Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-05-15
Swept By Fire.
Terrible ConAagration
in Norway Village.
/ DESTROYED Seventy Of tho
Best Buildings.
Los. ssss 900 ; Insurance
siss, 900.
won. Fire Oxford County Ever Saw.
Worst Fire Oxford County Ever Saw

Worst Fire Oxford County Ever Saw.
A cyclone Of hre swept through Nor.
way village last Wednesday.
This 10 no exaggeration, M statement
worked out by an over-heated imagina-
tIou. Those who saw that swirling,
rushing, jumping whlrlwind OF lame
know that II II literal fact.
between Z o'clock and q "Wednesday
afternoon the fire moved = Vide swath
! q mile In length through the heart OF
Norway village, destroying the Opera
House block, the large MILL Of &. u.
Cummings a Sons, the tannery, the high
school building, the Congregational
church, n number of stores and shops,
aud over sixty Of the finest residences
In the place.
Il was about 2 o'clock when . little
blsre started In the factory of &. il.
Cummings a SONS. 10 .. supposed To
have started In pile of planer shaving.
from an over-heated Journal. II flashed
through the big manufacturing estsb-
llshment almost With the speed of gun.
powder, and Il was shortly all ablste.
This establishment stood In the rear OF
the Opera House block. Soon that
caught and Was quickly beyond any
power that could bc brought 10 bear on
the flames.
There was q strong Wind blowing.
Il fret from an cssterly direction, but
later II yeercd aud blew directly down
the street. Great brands were taken up
by the wind aud carried . quarter Of .
mile. hslf q mile. 40 the IRE MAS SOW
ed brosdcast over the place.
The roofs were az dry as finder, and
when q brand dropped upon the shin
gles, " there Was no one Ia look out tor
II land many we're protecting their
nelshbors' homes instead Of their own,
there would be q little curling thread Of
smoke, then q tongue II flame, aud In
ten minutes q roaring furnace sweeping
through the building.
The Norway IRE department respond.
ell promptly Ia the hrst alarm, bat the
fre Travelled too fast for them. As soon
az the danger became evident, the South
Paris and Bethel hose companies we're
sent for, and they promptly responded.
aud did - good work ne could be done
under the circumstances. Help was al
so summoned from Lewiston and Fort
land, and the Response Was prompt.
Streams we're put on the hrr where Il
started, aud upon the Opera House
block and surrounding buildings, and
by hard work, aided by the Wind. the
fire was prevented from spreading up
the street. hut the gale was sowing lts
brands In the other direction; and when
the flames burst out here, there aud yon-
der, and dozen different buildings In
different parts of the village we're blat.
Ing NJ the same time, n hslf-doren hre
departments, with Q lake behind them,
were powerless To stop the flames.
Al ! O'Clock the fire had hardly start
ed At . o'clock there MAS bad blaze on
upper Main street, With three or four
fires below, between the street and the
river, set by the brands; at four o'clock
Il seemed ss II the whole place was =
roaring furnace; at 5 o'clock u had
mostly burned itself out nj the upper
end, and the efforts to check lts spread
were devoted largely to the houses At
steep Falls, mile from where the fre
originsted. The firc spread very little
after thst.
From Norway Block everything vas
swept out between Main Street and the
stream. as far NJ the school house t
steep Fslis. except the dwelling houses
of Dr. bradbury, &. l.. Hathaway and
\. \. stesrns, by persistent work the
lire Was kept from crossing Main street
until u got down "a the tannery. 4
brand dropped upon this and Il went
like finder. A residence and the engine
house above the tAnnery were burned.
but the progress Of the fire In that d.
rection was checked there. Then u
swept down the street, taking the hne
high school building, . number OF resi-
dence- and q bakery, 20 Paris STREET,
across Paris Street through half dozen
residences and the Congregational
church. Down around the Falls on other
streets q few houses were set by the
brands and destroyed, but Il was hnally
checked.
About 4 o'clock steamer aud COM
psny arrived from Lewiston and q few
minutes later another from Portland.
The Lewiston engine Was act upon the
bridge on Lynn Street near the shoe
factory, taking water from the brook,
with the Intention Of saving the shoe
factory buildipgs at all events. The
shoe factories have q system of hre pro-
lection of their own equal To any ordi-
nary occasion. and were out Of the track
Of the fire, though u Was backing up
toward them. and might have reached
them but for the efficient work done TO
stay its progress.
The Portland engine MAS Get upon the
bridge at steep Falls, aud did good SER
Vice In checking the mad career Of the
flames nj that eud Of the town.
The burned district IL mile long on
the west side Of Main street, and every
thing between the street aud the stream
IL destroyed except the three residences
named above. On the other side Of
Main Street the burned district IL third
OF mile In extent, With few residen.
Gee on other streets.
The best and most reliable estimates
Of the loss place Il not far from eat0,-
on, with ei30, 900 Insurance. making
net lo.s above the Insurance Of
about elO0,O00. Over seventy buildings
and sets Of buildings were destroyed,
aud something like hvc hundred people
were made homeless.
InE REiGN ov TERROR.
Anticipating trouble With the large
quantity Of goods exposed and the dis
turbed condition Of the place, the MILL
tia company Was called out and patrsl-
led the streets during the night. About
n o'clock, at the time when Il WAS gen.
orally Supposed that the fire engines were
loaded upon the cars ready TO 20 back,
there was an alarm OF nre from the |
house occupied by Mrs.. Sylvester ut the
upper end Of the village. There had
been some delay In loading one OF the |
engines, and Il was quickly at work In
aid Of the Norway department. The
the hre Was prevented from spreading.
This house Was nj some dlstsnce from |
the connsgration and 10 the windward |
Of Il, and there IL no doubt thst Il WAS
incendiary; Indeed, some OF the kind |
lings were found With which Il was start |
ed. II the inceudlary had been caught,
the people were In Q lynching mood,
and he probably would have experienced |
rough usage. Two other small blsses
occurred before daylight, but it II not |
clear what thelr origin was.
The village hiss Aimee been patrolled
by . large force Of special night police, |
aud no further trouble has occurred. |
Their orders are very strict. They sre |
Instructed On atop al persons on the
street after 10 o'clock, and make them |
give an account Of themselves.
TmE LOSSES.