Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-09
THE FAIRFIELD FIRE.
The Loss Will Reach Between
$4,000 and $4,000.
Many Buildings Threatened, But
Firemen Did Gallant Work.
Maine Central. C. & A. Totman and Purin-
ton s Pratt Heaviest Losers.


many thousand feet of lumber and
thousands of dollars of property are
now a smoking mass of ruins, and the
| town rejoces because the loss was no
| greater At l1.3o Sunday night the
first alarm was given and even then
the large Maine Central freight house
| ment responded promptly, but the
| flames already had tremendous
Roadway. Before water could be
turned on the fire leaped across an old
| platform to a store house owned by
Calvin and A. H. Totman, and a little
to the southeast of the freight house
aud quickly enveloped it. Almost at
the same instant the building directly
south of the freight house, owned by
Purnton and Pratt, blaZed up. Mean
| while the air was full of huge sparks
which, falling upon adjoining roofs,
rolled blazing to the ground or catch
| ing upon the shingles started small
| fires.
| 1t seemed for many minutes that
nothing could prevent the flames from
making a clean sweep to the river.
| There was not even d breeze however,
and this alone saved a large portion of
the town from destruction. No effort
was made to save the freight house for
it would only have been a waste of
energy The store house was also soon
| beyond control. The firemen therefore
contented themselves with protecting
the adjoining buildings and by stub
ornly fighting the flames in the Purin
| ton and Pratt building. This had a
| brick wall running clear through the
! center and il alone saved onc-half Of
| brick fire wall running through the
the building from destruction. TIL
end next the freight house was very
| badly damaged. The whole freight
house was evelled to the ground ANA
all its contents lost. The store house
across the track was also completely
burned with adj it's contents.
The cause of the fire is still puzzle.
| There was no fire in any part of the
freight house and the electric lights
were not burning. The blaze starte!
in the south end and warked towards
the Office Which was the last to go.
Al the books were lost. When the
first persons arrived the heat was so
great that although the office was not
in flames is could rot possibly be en-
tered. Many theories have been adj
Yanced as to the fires origin. The
| most plausible one aside from incen
diaTism. is that a bale of upholsterinS
stuff stored in the house. caught fire
by spontaneous combustion. 1t is not
known definitely that such stuff was in
the house at the time of the fire, bur
il has been received here often and
has been known to catch fire. in this
way. As to the theory OF incendiarism
there is little to give it force. There
are no suspicious circumstances and
no apparent motive. The safe had not
been tempered With and its contents
have been recovered in a more or less
damaged condition.
One thing which hampered the fire
men much at the start was the lack Of
force in the water from the hydrantS.
This was renedied by the presence OF
mind of Theodore Stevens, motorman
on the Electrics. He took a team,
drove to the car barns, run out car
and started on a wild lonely ride to
| WaterVille The run was made IN ~
minutes. From the Park hotel he tele-
phoned to the pumping station TOR
more power, which was put on at once.
This gave the fir2men all the force
from the hydrants that they needed
and with the fire engine made very
efficient fighting force.
Every inch of hose was out and the
lines We're very long ones but warkel
; finely. For about two hours the fate
of scores Of buildings hung in the bal
ance but as the burning buildings col
lapsed the sparks died out and by l30
Monday morning, the whole fire was
| under control.
If there had been any wind with
piles of lumber all around, the large
Cniversalist church close at hand, sur
rounded by many houses. no better
field for fire can wen be imagined.
Tor time all Geographic communica"
ton was shut off. The wires had fat
len T. C. Herring, station agent man
aged TO string Wire to the main Inc
and get connections with Waterville, a
shifter came up and pulled several cars
out of danger When the danger was
over Drs. fash and Robinson appeared
on the scene with pals of steaminS
coffee, sandwiches, cake and doughnuts
for the firemen. Their thoughtfulness
| ~
tired "laddies'
The loss of the fire is a most din
cult thing to estimate. Many parties
had more or less property stored IN
the store house. In the freight house
there was quite an amount OF lfelSht
which had been received, SATURDAY ."
Sunday, most Of the loss of TINS Will
no doubt fall on the railroad company,
| but some of it must be borne by the
owners and some probably by the snip
| pers. Therefore the share of each can
not be definitely settled now. AS lar
as can be learned the losses are as 1oi-
lows: NJ. c. r. r.. $4,000. insured; Puf-
inton and Pratt, $4,000 worth of stock;
store house badly damaged, insurance
| $4,000 In one end of the Purinton ana
| Pratt building, the machine shop o,
! Freeman Emery was located he can
not estimate his loss because as yet he
cannot tell how badly his machinery
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