Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-10-04
BOILING CHEMICALS
Cause a Big ConaasradOn at SkoEhesan.
Serious Damage to the Fiberite Manu-
featuring companys Works.

Special to the Kennebec Journal.
SKowHEGAS, Oct. 8.
Wednesday morning at five minutes before
eight O'Clock, the fire alarm sounded and
Immediately thereafter flames and smoke
burst forth from the small building used by
tho Fiberite Manufacturing Company ad-
joining to their main building for a treating
room, where their wares are subjected to
chemical indurating process in which in
fiammable materials are used.
The cause of the fire was boiler filled
with chemicals boiling over and taking fire.
Instantly the whole room was filled with
flame which rapidly spread to every part of
this wooden build ng and to the boiler room
connected to and adjoining the main build
ing.
The fire department was out in good time
but there was slight delay in getting water
through the steamers hose. The corpora
ton pump got two streams of water on, and
the pump 10 the wooden mill and that in the
Richards pulp mill got one stream each on
early, which, with the two streams played by
the steamer, made six streams that were
poured upon the fire early. lose was
stretched across the river on the railroad
bridge and attached to a water works hydrant
on the north side, and a stream of water
played from this thirty five minutes after the
alarm struck, so that in all seven streams
were playing full force upon the burning
building. The machinery on the lower floor
was saved in a somewhat damaged condi-
ton.
The damage to the building itself is not
very large, probably inside and out not far
from S2500. The loss on machine ry ma
terial ,Oanufactured goods, etc, cannot yet
be determined, as the extent of damage to
machinery and the amount of material des
troyed has not been ascertained yet. There
was no insurance on the building, but there
was S4 900 on machinery, placed through the
agency of Griffin & Wentworth. One gen
tleman who is familiar with the business es-
Inmates the loss at s 200.
The main building was built about 1874
for starch factory. 1t was gutted by fire
when it was just about ready for occupancy,
but the walls were saved and the building
completed for manufacturing starch, and
subsequently used by X. f. Lyon & Co. in
the manufacture of paper. The building
and power are the property of Lewis Ander-
son & Co.
The actual destruction of property is not
the worst feature of this fire. Great loss is
incurred by the necessary suspension of the
operations of the company. They were
overrun with orders for their product, were
working to their full capacity and increasing
their output every week to fill their orders.
The Fire Department did good work. The
fire in the annex was in position where the
fireman could not seem to get the water on to
it early and one end Of the mill could not be
reached because of the river on that side.
The Fiberite Company are erecting
building entirely detached from their main
building to be used for their indursting
process. 1t is to be covered entirely, roof
and walls, with iron and they would have oc
cupied it within a few weeks but for the
6re.
Our people now evidently all see the desir-
ability of the water works. Had the system
been completed and in running order for fire
purposes this fire could have been drowned
out on the start and been confined to the
wooden annex.
1t is very fortunate that the mills factories
and shops in that vicinity we're so thoroughly
wet down by the recent rains, otherwise
the damage might have amounted to a very
large sum, and been disaster to our town.