Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-22
Il was at home eating supper"

| where did you see the smoke when
You got to the fire?"
The fire was in the shipping run
and the smoke was coming out of the
west end. l saw the blaze coming out
under the caves and ordered the hose
turned on it,
During the time that you have been
employed by the South Gardiner Lun-
Der Co. have you ever seen men going
through the runway smoking?"
II have a number Of times"
Mclaughlin on cross-examination by
Attorney Johnson stated that the night
I Waterman was at the engine room
| when the mill shut down. Witness saw
the shipping run afire when he reach
| ed the spur track. Witness saw no men
around the shipping run when he left
| the mill.
| L. A. Croker Of Pittston testified
| that he looked across the river at about
5.25 on the afternoon of June %, 1907,
and saw smoke in considerable guam
tity coming out of the shipping run
at the South Gardiner ice houses. Wit
ness went to the shore to get a boat
to cross the river but found that it
had been taken.
Adrean Chambers, sawmill laborer in
| the employ of Lawrence Bros. at
South Gardiner, was the next witness.
Witness was in the chamber Of his
house when he first saw the fire. The
fire was in the west end of the ship
ping run. Witness saw no flames on
| the roof of the run. On cross-exami-
nation witness testified that the run
an 10,
sounded.
Mrs Minnie Chambers, wife of Adj
| rean Chambers, testified that when she
first saw the fire it was at the mouth
OF the shipping run and looked like a
bonfire. This was about $40. Home of
witness was about 500 yards from the
shipping run and opposite the pulp
mill
Attorney Johnson-"Who told you
| that was a shipping rum"
Witness-"Who do you suppose?"
:Did you call your husbands atten-
ton to the fire as soon as you saw it?'
II did, and then went down to the
fire. The run was all ablaZe inside
when 7 got there. The fire was in the
end of the run next the ice house.
Mrs. Lizzie Berry of Wolfsboro, N.
H., was the next witness called. Wit
ness was at South Gardiner previous to
June o. 1907. Witness frequently went
to the mill of the South Gardiner Lum-
her Co. with her little boy after the
whistle blew at night TO meet her hus-
band. Frequently saw men pass by
the run and also noticed cigar stubs
and other evidences of smoking.
Witness stood in the door of the
power house of the mill on the after
noon of June 90 before the fire broke
out and saw three men pass by the
run smoking. A few moments later
witness saw smoke coming from the
run and called her husbands attention
to it. Witness stated on cross-eXamina-
ton that the time was $50, mill time.
Her husband previously banked one
of the fires with sawdust and allowed
the other two to go out. There We're
no edgings near the furnace, only a
few old boards.
Alfred Mealy of Carnard street,
South Gardiner, testified mat he was
seated at the supper table when he
heard the fire alarm. The smoke and
fire were coming out from the caves
when he reached the ice houses. Wit
ness helped haul the fire hose. Fire was
in the middle of the shipping run when
witness first saw it.
Attorney Johnson-"How long did 1t
take the fire to reach the ice house?"
Witness-"By the time we got the
hose cart against the side Of the ice
house the fire was coming up on the
side of it."
Court adjourned at this point until
$50 Friday morning.