Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-08
ICOlBYS FIRE LOSS.
North College Now Lies in a
Mass of Ruins.
Quilted Early Saturday Morning
Students Save but Little.
Considerable Excitement as the Bows
Leave the Building.

years as North College" among the
boys and officially as Chaplin hall is a
wreck, today, and the contents practi-
cally total loss. This was caused By
fire, the worst that has ever been ex-
pcrienced by the college The blaze
vas discovered about $50 in the morn
ing and the alarm rung in from box -
"a few minutes later The department
responded promptly as usual. but had
many difficulties to overcome at the
very start. In the first place the fire
mad made good Roadway before discov-
cred. The building was fun of smoke
ana the blaze burning briskly when the
alarm sounded. Their. the avaiIable nv
drants were all Il good distance away.
Eight streams running over 5000 feet
of nose was soon in action, but at first
the pressure WAS very poor. The cause
Of this was anchor ice in the wheels at
the pumping station, a thing that has
never happened before in the Il years
the system has been in operation.
There has been plenty of trouble with
anchor ice almost every year, but it
has never happened before that the
ice WAS running when an alarm of fire
sounded.
The morning was the coolest of the
winter 50 far and this with the other
difficulties made it extremely hard
work at the start. The fire therefore
got good headway and Quilted the whole
building before il was conquered. Some
Of :he boys quartered there had some
very narrow escapes. losing practically
everything they had in their rooms. a
small quantity of property was recov-
cred but all in more or less damaged
condition.
Cooch. who roomed in No. /. in the
north div isinn of The building. was
about the first to be awakened by the
fire and by that time the rooms were
filled with smoke and the blaze was
burning briSkly. Gooch ran into the
hall, yelling fire at the top of his voice
and then All was confusion. There We're
&c ropmers III the building and it was
one grand hustle to get out. Some
were obliged to take to the fire escapes
in The rear with what clothes they
could lay hold of in one frantic grab
and no one got more than a very small
portion of his wearing apparel.
Captain Keene of tho football team
was the first to think of ringing in an
alarm and by that time the fire was
well under way. TIL" fircmen worked
hard and efficiently, but for once the
fire had got too much start and they
could not conquer ii before the whole
inside of the big building was in ruins.
. After the "all out" had sounded the
L.. q H.. L,,t
ing but the most Of the roof had fallen
in. taking the floors with it. Parts %
of the second floor held SO that it was
possible to get onto il with ladders but
il was rather risky business and there
Was no SIRE foot hold above that level
chief Engineer Davies is Of the opin-
ion that the walls are fit to BE- used
again but ii is rather doubtful IL they
will be-.
The cause of the fire is something OF
a mystery but. il seems fairly certain
that il started from Il chimney. SOIL
coal has been burned under the boilers,
the building being heated by steam
throughout, and the danger from TINS
kind of fuel is familiar. a chimney
ne,r the center of the building burned
out during the evening. Friday, but II
was thought that this had been prop
erly cared for and that there was no
danger from 1t.
TIE building had n fire wall running
| through the center and extending q
| few feet above the roof. Most every
| ono has thought ever since this WAS
lconstruct.d that it would be amply
sufficient to coniine q fire in either emo
of the building but one of paper would
have been as effective as it was. sat
,,ra,y There are several ways that
the fire might have gotten around IT,
There was Il small opening through II
in the basement and it is understood
that this was not properly protecte"
Inv = fire door. II the fire started in the
basement and there is some eNiueh''
that it did. it could have easily Worheu
its wav through this. Another way
was TO Jump from one window 10 tn''
other on the back or front sine as 'ti'
wall did not project any pevoiiu NV
outer walls Of the building
Ar any rate there seems To have peeu
nc mich fire at the start in the soutii
and as i'm the north END ana '"e
students i'm that section were ophSe" -
90, an ,s rapidly as those in the othei
end The hre spread very rapioiS ~
ter being discovered and there was ~
-, I;,tIe time to get anything out
: Son,a ~ me bows did risk going bach
ono h,,t this was the best they coni'
do and they did not succeed in BRING
inc out much. The whole building was
500, a raging furnace with an intenS'
heat and large quantity OF sfno@e
Z, ~, what can be learned il seems
| that the fire had started from IN
chimnev and had mulled for loni
j time before being discovered. wiz
e such a start it spread very rapidly al
: ,hronph the interior of the building
e The loss is rather dinieui. iiia''e'
! estimate accurately. The building itsei
. was \, wears old. having been pun
a ,ss, The other dormitory. South College
n i older by several years but onapr IA
y nan is next to it. The prieh wo rhsn W.
e aone bv Peter Getchell and the carpeh'e
? Continued on page -