Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-21


which you caught set any fires that
day."
Witness mot that l know Of"
Attorney Heath-"Why did you look
at your watch when you heard the fire
alarm?''
Witness-"I wanted to know for sure
what time the alarm was sounded.
Attorney Hcatll--"Do you know that
your watch was right"
Witness-"Yes. sir
Attorney Heath-"How do YOU
know"
Witness-"Because l had the watch
tested at Gardiner that evening"
Attorney Heath-"Have Won ever
seen cinder set fire to a building?"
Witness-'I don't know that / have"
Walter Z. Mansir of Pittston testi-
fled that in June. 1907 he was in the
employ of the American Ice Co. at the
Independent house and was also in the
employ of the company at the time of
the ice house fire. He saw the shin
ping run of the house on fire The wind
was from the south and the smoke was
going up river. He did not particular
ly notice but he should saw that the
fire happened between $50 and 80
o'clock in the afternoon. He was Will,
the previous witness, Mr.. HALEY. one
day when he caught cnders which
came from the smoke stack of the
South Gardiner Lumber Co. The Wit
ness also caught some cinders and
they came from the Lumber Company's
smoke stack.
On cross-eXamination by Attorney
Heath the witness testified that when
he caught the cinders the mill was in
full operation.
George l.. Cults of Pittston testi-
fled that he was employed by the
American Ice Co. at the Shutdown
houses at the time that the Great Falls
ice house was burned. He was at
Pttston at the time of the fire and his
attention was attracted to it by the
whistle. He saw that the run of the
house was on fire and the wind blew
the smoke northeast, in his estimation
Loring c. Ballard of Farmingdale,
Maine manager of the American Ice
Co, testified as to the character of the
houses and the loss to the company
by the fire. He had seen cinders on
number of occasions in the vicinity
of the ice house which he had reason
to believe came from the defendants
plant
A letter was introduced from the
South Gardiner Lumber CO. to Mr.
Ballard, saying that there was dam
ger from fires and asking if something
could not be done to protect the de-
PENDANTS property as their own build
ingS mad caught several times.
A copy of a letter sent by Mr.. Bal
lard to the defendant company warn
ing it of the danger of fires was also
introduced by Attorney johnson.
On cross-eXamination by Attorney Hes
elton the witness testified that the ice
house and its contents could be sold for
$4,000 under certain conditions
Attorney Heselton-'A Artificial ice had
cut into the sale of natural ice in 1907 at
the time of this fire, had it not?''
Witness-"Yes, that is common knowl-
edge
Hasn't artificial ice greatly deprecated
the value of ice property in Maine?"
'It has"
Didn't this depreciation stop the build
ing of new ice houses in Maine?'
1T is true that no houses have been
built by the American Ice Company for
some years"
Haven't you allowed houses opposite
the house that was burned to rot down
and decay?"
Yes the south stack"
Haven't there been parts of the Smith
have collapsed for want of repairs?"
Yes. stacks
HAS there been any ice house on the
Kennebec river owned by the American
Ice Company which has been allowed to
collapse since 1902"
NO permanent houses"
''The John Hancock house in Pittston
which was burned, was never rebuilt, was
it?'
mo, SIR
1.-The Nahumkeag house went down and
that never was rebuilt, was it,"
mo. SIR
''And there are other houses on the
Kennebec river which were burned or
fell down. and these have never been re-
built, have they?"
mo, SIR
Does the American Ice Company now
own any steamer for the transportation
of ce?'
Il don't know, as | have nothing to do
with that branch of the business"
"As matter of fact, artificial ice IS pre-
ferred by the consumer to natural ice,
is it not?"
Yes, by some.'
Can you tell how much the various
processes have reduced the sale of ice
in Maine since 1902"
mo. I cannot. but it has reduced the
sales somewhat"
when did you inspect this ice house
before the fire."
II usually inspected all the houses
about once month.
What was the condition of these houses
when you visited theme
THE north houses We're in good condi-
ton while the south houses were in not
as good shape
Mr.. Ballard was on the stand on re-
direct examination until $50 o'clock
Thursday morning.
Edward Haddigan of Gardiner. Isaac
keene of Augusta and Joseph Blair Of