The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-01-24
A $4,000 FIRE IN MONROE.
Bucket Brisades Fight Flames Desperatel

bucket Brfsades Fight Flames Desperately.
MONROE, Jan. IS. Desperate fighting by
tne people of this little village with the time
~ assistance Of many from the neighborink
communities 20 saved q serious conf1agratl0n
tnis AFTERNOON. As it was, q loss Ot $4,000
resulted from blaze which broke out about
ociock 10 the work-rO0m on the second
ND0r OF the building occupied by b. A.
Nye, which building was destroyed with
nearly all its contents, as was the large and
well stocked general store OF Fred L. Palmer
adJolning, towards which the flames were
borne by a brisk wind.
=. several houses close by were on fire at
LINES but the heroric work Of the bucket
brigades confined the principal losses to
THESE two buildings.
Inc Nye building has novelty and mllli-
nary store on the first floor ;alsO the telephone
excnange, with living apartments IN the rear
occupied by Mr.. Nye's family. The second
moor Is used as wOrkroOm for the manufac-
lure OF collins and caskets and show room
for this line of business The fire originated
IN tne work room, supposed by spontaneous
combustion. 1t was discovered by Frank
Nye, Mr. Nye's father, who tried to extn-
guish 1t with hand extinguisher but the
names were too much in earnest, and, fed by
much lnfiammabe matter, soon filled the
place and burst through the windows in
Sheets
Meanwhile the fire alarm was given and
as there was every indication that the fire
Would De serious matter, telephone mes
Sages We're sent out over the several lines
for help. The village has no fire apparatus
of any kind although something of the kind
has long been needed and everybody rushed
TO the scene with buckets and formed lines.
In lew moments the fire had caught on
the store of Fred L. Palmer, which was soon
all in blaze. The people saw that there
was no hope of saving either of the burning
Dull0lnpS and tod thoir offnrtc Op
the house of Edward Averill, which was in
the path of the flames and the key of the
situation.
Time and again the roof caught, the pitch
o0zed from the clapboards and the paint
was charred but the fire fighters won out at
last.
The telephone proved great blessing as
it brought help from every direction. PeO-
pie came from Brooks, Jackson, Newburg,
Winterp0rt and Hon. Albert Peirce headed
crew OF lusty quarrymen from Frankfort
The help from outside was great relief to
the tired and soaked villagers and ultimate
ly saved the village.
MIR. Nye's loss will be about $500 partial
ly covered by insurance. Practically every
thing in the upper part of his place was
burned. The piano and few household
goods were saved. The switchboard and
apparatus in the telephone exchange were
totally destroyed but construction crew
arrived tonight to install a temporary CEN
tral Office in some other place.
The building and stock of F. L. Palmer
were practically a total loss. The safe, a
hogshead of moasses and some of the arti-
cles in the post Office which were in the
store were all that was saved Mr.. Palmer's
loss will aggregate $4,000; partially cover
ed by insurance.
Mr. Averill's house will need considerable
repairing and a number of oLiier buildings
in the vicinity will be showing patched
burned places on the roofs 1t was one of
the most exciting days Monroe has seen for
some time.-Bangor News.
Our Monroe correspondent writes that
Mr.. Nye's loss is about $4,000, with $4,000
insurance, and that Mr.. Palmer's loss is
estimated at $1,000, with insurance of
$4,000. The post office was in the Palmer
store, but the mail and fixtures were saved.
1t is thought the buildings burned will not
be replaced. Five years ago the home OF
H. c. Webber, the Elm House, kept by
Asbury Staples and the house of John
Twombly were burned and never rebuilt, so
that with this last fire there is big gap in
our little village.