Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-31
A BRISK BLAZE
Continued from page ~

Slreet, going as If racing a forest fire.
announcer was found over on Elm street
ana SO on. The immediate vicinity OF
'he stable seemed full of galloping !,
shortlng horses. But they were all soon
captured and housed in the Mitchell
sIaple just across the street or in pfl-
Fate barns near where they had been
| captured. ,
AS soon as possible firemen got into
the upper story of the barn and pitched
over the burning hay, throwing out
what they could. But the fire smoul-
defed slilkily for long time and occa-
slonally broke out brightly here ana
| there. When it was finally conquered
the roof of the building was gone and
| the whole place honeycOmbed. 1t had
| been tough fight to keep the flames
from Spreading to the Vigue building,
but it was thought it had been done.
The upper Fart of this was filled with
smoke, but sc far as could be seen there
vas no fire anywhere about it or in it.
| The smoke in the two upper stories
| gradually cleared away and the TN on
the roof and west side was cooling off
| Some one without any instructions
from the fire department had rung iii
SO that all companies responded. Hose
1, Hook and Ladder l, Hose ?, Hose
and Hose were all out on the stable
fire.
| Along about o'clock the fire had APP
rarently been thoroughly subdued. the
hay occasionally blazing up little. but
not at all seriously. 1t certainly seemed
| to be all over SO all the companies eX-
cept Hose 2. were sent back to their
| houses with the hose they had laid. The
| men OF the remaining company were
| rolling up what hose they did not need
| STRENGTHENING out the lines they intend
ed to rem lin and putting Things III
| ship shape for q few hours Watching
which seemed to be all that remained
tC do. Enough hose remained coupled
to command the stable from all SIDES
and some of the men We're at work on
he hay, while others were looking
around for any fire that might roman
When things had settled down the all
| cut was sounded, and the crowd scat
tered to bed.
Suddenly some of the men in the rear
of the buildings noticed a luiid glare on
|some of the white houses nearby and then
a sudden burst of flame in the rear ana
top of the Vigue building. 1t came like
flash of lightning out of blue SKY, LOT
no one could believe that there had been
Iany fire in that building at all But there
lift was and in q few seconds was roaring
lin glee through the top story, while dense
clouds of black, heavy smoke were roll
ling upward. ~,
Ialarm rung in. The companies that mad
returned to their houses had just about
time enough to exchange the wet hose for
dry. while good many of the men had
gone to their homes, those who could
lbest do so remaining to fix the carts for
IanOther run
This second fire was much more difficult
to get at than the first one. me whole .!
was confined to the upmoSt story, the
smoke pouring out of all the windows in
smothering clouds. Two lines of hose
burst in several lengths and We're rem
dered useless at the very start There
! was trouble in making the change and
i'm coupling and it seemed for few min
utes as if it We're impossible to get a
good sufficient line into play The fire
had broken out so suddenly and was burn
ling so fiercely that the firemen We're we'll
nigh astounded. But the confusion did
not last long. Assistant Chief Berry got
{ latter his men with a vengeance and soon
had them working to an advantage. AS
soon as the horses could be spared from
the hook and ladder truck they We're
, hitched to the fire engine, which was TAX
, en- to City Hall square and fired up, tax
ing it's water from the hydrant in front
of the store of Whitcomb & Cannon. A
| line of brand new hose was coupled to
this and there was soon force enough to
rip and smash in great shape,
| Several ex-tiremen went to the assist
, ance of the regulars in this emergency
, land Charles Proctor was first man on top
lof the big extension ladder with a line
: of hose into the middle window of the top
= floor Of the Vigue block He could sweep
the whole upper floor from this point ard
= did excellent execution with it. Two
!, lmore lines were soon playing into the
, windows from the street and two more
working from the windows in the rear.
with five lines pouring water onto the
top floor and others ready, no fire could
live long there.
AS soon as possible the firemen crawled
in through the windows with the hose'and
= Thought the fire hand to hand The smoke
Twas still very dense when they got in,
but they hung to it like bulldogs. oeca-
Isionally getting to the windows for air.
lit was a bitter fight while it lasted but
with so much water the flames We're soon
d conquered. They smouldered and hung
flor long time however. and for an hour
=, lor more that top floor wasn't very com
PORTABLE place to be in.
: With the fire raging in the Vigue build
: ing there was another hot fight to keep
lit out of the adjoining Redington block
1.-THE top floor of the former building is
fused by Redington & Co. as a storeroom
f land is connected with the next block by a
c door. This, however was protected by
heavy double doors with an air space be-
+ tween and the flames could not get
>, through. At the start it looked as if both
q blocks were doomed. and that if they
a went several others would have to go
:. with them. At times the light of the
thames could he seen in the smoke rising
over the Vigue building, and for some
time it was a great question whether the
;. Ifiremen could conquer Had the Reding-
i, lton block been of wood it would doubtless
q have gone with the Vigue block but the
: lbrick wall made a buwark against the
p FLAMES and the only way for them to get
! la foothold was to sneak in.
The five lines steadily and persistently
, poured a deluge into the Vigue building
!, land drerched the Redington Gradually
q 1.-THE flames died away and the smoke clear
n led so that the f1remen could be seen at
. work at the nozzles. They as SLOWLY fell
back and by o'clock. when dawn was
+ just breaking, the fight was won The
o lVigue building was battered and soaked
: from top to bottom, but standing intact.
1.-The Redngton block had not been tone h.
led by the flames but had suffered some
+ from smoke and water. The SAWYER sta
BILE was wreck, the upper story being
q practically gone 1t had been a fight Of
! lover five hours and the hardest the CITY
has seen for many day
, 1t was nerve-racking night for As
. sistant Chief Berry although he had the