The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1909-01-14
Echoes of the Fire.

There has been an immense amount
of activity among the owners of the
buildings burned in the recent fire
and the business men who have been
compelled to change their locations
and plans by reason thereof. Plans
for building are maturing and in some
cases construction work has already
been entered upon. The traders eff
fected by the conflagration are con-
Quoting fire sales to dispose of their
stocks or TO reduce them to proper
tions where repairs and changes may
be more conveniently carried on.
The foundations and the walls now
standing, as far as practicable, of the
Hotel Oxford block are to be utilized
in the new structure. The building
will, therefore be of the same dimen-
tions as the former one, but the
wooden annex at the rear will not be
rebuilt for the present. When that
portion is put up, the owner an
nounces, that it will not be of wood
but of brick to conform to the other
portions of the building. Work was
commenced i'm nediately after the
fire on the principal structure and
will be pushed with all possible speed.
Mr.. Gould purposes to have the
Buchanan drug store ready for ito
| former tenant by May LIST. The new
/ building will be three stories in height
and this tact would indicate that the
upper floor and probably the chief
portion of the second floor will be
devoted to hotel purposes as former
ly.
at work clearing the Milburn block
/ lot. They will utilize the bricks taken
out in rebuilding their store house
aud think they will have from this
source all that they require. The
storehouse will be thirty five by
i forty feet, two stories in height and
with basement below the general
/ lot level. John Reilly will reestablish
! his bottling works as soon as the
building is ready for him and Mr..
Morrison will provide himself quar-
tiers in this structure for his Oriental
Rug Works. April LIST is suggested
as the date when it will be ready for
occupancy and some portions of IL
may be utilized before that time.
A crew, direct from the Boston Of
flee of the Pittsburg Plate Glass
Company bave been in town all the
week, replacing the large windows
broken by the dynamite explosion.
They have been in business for long
time and have worked in most OF the
towns and cities of New England.
They state that they never before
found a town with as much glass
broken at as widely separated points,
as in the present instance.
There were about sixteen safes in
the buildings destroyed and all of
them seem to have preserved their
contents nicely. An insurance ad
justor who was present when the
door of one Of them was opened call
ed attention to the danger of letting
in the air too quickly. His observa-
servations on the matter are wortC
repeating as they might serve to eau
ton someone else in similar situa-
ton. AS he explains it, the contents
of safe is preserved from burning,
even though it may get very hot,
largely because there is little or no
air present to sustain combustion. If
the safe is opened while the interior
IL still in a heated condition, the
| books and papers are liable to burst
| into flames or crumble in Drowned
or blackend fragments, as soon as the
air strikes them, while II left until
entirely cool no such unfortunate re-
suit is likely to take place.