The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-05-03

well, Calvin Stinch1eld and NJ. L.
Parsons. 81, 600; insured for 81 200.
L. w. Weston & Co. lumber, tools,
etc., 81 900; no insurance.
Adams & Caswell, machinery in mill,
lumber, stock and manufactured goods,
$4,000; no insurance.
/ Calvin Stinchfield, machinery for wool
carding, 81 1000; no insurance.
M. L. Parsons, machinery for manu-
featuring boxes, stock, etc., 5000; no
insurance.
These losses are based on estimates
given by owners. 1t is not reasonable
: to expect them to be exact but they
are believed to be not far from
correct.
The Skowhegan firemen worked
valian thy and with will, doing excellent
work under direction of Chief Engineer
Gilmore Withee. 1t is claimed they did
not play into the upper stories of the
brick building as early as they should
have done. This we think was so but it
is easier to critieise after the emergency
is passed than to do just the best thing
when the emergency is on. The fire made
rapid Roadway in the saw mill and Stineh-
field building. They were both very dry
and being open buildings, without much
In way of partitions to check the fire, and
very combustible, they burned with
great rapidity and gave forth intense
heat. The three companies were on
hand promptly. Eight lines of hose
were laid and eight steams of water
were playing upon the fire aud upon
various buildings in the vicinity during
the greater part of the time the fire was
in progress, and ladders were promptly
run up where incipient blazes had started
upon roofs of buildings. The firemen
are entitled to much credit for their
efficiency and thanks for hard and dan
gerous work performed.
Marcus W. Moore was the first man to
discover the fire. He was employed at
the station and informed the REPORTER
that upon looking out of window
toward the saw mill discovered small
fire in the mill yard very near the IL
trance to the mill and also very near the
Steward power house. He Immediately
got one of the fire extinguishers, kept in
the station, and started for the FIRE,
thinking he would have no difficulty in
putting it out, but when he again got in
sight of the fire it had been swept by the
wind over large space into the saw
mill and up against the side Of the
Steward building. He shouted TO
Eugene Abby, brother of the superin-
tendent, who was running the engine,
and Immediately rung in the fire alarm
and telephoned to Supt. Abby, who had
but few minutes before left for his
home, short distance away. By this
time the fire had made such Roadway
that nothing could be done by individual
effort and the firemen were soon on the
ground.
No one seems TO have well formed
theory as to the origin of the fire. There
seems to be no one to intimate that il
was incendiary. The only theory ad-
vanced is that tramp or some other
person may have been lettering there
and that cigar stump or spark from a
pipe may have been the means by which
the fire was started.
1t was unfortunate that so few of
those who lost property by the fire were
insured. The reason may be found in
the high rates. There is no doubt about
the hazard being great. 1t would seem
to be wisdom to carry q small amount of
insurance, whatever the rate.
One favorable feature of the fire is
that not large number of people are
thrown out of employment by it. A fire
with as large damage in any of our other
manufacturing establishments would
have taken employment away from
many more people.
The town is in darkness so far as
electric lighting with the exception of a
very few residences and stores and the
American Wooden Company's mill. The
only mill for manufacture Of long aud