Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-26
Johnson Opera House at Gardiner,
Quilted by Fire, Early Sunday.
Whole Block Quilted and the johnson
House Hotel Damaged.

Gardiner. Me, Dec. 25.-(SpeciaD.-
The most disastrous fire that has visit
ed the city of Gardiner in % years and
the sixth within the month of Decem-
Der, was discovered at about 5.45
O'Clock, Sunday morning. Smoke was
seen issuing from the side windows of
the big store of F. s. Smith & co. in
the johnson Opera House block A cit
iZen telephoned warning to the Oak
land mill and an alarm was sounded
| Immediately. The smoke poured from
the building in great volume, both
| from the Water street end of the store
| and from the rear end of the struc-
| ture on Mechanic or Back street"
! The Johnson House. the largest hotel
in the city, adjoins the Opera House
block and when the fire was first dis
covered there We're about 40 guests and
servants asleep in the hotel building.
NJ. ]. Johnson. proprietor of the hotel,
was awakened by the sound OF the
alarm and with the night clerk. Henry
McGrotty, ran through the house
| dIOlSuio luc SiStpIHS guests.
| The alarm sounded on the Oakland
| whistle, brought the hose carriag es
! and one steamer to the scene of the
fire. No flames were visible, but the
yellow smoke continued to pour out of
the Smith store in a great cloud. Lines
of hose were laid on Mechanic street
and from the Water street hydrants.
| The magnitude of the fire soon became
apparent and a second alarm was
pulled in at 5 o'clock. In the early
| stages of the fire, the firemen attempt
ed to locate the blaze and confine it to
the cellar of the Smith store, where it
| undoubtedly started.
The smoke was so thick and choking,
| however, that no man could enter the
| building and at O'Clock it was seen
| that the big building was doomed. The
| fire fighters then redoubled their efforts
| to cOnfine the fire to the building and
streams We're directed, at times on the
Johnson House.
Chief Engineer Kendall was in
charge of the department and was as
sisted by the several assistant engi
neers. Six lines OF hose were trained
upon the burning building and the wa
ter froze as quickly as it left the noZ-
zle so intense was the cold. When the
fire was first discovered the mercury
stood at IA degrees below zero. but as
dawn approached, the weather moder-
atc6 to some degree, but at no time
during the fire was the thermometer
registered above the zero point
The cold and smoke greatly ham,
.f 49,
and many We're overcome temporarily.
either by the cold or the smoke. or
both The fire did not attract very
great crowd of spectators, but happily
the fremen responded to the alarm to
a man and there were many volunteers
ready to don a rubber coat and helmet
to aid in the fire fighting.
Fully 100 men joined in the work and
with every available stream of water
the lire was fought from the front and
rear. 1t was nearly o'clock when the
MILLIONS of gallons of water receeded
from the flooded building and came
rushing through the burned doors and
windows into Water street. where the
whole street was frozen solid. At noon,
a small crew of weary firemen contin-
ued to hold a stream Of water on the
ruins.
F.. s. Smith & Co. occupied the base
mcnt of the building to store a great
stock of dry goods, hats, fancy articles
and ladies' clothing. The entire street
floor was used as a retail salesroom
and a portion of the second floor was
also occupied by Smith & Co. as sales
rooms for hats. clothing, etc. The
Smith store was the largest Of the kind
in the city and the stock destroyed in
the fire is estimated to have been worth
fully s35, 900. Nothing was saved from
the stock save a case of umbrellas
which stood near a door and it is GER
tain that the goods in the store rooms
and retail departments will be total
loss. F. S. Smith & Co. scarry an in
surance of s22,50O on stock.
The Johnson Opera House block was
one OF the most substantial and largest
brick building in Gardiner and was
| quilt by the late Benjamin johnson,
who died in April of last year. The
building is the property Of Mrs. Susan
Johnson, widow of the builder. To
| build a structure like the Opera House
| block at this time would cost easily
! $4,000 The interior of the building is
| Quilted, but the upper portion of the
| Opera house hall and the roof remains
intact. The walls of the building re-
main standing, but the building is con-
| sidered by experts to be almost a total
loss. Mrs. Johnson carries an insur-
ance Of only $4,000 on. the building.
| The Johnson House. the largest hotel
in. the city, was badly damaged by
smoke and water. Several rooms on the
size Of the hotel facing the Opera house