The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1905-09-14
Another Fire.


broke out about half past nine, Thurs
day evening, and with it the stock of
groceries, feed, produce and farm i'm
plements of K. c. Woodland & Sons.
The building was owned by W c.
Doe and may be considered a total loss;
almost nothing of the Woodland stock or
store furnishings were removed before
the fire and of what remained in the
building comparatively little escaped
destruction.
No one can say how the fire caught.
Mr.. c. F. Woodland and his brother, p
A. Woodland, were in the store in the
evening in company with T. j. Thibo-
deau and A. X, Jewett, and these gentle
men left the building at about 9 o'clock.
there being at that time no suggestion
of fire or anything unusual to attract
their attention. Mr.. Z. r. Woodland has
since been told that the chimney toward
the easterly end of the store was seen to
be burning out at about half past eight,
but they saw nothing OF ii either within
the building or as they came out to 20
home.
At about 10 Wendall Atwood, sales
man for W. f. Robbins, was on Water
street, near the railroad crossing Look
ing over through the railroad yard he
saw smoke and sparks at the end of the
Woodland store. He started in that d.
rection but before going far became
convinced that the trouble was serious
and 30 turned back to the postoffice and
rung the alarm. Willis Malbon, an en-
ploye of the Woodland & Sons, was among
the first to arrive at the scene of the fire.
He states that IL ere was considerable
fire in the cellar when he first saw it.
But few minutes later c. F. Woodland,
having heard the alarm, arrived at the
store. He went in through the front
rooms of the building and down cellar,
and broke open an oil tank to avoid the
danger of an explosion. He found
plenty of smoke but little or no fire in
the rooms through which he passed or
in the cellar, but he did observe at the
time that there was fire in the part of
OF the building devoted to a grain room
and store house, his impression being
that it was on the second floor. Other
witnesses who were early on the ground
have varying recolections, and the
whole matter, 30 far as the origin or
early location of the fire is concerned is
very cor fusing.
1t has been stated that at previous
fires too many lines of hose have been
laid, making such draft upon the City
Water system as to account in part for
the lack of pressure noted. In the pre-.
sent instance at least no such mistake
was made, as four streams only from the
hydrants were used and the result was
very satisfactory. Right here it may be
stated that the pressure gage at the Fire
Station showed rs pounds, indicating
practically full standpipe. and this was
maintained throughout the fire. There
were two streams from the steamer
which were very useful and one from
the Corporation force pump which show
ed all the pressure that could ever be
desired. A hose without nozzel connect.
ed with the force pump main was also
used to keep the cistern full for the use
of the steamer, thus relieving the water
system of one load that it has commonly
been called upon to carry and proving
much the best arrangement. The Wood
ard store is closely surrounded by wood
en- buildings on all sides except that of
the railroad yard and 1t is favorable
commentary on the water pressure and
the work of the fire department that
none of these nearby structures were
injured.
The most spectacular thing about the
fire was the rescuing of the freight cars
from the tracks in the vicinity of the
burning building. Some of these cars
were smoking and almost ready to burst
into blaze when the locomotive came
over from the round house to take them
to safer locality
There was $500 Insurance on the
building, W. c. Doe, the owner, had
household goods to the value of several
hundred dollars stored in the attic on
which he had no insurance.
X, Woodland & Sons had a stock
occupying every part of the thirty. three
thousand feet of floor space in their
warerooms, grain room and cellar. They
estimate their loss at not far from
thirteen to fifteen thousand dollars. On
this they had $4,000 insurance There
were four families living in the overhead
tenements: William Bergman, Bert
Cole, {. W, Davis and HaI thy Pomeroy.
They had just time to escape from the
building losing practica ly verything in
the way of household goods and person.
al effects, upon which there was no III
surance.
An adjustment of the loss on the
stock of X. c. Woodland & Sons has
been fl cted between them and the it,
surance companies, the amount being
80 $50. The fact that the insurance was
divided to cover several departments,
on some OF which there was a consider
able salvage, accounts for the full face
OF the policies not being paid. A
hnard of annrniapra L. now making O N