Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-22
A FATAL FIRE
Breaks Out in a Bangor
Dwelling House.
Mrs. Johnson and Two Children
Meet Death.
Father eartbroken-Youneer Boy
Now in City Hospital.

Bangor Me-, Dec. 21.-Three lives
We're lost in the fire which consumed
the home of John johnson on Boylston
street. Saltwater park, Wednesday
morning. The victims We're Mrs. John
son. aged 50 years. and two OF her sons,
Kenneth. aged years and Theron,
aged 3 years. A third child, Herbert. 8
years of age, escaped by jumping from
a second story window and is at the
Eastern Maine General hospital Be-
sides suffering from the shock, he is
considerably burned and also has nu-
merons cuts. The origin of the fire is
not known, although it is presumed
that it started in the kitchen.
The three children We're upstairs in
bed when Mrs. johnson. shortly before
s o'clock, left the house to go to a lit
tie store nearby. Kept by William Tur-
ncr to get some crackers so that she
might give her children crackers and
milk for breakfast.
William Doughty lives next to the
Johnson place and his daughter, Hat
tie, vas washing dishes i'm the kitchen
when she glanced out the window and
saw smoke coming from the Johnson
| house.
The Johnson House is on fire, she
called out to her mother and both wO-
men rushed out, screaming and calling
for help. The neighbOrhood is not very
pOpuous and the men go to work ear
ly. The alarm was spread rapidly, how
and minnie or later MIS-.
Johnson came tearing up the street.
Her home was now in flames but I'M
mindful of what the conse quences
might be and thinking solely of the
sd ety of her children, she dashed into
the house. closing the door behind her.
1t was 4 rush to death-another eX-
ample of the greatness of a mothers
| love.
| Little Herbert johnson saved himself
| by jumping from tlo bedroom window
but the riOther and the two little boys
| failed to appear. Her ltody and the re-
mains of Kenneth and Theron. both ter
riDly burned and CHARGED beyond recog-
milton. We're later found by the firemcn
on the fh>Or of the kit rhen. Mrs. john
son. after running into the house, had
rushed upstairs and taking her two
smaller sons had made Il futile effort to
rescue them.
When the fremen arrived in answer
to the alarm from box Is, Grove street
and saltwater avenue. which was ltlng
in at S.55 o'clock, the flames had al
ready destroyed the house and stable
adjoining and they turned their atten-
ton to recovering the remains of the
victims. They Were not long in making
the grueSome find and il was q heart
rending sight. What was left of the
bodies was gathered up to await the ar
| rival of Coroner Finncgan who took
the charred corpses to his undertaking
rooms.
1t was an awful homecoming for the
| father, who, but two hours earlier had
kissed his wife and little ones goodbye
when he started for his work. He is
a coal-shoveler in the employ of the
Hincks Coal Co. and all the neighbors
tell of his devotion to his family, his
thrift and domesticity. He was at
work in the cOal-yard when he go,
word by telephone that his house was
on fire.
Long before he arrived there he saw
the gray smoke which was curling up
into the bright sun-lt sky from the
smouldering ruins of his nome but rot
| until he got there did ne learn the full
message of the terrible calamity which
had visited him. Kind friends. them
selves hardly able to bear up under the
fatality, broke the news as gently as
| possible. and it was an experience
which all who were there hope never
to undergo again.
.Sobbing and weeping and calling in
vain for his wife and children he was
led into the Doughty house-away
from the scene of the conflagration.
johnson is big, sturdy and hard
working Swede and his pride was his
home and family. The house which he
occupied was owned by DIR. II. A. King
but he was buying it by easy payments
and he and his wife were looking for
ward to the time not far distant when
it would be his own.
Mrs. Johnson's maiden name was
Hattie Dalton and she was a native of
st. John. Her husband came here from
Sweden dozen years ago.
The Oldest boy, Herbert. who is at
the hospital. can throw no light as to
the origin of the fire. He says he was
in bed with his brother when it broke
out, but he knows nothing as to where
il started. He has burns which are be-
lieved to be only superficial, but is al
so suffering from the shock and numer-
Gus cuts.
Il don't know about the fire. he
answered one of the hospital attend
ants. but l know if it hadn't come /
would have had my breakfast before
this
He knows of the fate of his mother
and brothers. but SO great is the shock
which he received that he has hardly
realized it.
According to the neighbors the fire
broke out about O'Clock but it was
S.55 o'clock before the alarm was rung
in. The box is some distance away
but the delay was probably due more
to the confusion and excitement which
overcame the neighbors. AS stated in
the foregoing the house was burned to
Il