Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-25
Three Alarms Rung in During
Saturday, at WaterviIIe.
Worst of the Lot Was in PhiIbrick
Block, in EARLY Morning.
Others Were in Afternoon and Loss
Was Not Heavy.


of serious conflagration if it had been
given any chance at all. All of them
started on the roofs, which are now
very dusty and in just about the right
condition to encourage any spark to
mischief which lights on them.
The first fire was at about 6.15 and
was in the Philbrick block on the cor
| ner of Elm street and Western avenue.
This is a large tenement house, occu-
pied by several families and d number
of roomers The blaze was discovered
by S. f. Whitcomb and was on the
south side of the south tenement on the
outside of the roof 1t was blazing
briskly at the time and promised to
make heaps of trouble. w. w. Curr
happened to be passing and Mr.. Whit
comb told him to ring in the alarm
which he did. Mr.. Whitcomb also SEM
in a still alarm by telephone, so little
time was lost by the team in getting
out and down to the fire.
The flames soon worked through the
| roof into large blind attic that eX-
tends over the whole of the main house
and all of the ellis which extends in
| The rear of the main building. There
| was u draught in some way and the
| flames had a favorable chance to work
| where it was very difficult to get at
| them.
| A large amount of water was used
| to drown out the fire and the whole
building was soaked from top to bot
| tom, there being a large amount OF
| water in some of the easements. The
| fire WAS confined to the roof and the
big attic and the principal damage will
| be from the water, although the rool
is badly honeycOmbed.
| The tenements Nos. % and "a are
| owned by the estate of John w. Phil
brick and the first is occupied by
| George NJ. Sheppard and the second
| by II. w. Ludwig. No. 20 is owned by
| the estate of Mr.. Philbrick and by Mrs.
| Fanny Philbrick McserVe and occupied
| by Abncr A. Littlefield. No is is own
| I'd by Mrs Hortense Phiibrick and oc-
| oupied by her. No. 16 is owned by Miss
Mary f.. Mathews and was occupied
| by Mr.. Kittredge, who had just moved
| in. Although owned by different people
ana occupied by different families, the
| tcnements are all under the same roof
and in one main building. Three ellis
and there are five dOrmer windows,
| features that added to the difficulties
Of the 1iremen.
1t is difficult to estimate the damage
IS it was chiefly from water and just
| how much this will be cannot be de-
termincd until things are Strengthened
out. Some of the contents of the build
| ing were carried out and the damage
1 .1.~t,. aE,.l rtAtil
thcy can be examined.
Mr.. Ludwig had $500 insurance on his
| furniture, and Mr.. Shepherd $500 in the
agency Of G. X. Mathews. Miss
Mathews had $1075 in the agency of
Mrs. A. NJ. Drummond. Mr.. Littlefield
| had $500, and A. S. Morrison. who had
rooms in his tenement, 5000 on fur
niturc. The three northern tencmcntS
and their contents were covered by
$2975 in the Boothby agency. Mrs.
| IIortensc PhilbriCk, whose loss was
perhaps the heaviest, had no insurance,
nor did MI kittre1ge. The total loss
| on building and contents is estimated
at about $1,000 and this is only par
TALLY covered by the insurance.
The prospect was so threatening at
one time that general alarm@Was
sounded and all the apparatus and all
| the companies in the city responded.
| This is the first fire in a long time
| that has made this necessary. But ev-
| erythng was so dry and the building
| on fire so closely surrounded by other
| buildings and the wind so strong that
| it looked for a time as If a regular
connagration might be started. AS it
was although the loss was heavy
enough, it is considered a pretty for
tunate escape.
The second alarm was rung in from
Box 63 at about 100 for another roof
| fire at the residence of A. A. PlaiStcd
on Appleton street. The fire was blaZ-
| ing merrily on the south side of the
roof and, famed by the strong wind,
promised to make things interesting at
the start. A still alarm was sent in
for this and a bell alarm sounded later
so that there would be no lack of men
| in an emergency. EX-Chief Plaisted of
| the department resides in this house
and he directed the firemen at the
start Two lines of hose were laid, but
at the request of Mr.. Plaisted We're not
used, the chemicals being sufficient.
This fire was confined almost wholly
| to the shingles and the damage will
be small. Some water got inside but
not very much. The damage will prob
ably be covered all right by $50.
The third fire was also in the after
noon but no alarm was given. 1t was
on the roof of the house of Oscar Mayo
on Front street and like the others
was blazing briskly when discovered.
But Mr. Mayo was washing a carriage
in the yard at the time and fought the
fire along for nearly an hour before he
was satisfied that it was all out. The
damage from this one will be the small
est OF the three and will probably be
covered all right by $40.
| These fires showed what is liable to
happen at this time unless there is 4
rain soon as all started from sparks
| ON tho roof In the case of the Phil