Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-15

day, September l.. 1865, which swep;
clean both sides of Water street. from
Winthrop TO Bridge. consuming over ST
buildings and causing Il loss OF over
half n million of dollars. The confia-
grafton may have been i blessing il
| Disguise. for over the smoking ruin:
| began to grow the substantial and at
Inactive lines of buildings that make
| the Water street OF today the mos;
| beautiful business street of any city
Of equal size in New England; but al
that tine the disguise of the blessing
| was very eifactual. and the deepest
| gloon and sorrow hung over the DESC
lated city.
The fire originated in q new and I'M
occupied tWO-story wooden building
owned by Or. II. II. Hill, on the east
side Of Water street, just above the
| foot of Oak street. The adjoining
building on tho south. also just erected
curing the summer Of 1865, was occu-
pied as a store and dwelling By Wade
| Chase, and at about ; O'Clock on the
| morning of Sunday, September Il. Mr.
chase was aroused by smoke and the
| light pf fire from the rear of the Hill
| building. The alarm was at once given
and the sleeping city awakened.
| \ row of wooden buildings extended
! up ana down the street from the burn
| ing building. and in this the fire rap
idly spread. The now steam fire en-
CINE Cushnoc, just purchased by tie
city and never used at a fire. Was
| placed upon Nose wharf. just iii the
rear of the Fill building, and the as
sembied crowd felt confident that VITA
| its powerful aid the fire would be easily
subdUed. But everything was dry from
q severe drouth that had prevailed for
many weeks. and Il strong wind blow
| ing from the southeast WAS most fav-
orable for spreading the cOnflaGration
| There was a hollow space beneath
the wooden sidewalk before the build
| ings on the east side of the street, ami
running along under this the flames
set fire almost simultaneously to the
entire row. Many who We're removing
| goods from stores We're surprised by
sheets of flames bursting up through
the walk, over which with no little
danger they made hurried escapes.
| Tine hose that were laid to guard the
west side of the street We're old and
weak and soon burst, while the flames
al once crossed the street and spread
| up ana down that side
The flames increased, rolling on and
roaring in triumphant progress from
| BUILDING TO building, until the terrible
! fear took possession of the crowd that
| the whole city was doomed 10 destruc-
ton. On the east side OF the street tn.
fierce flames quickly swept through the
wooden buildings to Market square,
but advanced more slowly up the other
way through the brick blocks. The
wooden buildings on the west side of
the street from Oak street to Marker
square and the continuous blocks OF
brick buildings from Oak to Bridge
were in full blaze. Moreover the fire
was advancing up Winthrop and Oak
streets, burning the new depot and
threatening the whole city upon the
hill. Or winthrop street the fire
stopped of its own accord after pass-
ing Diclxnian place, and on Oak street
it was stopped by covering the roof
and side of a house with carpets kent
wet by passing pals of water.
The interest now centered upon tn,
covered. Kennebec bridge and the
buildings at its western end. Here the
Cushnoc engine, which for time had
been rendered useless by the intense