Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-29
Goes With Fire at Frank
O'Connor's junk Store.
Safe in Parrot Co.'S. Grain
Store Tempered With.
The Fire CUTS Junk SioFe...coyered
BY Insurance..


last evening at 1.3S, by an alarm from
box 30 at the railroad bridge, which
was due to the discovery of a brisk
blaze in the old Salvation Army bar
racks building. owned and occupied by
Francis J. O'Connor for a junk shop,
and located on the west side of Water
street Just north of the PARROT grain
store.
The building in which the fire start
cd was a frame structure and was
| filled with WOODEN rags and paper, the
latter burning like finder, and it was
but few moments before the whole
interior Of the building was seething
| furnace. There was not over three feet
between the burning building and the
PARROT building, and had it not been
| that the air was still and that the
| fremen kept the latter building
| drenched with water there il no know
| ing where the fire would have been
stopped.
Just north of the junk shop there is
| another small building said to be
| owned by the Edwards Co., in which
LIr. O'Connor kept his old metal, and
to this the flames We're soon commune
Gated. but by keeping Il stream of wat
err at work upon it the greater portion
of the building was saved, although the
south size of it was badly burned.
! Up in the pit" so-called and on a
spur track of the Maine Central which
ran in behind the Parrot building. was
q string of freight cars, some of them
| loaded with grain. and as the fire was
the fiercest on the west side of the
burning structure these cars and their
contents were in great danger of being
| destroyed. They got so hot that they
smoked. but the firemen kept them wet
| theln out of danger.
The fire was under control by 9.45, but
the firemen had to work late into the
night before it was safe to leave the
ruin. the all out being rung in at I'LL.
At about $50 one corner Of the
Parrott building caught fire, but there
| was plenty of water and good pres
| sure and the flame was quickly killed
cut. The end of the latter building was
subjected to great heat, and there will
tie some damage on account of blistered
paint, but it will be small. and the fire.
rlen certainly did good work in saving
the building.
The cause Of the fire is at present a
problem that has not been solved, al
though there are features connected
| with it that point to ircendiary origin.
The rear of the building was burned
much worse than the front, which may
lhaye been due to the fact that the fire
oririnated there, or that the front be-
ling more easily reached was thus pre-
vented from burning. Mr.. OConnOr was
seen during the fire and stated that he
loft the building at AS, and at that
ltime everything was all right. with no
fire in the building except that in the
office stove.
| It was impossible to get an accurate
estimate on the losses last night. That
On the building may be about $1,000. and
this with the loss on the stock and on
the smaller building may figure VI
something like $4,000. Mr.. OConnor had
$500 insurance on the building and $500
on the fixtures and stock baled and
ready for shipment the risks being car
Tried in the agency of Henry A. Heath
But the fire was not the whole of the
story, for it was the means of bringing
10 light the fact that a burglary had
|
and had it not been for the fire break
ling out just as it did, the thief OF
tnicves might have been successful.
Among the early arrivals at the fire
vas a. w. Brooks of the PARROT Co.
who on learning where the fire was had
hurried to the Office and on entering
was surprised to find that the safe had
Iean tempered with. The combination
and one of the handles of the safe
which is big one, had been Wrencheo
off and were laid uron the desk enc
an attempt had been MADE to wrencf
off the other handle, but was unsuc
cessful. 1t was impossible to open the
| safe. and il could not be told las
| night whether the thieves had gained
| an entrance to it or not, but 1t was
thought not. If they had there was bu
little in the safe aside from som'
checks, as the company deposits every
day.
Mr.. Brooks promptly reported tn
break to Marshal Donovan and that 81
! fetal at once went to work on the mat
49, ,,;ll Al hic hest to llnraVei 1t