, foreman; wounded badly about
the head; right ear nearly severed; bridge of
nose broken; internal injuries. Will undoubt-
edly die
Isaac Faukee, laborer; bad cut about head
and serious burns.
ToaarI, T,ar 1ohora-. bratrox, nv,, a nd hrric-