Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-12-20
HOTEL CENTRALBURNED
STORE OF GEORGE JONES PRAcTi-
CAllV RUINED.
PEOPLE IN THE HOTEL ESCAPE IN THEIR
NIGHT CLOTHES, AND ARE FORTUNATE
AT rHAr.--LANpLoRp ANDREWS AND
WIPE BADLY INJURED.

WIPE BADLY INJURED.
IL has been many years since Are In
0xford County has come 90 near result
ing in fatalities 40 did that Of last Thurs-
day morning at South Paris. As the re-
suit Of the fire, Hotel Central was de-
stroyed entirely, without 50 much as a
dollars worth OF furniture being saved
the inmates OF the house lost everything,
Except such scanty clothing rs they hur-
ried into almost at the risk of their lives
and the next bailding, containing the
store Of George Jones, with tenement
overhead occupied by Frank Wilcox,
was Quilted, and IL nearly total loss.
A little before I O'Clock Thursday
morning, C. s. Mcbride, a Grand Trunk
section foreman who was a guest at
Hotel Central, discovered that the build
ing was on fire. IL was his first night In
the house, and, fortunately for him and
the rest Of the occupants, he was some
what wakeful and had not been asleep.
Although unfamiliar with the house,
Mcbride Immediately went the rounds
aud reused the people. He was fortu-
nate enough 10 save his own clothes.
which was more than the rest Of them
dia, as most Of them got out with only
one or two garments such as they could
hurriedly jump into, and several with
nothing but their night clothes.
The Dire seemed to have started In the
lower part Of the house, somewhere
about the kitchen or basement, and
when IL was discovered large portion
Of the ground floor Of the house was Ia
flames. The heat and smoke were so
bad Ia the halls that most Of the people
made their escape from the windows or
down outside from the second story
piszzs.
Landlord Charles A. Andrews and his
wife and son got out on the fiat roof OF
the kitchen annex, and Mr.. and Mrs An
drews jumped off into the snow, drop
Of some twelve feet. The boy was taken
down by some men with n ladder. la
the Jump Mr.. Andrews lsmed his back
badly, and Mrs. Andrews dislocsted her
ankle and lay where she fell, unable TO
move. Both were carried 70 the house
OF G.. III. Porter where their injuries were
attended TO.
The horses in the stable, and wilson's
meat cart, were got out, as were two
hogs in the stable cellar belonging TO G..
II. Porter, though the fire was breaking
into the cellar before the hogs were out.
Walter l.. Maxim had \ telephone In the
corner OF the office far,hest from The
Dire. He WAS an early arrival on the
scene, and got In at window and pull
ed the telephone down, smuggling his hair
In the act. Nothing else was saved from
the house except two or three chairs and
settees which stood on the piszz
An l,rm was at once given, but at
that hour very few people are awake,
and those who are asleep do not waken
es silly. Besides, those who were giving
the alarm soon hurried 10 the fire, and
there wasn't such 80 alarm as those i've
locomotives gave ~, one night LAST Feb
ruary. Iodeed, some families within
forty rods OF the fire knew nothing OF IL
until morning.
The hotel burned like kindling wood,
and 10 very few minutes wss blsziug
torch. The firsmen, when they got
there, directed their efforts toward pro-
tectlng surrounding property. II was
bitter cold night, and fire lighting was
ANYTHING but fun. Water frozs the mo-
ment IL touched the clothes, and when
fireman 90, his rubber boots full OF
wstrr, a. some OF them did, II Was not
comfortable.
The buildings next south OF the hotel
stood quite Close 20 the hotel stable, but
what bresEe there MAS blew awsy from
them, and BY keeping them act no dam
age Was done more than seorching the
paint.
ca the other side the grocery store Of
George Jones stood NJ distance OF Only
feN feet. aud the Dire could no, Be
kept oct Of this. IL &c; into the back OF
the bailiing AID IL hung stuboorniy, not
being put oat until l; had practically
DESTROYED the back end % the building.
Jooes got out HE books, then locked the
from, store aud n VAS not opened again
Until morning. Everything In that room
was blAcsened and soaked. though moth
lnx was fairly scorched- me tenement
over the store MAS occupied BY Frank
". Nilcox and wife. Their furniture
was DOT csrriei cut. bat ~ss eonsidera-
DIV damaged by smoke and water.
IA. u. Wilson aud ~ife, ~hO occupied
rooms Ia the hotel. lost quite quantity
Of furniture, aud Mr.. Wilson had sssi
in bills, some checks and little silver
change In a small iron cafe. The safe,
which was not considered absolutely
firsproof, was recovered during the day,
.na wzs opened with some difficulty.
The silver was all right, but the bills
were reduced 10 = mass Of ashes, and
were e total loss.
I..R. Cole lost most OF his clothing
and about 500 10 money which was In
his pockets.
Others who lost about everything they
had in the house except little clothing
were II. W. wxshburn, D. T. Barker,
James L. Suckles, and Mary Sawyer, an
employee Of the hotel. Y. l.. Harlow OF
Gorhsm, Maine, an agent for the North
western Life Insurance Co.. saved his
clothes. though he put most Of them on
after he got out OF the window.
The hotel which was burned was
originally the Paris House, run for many
years by the late l.. W. Jackson. When
the late A. b. Gee took charge OF IL
three or four years ago, he changed the
usme 10 Grand Trunk Hotel. Mr.. An
drews took charge last spring and chang
ed the name TO Hotel Central. Add
lions have been made TO the buildings at
several different times. Mr.. Andrews
put in large amount OF new furnish
iugs.
The hote, property WAS owned BY
Mrs. George A. Wilson. The loss Ia
recsoned at 81 600, with SO 500 insurance.
The furnishings were insured for sl2OO,
which will be several hundred less than
the loss. II. Z. Wilson had an insurance
OF $500 on his furniture. The Jones
store building was insured for $1,000
What is left Of the building Is badly
damaged, and the insurance will not
cover the loss. Mr.. Jones' stock was
not insured, the insurance having run
out several weeks since. Ii Is not to-
tai loss, but IL badly damaged. Franz
Wilcox had an insurance Of $500 on his
furniture. The buildings next south oil
the hotel were owned by ). II. Cum
mings Of Norway, and the slight damage
10 them IL covered by insurance.
Il Mr.. Jones intends to repair the damage
to his building, after the insurance !:
adjusted. There Is at present no definite
prospect of rebuilding on the hotel lot