Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-21

Day street uiitIi IL compete circle OF
fire had formed around the Brock
building on the Southwest corner of
Bay and Wellington streets, over
which the flames had hurdled in their
first dash south, and the building was
soon in ashes.
Only the intervening park saved the
Queen hotel. one of the finest hostelries
in the city. So imminent seemed the
danger that all the guests hurriedly
packed their belongings and left. Ev-
erythng portable was removed from
the hotel by the management, but
about T. O'Clock all danger being over,
the inmates of the hotel returned.
The flames leaped across Bay street
in half = dozen places and shortly be-
fore midnight it became apparent that
the whole block south of East yelling
ton street from the Queens hotel and
the old Manning residence facing on
Wellington street was doomed.
The Gordon Mackay building on the
Northwest corner of Front and Bay
streets which for nearly 20 years was
one of the finest in the city, made a
fierce blaze. The Copp Clark building
and Warwick Bros, and Buffers was
destroyed in about the same time. The
scene when this whole block was ablaze
was terrible beyond description. The
heat was so great and the smoke and
flying embers so thick that the fire
men were unable to approach near
enough to fight the fire. To add to the
terrifying effect of the scene came a
bombardment of exploding giant craze
kers and other fireworks stored in the
CoOp-Clark building
The fire next leaped across Front
street to the Mcpherson Bors, boo:
and shoe warehouse and adjoining
building to building with irristible fury.
In 45 minutes the flames had levelled
every building between Front stree:
and the Esplanade on the west side of
Bay street. The fircmen who had been
forced to retreat slowly along Front
street and the F,splanade concentrated
their forces and made an desperate
stand. They failed this time. The
flames leaped across the street below
Front street and destroyed the Nc
LauShlin companies flour mills at the
Southeast corner of Bay and Front
streets. From there the fire took an
eaStcrly course toward Yonge Streer
and dangerously near the wharves. ON
the Sout Invest it burned itself out for
lack of fuel. The flames were also
spreading toward the east along both
sides of Front street and the South
side of Wellington street.
AT :. o'clock the Eddy warehouse the
Lincoln Paper mills warehouse and thu
klienert Rubber cOmpany's warehouses
We're burning on the north side of
Front street. On the South side the
warehouses Of III. S. Rowland Sons &
O., the Dogs Paint Co, and the
Dodge Split Pulley Co, were burning. |
the intensity of the fire being increased |
by the highly innammcable nature of |
contents Of the buildings. So impotent |
We're the efforts Of the firemen to check |
the Iavages of the flames that all hope |
of checking the fire before it reached |
Yonge street was abandoned. |
On West Wellington street opposite |
the Brock building, Wylde and Earrings |
warehouse, Buntin. Read & Co. store, |
the ware house of w. & L. Samuel |
Benjamin and Co., A. Bradshaw & |
Sons, Kigour Bros, And the Union
banl; were destroyed before the fire
was fought to standstill.
The custom house n four story stone |
building at the corner of Yonge and |
Front streets was the barrier that |
stopped the progress of the flames to-
ward the eastern end of Front street
Every fireman that could be spared |
from the other sections of the burned |
district where the fires We're slowly dy- |
ing out was rushed to the corner of |
Yong" and Front streets. Tons of water |
We're thrown against the sides Of the |
custom house and dynamite was used |
or several small buildings.
Hundreds Of streams of water are |
still being poured into immense depos-
its of glowing embers but the fire has |
spent it's force and all danger has pass |
ed. The building was not seriously dam |
aged.