Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-04-15
lNCENDiARy'S WORK.
Two Fires Set in Watervi|Ie
Block, Sunday Morning.
Early Discovery Alone Prevents Con-
Migration in Business Section.
Laundry. Book Birdcy and Harness Shop
Damaged About $500.

ne Work cf an inCcHdiary called out
the whole fire department at n little
h2fo:" 3 O'Clock Sunday morning. for
bike in the building owned by @. F.
Mayo and occupied by the Maine
bindery and the laundry run by Sir.
Davis, Who lives IN Fairfield.
The business had evidently been
pretty well planned and with the luck
| that could usually be expected would
have succeeded and Wate:ville would
have seen one of the worst fires in
years. AS It was the damage will y. in
the neiShhorhood % SG5G0, and ;hc
business Of three concerns will be
broken UP and delayed just at a lime
when It is It the best
Tho actual loss that was directly
caused " the ire is pretty wen COW
@""d by inSlr" nee, but the delay and
Inconvenience in business will tc quite
an item. Those Immediately concerned
| ana othels are, however. congratulate
| ing themselves that it was no worse.
The ton where the blaze was
started is one of the most dangerous
! in the city. being one of the wooden
| corners There is n large cluster Of
| old wooden buildings really in the
| heart Of the business section. AMI if
the fire had not been discovered Just
when it was the damage would prob
ably have been only second to that sur
fered at Lisbon Falls.
| Beside the buildings on Main street
| there are lot Of others in back and
| along Temple street occupied as paint
shops. livery stables. etc. If the fire
| had been left alone a little longer it
| would have been in this nest and the
| corner would doubtless have been
swept clean.
The fire was discovered by officer
Martin. whose beat is along Main
street, and the alarm rung in from
| box IS. on the corner Of Main and Tenn
Die streets The fire was then in the
| rear of the book bindery in the Mayo
building. The sdepartment responded
promptly, and as it was soon seen tnat
| the fire promised to be serious, gen
eral alarm was sounded and the whole
| DEPARTMENT brought to the scene.
| Chief Davies waS about the first to
enter the laundry. and. noticing light
| in the drying room, opened the door.
There was abundant evidence that fire
bugs had been at. work. box FAD
been filed with excelsior from the rear
i of the Eeach shop and in it We're Two
| burning candies.
| 1t was discovered later that Kerosene
had been pduredsSn the floor of the
main room in the rear ANA that it had
| been burning briskly. The floor was
badly burned for a large space ana a
| nail filled With starch sitting near had
/ 81. Ia t,a .,
other furpitureSin the vicinity sho"eu
| the effects OF the heat
| Following IN the trail it was i"uhu
lthat a window in the rear of the laun-
dry had been smashed, showing where
the fire bugs had effected an entrance
As the ground slopes away from the
street the back door of the laundry Is
I reached by short flight of stairs on
the outside from an alley way. rms Is
! an out of the way place, which prop
ably accounts for the men not being
seen. window faces these stairs ana
the whole lower half of this was broA-
| en- out.
| The fire bugs had found the oil car
of the laundry and had brought one OF
| their own. This latter one was 1ouhu
| f,1lI of kerosene after the fire. 1T IS OF
peculiar make and may yet lead 10 tiie
discovery of the bugs. 1t is one OIL the
kind that has sort of combination
| snout and handle and has been useu
quite a little. The bits of the canoieE'
used has also been secured.
| The excelsior in the box had been out
during the recent rain and was damp.
There is no evidence CT any Kerosene
having been used on this and it prop
ably accounts for the failure OF the
tran ia work. The only signs OF kero-
sene being used in the laundry Is on 'iie
floor as described.
| A stairway leads from the laundry TO
the book bindery on the floor ABOVE
and the bugs evidently after arranging
| the trap in the laundry went to the
bindery and started second blaze
there. This was in the rear OF the
room in some paper and stock lheie
| is no good evidence that this fire was
| started last, but appearances seem 10
| indicate this.
| The second blaze burned more rapidly
| than the first. probably on account OF
the condition of the excelsior used, ana
was therefore first discovered. Inc
rear of the room was blazing briskis
when the firemen arrived, as the paper
burned rapidly. There was a barrel Oh
| wood ashes there and Chief DIVE
| states had IT not been for the discovery
in the laundry he would have und"upt I
edIy have attributed the cause OF t"e
fire to this.
| Mr. Davis, the proprietor of tie iauh-
ldrv. lives in Fairfield and, Sa urday even
ing. closed it and went home on The las'
y car This was late. 50 that it was aite'
10 o'clock before he started. 1t Is haru
TO tell just how long the trap had bee'
turning, but evidently not long. The III ~
he knew Of the fir" was Al bout o'cioch
Sundav mornng. when Re was intor'
bv one. of his neichhoTa. He hiret a tea u
and came 10 this city a soon as pos lvi,,
spending most Of the day i'll cleaning ui
his laundry. ,,x.c
! The next building hcl-w the May
block. which Is occupied b. The lauidt ;
ard The hinGcrY. Is the one owned
AIRS. Martha S;-e The fns, io1r OF -
is occupied, by pickcr%oaS harness shoi
Mr. Dickcrson also del s n bica Giles ano
has a repair shop in the roar Of his stu'tg
the building has a s!antinS roof, wihi'
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