Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-27
'..sLACONIA'S RUIN.
~
Prosperous New Hampshire
City Meets Heavy Loss.
Three Hundred Buildings Burned and
+. $50 Persons Homeless.
The Loss viii Be from Sa5o,ooo
to 100000. - aaaaaa

S1lDyTssT
Lsson'a. N. a.. n. Il ss'tsras7h
dafkhess. tonight. nearly 16u>buildings
hufnea.4350 persons madesaaneiess, and
a Joss of between S350.9D0 and 100000
is the story, in short, of the greatest
fire this city If not the state of New
Hampshire. ever experienced. The
burnep district in the Lakeport sec
ton covers about $50 acres. The fire
caught from an insignificant blaze in
the boiler room of the H. H. Wood
hosiery mill at about 2 O'Clock, this af-
ternoon. In 10 minutes the flames had
got beyond the control of the two or
three men who started to extinguish the
little, blaze and in short time, under
influence of a brisk southeast wind, the
entire structure was wrapped in the
destroying element Next it went to
the finished lumber plant of the Boulia
Gorreli Company and then to the works
of the Laconia Electric Lighting Co.
In less than an hour both these plants
were in ruins. The city fire department
not only was unable to check the flames
at this point but could do nothing 10
put out small fires which had begun
to show themselves on buildings on the
The result was that as burning brands
began to fall on houses, even some dis
lance away, street after street became
a new locality for a bad fire. By
O'Clock the cornagration was in pro-
grcss. The work of destruction went
on until the fire actually burned itself
out for want of material having reach
ed outside of what is known as the fire
district.
Help had been summoned from Con-
cord. Franklin and Meredith, but the
combined forces of apparatus and fire
men were absolutely powerless. 1t was
not till after 6 o'clock, this evening,
that anyone knew just to what point
the fire would go and stop. 1t was
hours after this time before it could be
said the fire was under control. Here
and there in the burnt area larger
structures continued to burn and sep
arate bon fires consuming absolutely
everything within their range.
One reason for the spread of the fire
over such an area was the dryncss of
all woodwork, for only half an inch of
rain has fallen over this section in the
last 40 days.
1t is unnecessary to state that the
scenes. as the fire jumped from build
ing to building, were narrowing In the
extreme. Householders did their best
to save their effects and In a great
many cases had removed portion of
their goods out of what they supposed
would be the fire zone, but the flames
came down upon. them and licked them
up as they were piled in the city
streets Some people would have saved
to-
ton facilities, but in times like THESE
men with horses did not dare to ven
ture into the storm of sparks ana
brands Although the city has an
abundance of water the drain on 1t was
so heavy that it decreased the pressure
until it reached that point where II Dc
came of very little help. Ihe neat was
intense and without pressure in the
hose the tiremcn, late in the afternoon
were unable to fight at close quarters
The fire made Il grand sight as view
cd from a distance, and people IRON
all the surrounding villages ana from
places easily reached by raliroad'
tIocked into the city.
Mayor MelChcr took carly steps to pro-
vide food and lodging for the homeless
and his efforts were ably seconded by the
In odd Fellows hall and in several
churches. Private citizens also opened
their houses and cared for people, The
greatest confusion prevailed Tor honfs'
hut late In the evening some order was ne
ing restored, that the work OF relief
became systcmatZed.
In odd Fellows hall and the churches
cot beds were plsGcd and a supply of bed
linen secured. Food also was taken tc
those places that no one might go to b d
hungry. one of the especially touching
Incidents during the fire was the removal
OF "A sick woman and her wee baby from
her house followed by her husband ana SlN
other children. a few minutes later the
fire had swept away all their carthiy pos
When the fire started there was a great
rush of people To the fire center. lew real
iying for a while that the sparks W"l'
hc Carried over the river. when u fcH
houses began to blaze people rushed t
fight fire here but soon ii was necessary
fer all to look after their own property
Not few persons who stopped /" he'll
others found a little later that thclr owl
homes were ahlaze.
Dogs. pigs and fowl ran through th
streets bewildcred by the smok" am
flames only to sooner or later die IRON
the heat the bodies being quickly icincr
ated ms the fire swept onward
The district on the west side Of the WIN
nepesaukce swept by fire was entlrriy
was a beautiful spot, The houses wcr
not close together and around many o
them the grounds were nicely bild ont
What was once a picture is now "a black
cned waste 1t * difficult to name lndi
yid,al losses or insurance. An esumat
conscrvatively made tonight. was PROV
crty was worth S150@0 Few houses Wrr
worth less than $1,000 and some were vain"
as high as $1,000 to $4,000. This Sectio
on the west side of the river probably WI
not be rebuilt for Il long time if at all.
Iaconia had had other experiences a
most as serious this one. hnancltlli
In 1916. Main street was fire swept bot
east and west, with a loss otn SlaagN@a i
1850 about the same territory was purne
over In 1891. the T.aconia Car 20 .oo ca
works were burned at loss of Sam.eWo
The loss on the Wood Hosiery mil
placed at $4,000. which includes the ;St'.c
and machinery. the building Itself BEN
owned by the Lake Winnepausukee Cotto
4 Woolen Co 1t has an insurance OF $']
600 The II. II. Wood Co. has an insuran'
of $4,000. The Boulia Co. loss is 500
with an insurance of $4,000. and the File
tric Light &C., loss $50 900 with SlO.on Il
surance Both tire Boulia and the H. |
Wood companies had much valuable ma
ufactured stock on hand In the burn'