Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-01-11
STILL THEY COME.
Another Alarm from Box IS
on Water Street.
About $4,000 Damage 10 Buildings
and Their Occupants.
Suspicion That Fircbus Is Now Get
ting in His Work.

| The frequency with which fires are
ing on Water street. is becoming
alarming. and people are beginning TO
wonder where the next one will be. The
tiremen had hardly had time to get
t"hir hose dry after their 12-hour fight
with the consuming element on Thurs
day morning, when they were called
out again, late Saturday afternoon, to
hhtl!" with another fire, within 100
yards of III" seen" of the first, ana
which threatened for Il time to rival it
i'll deStructiveness.
The alarm WAS rung in at IA. from
box 80, at the Granite Bank corner and
was due to the discovery of fire in the
| third story of the brick block owned
| by the Augusta Real Estate Associa-
ton, ana located opposite Hotel North.
The building is occupied on the street
| floor and basement by Chas. IT. Mason.
tailor, AMI on the second floor the
front half is occupied by Miss Lena c.
'ochrane, millincr. and the rear half
by Mrs. Mary Woods. ON the third
floor are two halls. divided by Il par
tItlon running croSSWiSe of the build
ing. The front hall is occupied as a
meeting place by number of labor
unions and the rear hail is the bar
racks Of the Salvation Army. 1t WIS
IN closet i'll the latter hall that The
fire started, and was well under way
whom discovered
Hose /. > ; and the Hook and Lad
der co. quickly responded. and soon
had several streams at work upon the
building. The whole upper part WAS
filed with sitting smoke. and it was
Impossible to get IN the stairs which
lei to TIE apartment where the fire
was burning, and fearing Il repetition
of the scenes Of Thursday morning.
Acting chief Peddcr pulled in the gen
rral alarm at ..23. calling out The IN
tire department.
Owing to the difficulty in getting at
tn" blaze, it gained some Roadway be- |
fore the water reached il, but men were
sent upon the roof. with a line of hose !
where Il hole WAS cut through AMI !
with the aid of those below, the fire !,
WAS confined to the block where it |
started. The liIc did not break through |
the roof, hut practically ruined it, ana |
worked its way almost INTO the upper !
story Of the building occupied by the |
Brooks Hardware Go.
There is but little doubt that the fire !
was 0f mccndiary origin, both from its !
location, and the circumstances sur |
rounding It. The closet where if !
started WAS across the room from tn" !
stove. aud directly over the flight of |
stairs which leads from the second |
floor to th., third There had been no |
fire in The stove for He day, ana if |
"a the room. The door to the hall WAS
not locked. ana anyone might have en- |
tered at any time. had they desired.
\ possible clue to the ORIGIN of the |
fir" may he had in the fact that Miss |
'"rlr;ine saw a stranger 80 up the !
stairs t" the hall twice. Saturday, once |
in the forenoon. and once in the al |
tcrnnon, ard that after he had gone !
out, in the afternoon, sh" smcled |
smoke, which led to the discovery of |
the fire.
The total loss resulting from til" fire !
will Dc about $1,000 which is largely |
from smoke ana waiter. The loss Of |
the building is estimated to be about |
$500, which is covered by insurance. !
e. II. N"s"n's loss will be 5000, with !
- i,hGh Insurance in the agencies of |
Downing. and MdcombCr. Farr & |
Written. Mrs. Mary Woods and Miss |
Lena G. Cochrlnc both suffered from |
water. hut both haN. insurance enough |
to cover the damage, Mrs Woods hay |
ing 500. ANA Miss Cochranc $iG0 The |
Salvation Army claim q loss Of about |
$50, with no insurance. and the occu- |
pants of thu front hall may have Il
small one.
'louaHt & Bates. undcrtakcrG. met |
with quite a heavy loss by having Il
number of fine CaSkets damaged by
water coming down through the wall.
ana also large lot of wall paper,
which was ruined in the same way.
They have not estimated their loss.
but it is covered by an Insurance of
5000. The Brooks Hardware Go. suf
forcd some from smoke and water. and
Thomas Leigh had slight loss by
smoke.
Considering the disadvantage under
which the fircmen labored. they did Il
good piece. OF work in stopping the fire
whore thcy did.