The St. Johns herald., 1896-08-01
THE WINSLOW FIRES.
Some Further Particulars Re.
 garding Them.

Both structures and contents were par. tially insured. MT. Can pbell's loss will be light, how great we are unable al present to say. We have not learned whether or Mir. Nelson was fully insured or not. There was nothing saved-his books, papers, wearing apparel and fur. niture were a total loss.
 On the north and but three or four feet from the building in which the fire originated was brick building belong. ing to Martin Sheehy,the window frames of which were burned, and the wall nex the burning building considerably dam- aged, but the building was saved, and this prevented the fire from spreading in that direction, and saved the Downs hotel.
 The following Monday morning st about the same hour, or perhaps little earlier, the people were again awakened by pistol firing and the round-hous whistle blowing. Every one jumped from their beds, hurried on his clothes, rushed down town to find the Sheehy building on fire. From the rapidity with which the flames spread, the lower part of the building must have been we'll prepared for the catastrophe by the free use of coal oil or some other inflamma- ble substance. It burned so rapidly that the four gentlemen who were sleep ing in the second story barely had time to gather what clothes lay nearest to hand and escape through the windows on to the front porch and jump 10 the ground. The only life lost was Gap" the mastiff dog belonging to Julius Les- ser. Old "Cap" had formed quite an attachment for MT. Daly and would sleep in his room at night. Mir. Daly barely had time to escape from the burn Ing building himself and forgot the dog who must have become bewildered or frighten and pc. isned in the flames.
 The Downs hotel, which adjoined the Sheehy building cn the north, being a frame structure, ignited and was soon burned to the ground. Mrs. Downs saved few articles of furniture aud wearing apparel; but by far the larger part of her household goods were a to- tai loss.
 Both buildings and their contents were insured, but it is said the insur- ance will not cover the loss.
 Messrs. Fraser, Dagg X Co.,, whose store is just across the street. west of the hotel, was saved from the flames by the use of blankets, and the almost su- perhuman efforts of the people of Wins low, who always turn out on such Occa. sions and work as if the property they were trying to save belonged to each ln- dividually. Notwithstanding this their building was injured considerably by the heat. Every glass in front was bro- ken, the paint melted and run in streaks It was sne chance in twenty that the building is standing today.
 Cresswell tS Moss. who own the corral and feed yard east of Fraser, Dagg 6 Co.,, hauled all their vehicles and run their horses out of the corral twice in forty-eight hours, expecting to see the buildings go up in flame and smoke. A ud it was miracle that their expec- tations were not realized.
 There are very suspicious circum- stances connected with these fires. The first could have been caused by tramps dropping 2 match from lighting pipe, but the last three, to say nothing of the first attempt to fire the lodging house of Mrs. Curtis, has a more suspicious appearance. The fire last Saturday originated in the building occupied by Mir. Nelson. He was in Holbrook at the time 1t occurred and had been for two days before it started. It is well known fact that he is very careful gentleman, and says he left no matches lying round loose, neither had there been fire kin died in the stove for several weeks, nor was there anything in the building of a nature likely to cause spontaneous com- bustion The one on Monday morning started on the first fl GOT of Mrs. Curtis lodging house. Judge Parr has his office there, and has no matches lying around. If he is there at all night, it is early Tn the evening, and it's next to impossible that the fire could have originated from any carelessness on his part. In short, it is almost certain that we have an in- cendIary in cur midst. Fires have been coming too frequent, and are too closely confined in their limits to be accidental,
 Since 1878 there have been nine epi- denies of dysentery in different parts of the country in which Chamberlain s Collc, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy