Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-20
A SMART BLAZE
Plays Havoc With the Rogers
Block and Contents.
Little Girls and Matches or Boys and
Cigars the Cause.
Damage Will Be Quite Heavy With Good
Insurance List.

there YOU are and you can set the
damage as you please, for no one was
willing to risk an estimate, yesterday.
That is the way the fire apparently
started and that is why the Rogers
block looks this morning, as if it had
been through a premature mine eXplo-
sion with a government mule annex
The Rogers block is situated on the
corner of Main and Temple streets.
Tn. next block south is the Phoenix.
The first is of wood and is an old one
but III fine condition and large block
The Phoenix is three stories in height
and of brick. TIE first floor of the
Rogers block is occupied by the gro
Gerry store Of H. G. Haskell and the
millinery store of +. A. Fryat & Co
The upDer stories are occupied by the
insurance offices of l.. T. Boothbay 4
Co, and by the family OF Charles
Roderick.
The Phoenix block is occupied on
the first floor by the fruit store OF r.
A. Wing and the drug store OF q. w
Dorr. The second and third floors are
occupied by the WatcrNille Evening
Mail and the office of Proctor x Bowie.
There is a narrow aleyway between
he two blocks, running from Main
street to Merchants court. In the rear
of the Rogers building there are SeV-
eral sheds or anneXes. which have been
added in regular order from time To
time as necessity required. one OF theS"
small sheds was filled with waste pa
per and there was also a large quantity
! in the alleyway and under the stairs
which so up on the outside OF the
| Phoenix block To the composing room
| of the Mail office.
! There couldn't have been much bet
| ter combination for fire and ii only
needed little boys or girls with their
| match or cigars to set things going. No
one knows how they did 1t or what
they did il for. Perhaps they didn' I
start the fire anyway, but ii certainly
looks that way. The girls We're seen
there by Miss Dunbar. who is connect
| ed with the Fryat store, just before the
| fire started, and they We're the first to
| give the alarm. running up the stairs
into the Mail Office for the purpose.
| The blaze evidently ST; rted in the
! waste paper at the foot of the stairs.
| They are of wood and the flames ran
up over them in an instant almost and
| spread to the side and roof Of the Rog
ers building. In a few seconds the
| whole rear Of the alleyway was n mass
Of flames, which soon ran up the back
| side of the Rogers building and onto
the roof where they had a good chance
| To Keep out OF the way of the water.
The roof Of the Rogers building was
| remodeled once, leaving 4 blind attic
| and a double roof. thu inside one be
ing shoingled. The inside of the attic
was Of course dry as finder. and il WAS
here that the flames made the most
stubborn resistance.
Miss Dunbar discovered the fire after
seeing the children ana ordering them
off. The children then ran up the
stairs to the Mail office to give the
alarm and Miss Dunbar went into tine
store of Mr.. Haskell and told him OF
the fire. They returned together t.
the rear of the building and by that
time the blaze had secured good head
way. a coInpoSitor in the Mail office
also discovered the fire about the time
Miss Dunbar saw it and a boy was
sent from the Office to ring in an
alarm. Put Mr. Haskell was ahead OF
him at box IS and the bell began tc
sound about = o'clock.
BY this time there was solid sheet
of flames pouring up by the open win
dowS on the north side OF the Mail Of
flee. These and the door on the north
side We're promptly closed by Foreman
Joseph and this no doubt saved tn.
plant from much damage. The crew
managed to beat off the fire from
around the doors and windows with
pals of water, so that none entered
the building.
Hose and and the Hook and Lad
der responded in their usual prompt
style and soon had three lines of hose
laid and water on the building. The
fire lines were quickly run and the
street was blockaded until the "all
| OUT sounded.
AS already stated the firemen found
the hardest work in subduing the fire
in the attic. a line of hose was car
ried through the building from the
front and carried into the top story as
soon as the smoke would allow. A
| second line was carried around the
north side and up onto the roof from
the rear. BY cutting holes in the roof
and ceiling the water of both lines was
n1lally directed INTO tTt Dlllu ultN una
then the rest was easy. The pressure
, was excellent ard the streams from
the hose were splendid ores.
AS soon as the fire could be exposed
it was soon squelched but it took con-
siderable battering and cutting to get
at it. 1t also took a large amount of
| water so that the whole Rogers build
ing was soaked from Top to bottom. A
little of the water that was used to
drench the north side and roof of the
Phoenix block got into the composing
room of the Mail Office and few cases
of type were wet. But the damage
there was comparatively slight.
| The course of the flames could be easily
traced by the charred clapboards on the
side Of the building. The stairs leading
to the Mail Office were thoroughly
scorched and will probably have to be re-
placed by new ones.
The firemen started with the b.aZe on
the ground and followed il IN onto the
roof and tncn fought it out with il there
Two streams were pouring water onto
the building at their fun capacity for
about so minutes before the chief sounded