Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-28
MILL BURNED.
Lumber, Shingles and VAL
liable Machinery Lost.
Hot Box Supposed 10 Be Cause
Of$20,0OO Fire at Randolph.
Fire Department Mas Not Sufficient
Hose to Reach Burning Mill.

St1ONeU DN lire, WHICH, plVNe "oe "Ho">
2.2O Monday Afternoon. A full set OF
valuable machinery and between oo,OGo
and $4,000 extra clear and cedar shin
giles were burned in the mill and the
fire was also communicated TO piles
of long lumber about the mill, but the
greater Part of the piled lumber was
saved The total loss to the firm Will
b., rot far from $4,000. only small
portion of which is covered in the in
surancc on the mill and machinery
held by companies represented locally
by the agency of Josiah Maxcy & sons.
A bell alarm called out the Randolph
fire department. but as there was not
Sulhcient hose to reach from the sup
ply of water to the burning building,
the hand engine was practically use
loss The origin of the fire Is not
known for q certainty. but it is
thought to have originated from hot
box. The burning of the mill will throw
70 men out of employment
The mill is now in operation only
during the forenoon an account of the
small amount of water in the Togus
stream on which it is situated and
Monday forenoon the mill shut down
at II 30. The only men about the mill
when the fire broke out were Benja
min Lambert, who was engaged i'll fiji
ing a saw, Sidney Potter, who was
taking away a load of sawdust from
the rear of the mill. and Joseph Moul-
ton and Walter Arnold, who were pill
ing oyer some lumber. Lambert was
the first man who saw the fire and it
was then bursting out around the
W he e box. He at once notified the 9TH
or men about tho mill and an attempt
was made to eNtinguish the fire with
buckets of water. but it had gained
too much headwav for that method to
avail anything. The Randolph fire de-
partmert was called. but lack of suffi-
Cient quantity of hose rendered it inn
possible for the local department to
do anything.
That the mill was doomed was
foregone conclusion and Joseph Mouh
ton turned his energies to directing
crews of men to remove as much of the
piled lumber as possible from out of
the reach of the flames. while Warren
Moulton made his way across to the
brick building used as an office and
secured the office papers and other
vauables kept there.
All this work was conducted at
great disadvantage as the framework
of the mill and the shingles pileo with
in it made the hottest kind of fire
and those who were working, both cit
liens and firemen. were frequently
Obliged to retreat from the scorching
heat. The walls of the mill finally col
lap@ed and after that the fire began to
die down, making it possible to save
the office building and a considerab BILE
portion of the long lumber. Men were
kept ON guard during the afternoon
ahd evening to see that the fire did not
break out afreSh.
Tha mill was q 2ia story building
90x60 feet and had been rcnaired and
put in good shape this spring at cost
OF $500. IN addition to the large guam
tity Of shingles in the mill not less
than 100000 feet of lumber were piled
in The immediate ncighborhood of the
mill. This lumber caught fire repeated
lN, but only a small nart of it was
burned. as men kept piing it over be-
V"nd the reach of the fire as fast as
they could get at it.
The mill was we'll equipped with ma
cllnary and contained rotary Iath
maChinc, planners, clapbOard machine
two Shingle machines, cutting-up gear,
two cutting off saws, drag saw, haul
ingin gear and filing room machinery,
all of which were destroyed
The mill pond was full of logs and
have to be TRANSPORTED to some other
fn,-, i,I,, l.1:
tional loss to the firm.
The smoke and flames from the
burning mill were seen from the Gar
diner side of the bridge for two or
three minutes before the bell was
sounded in Randolph and as soon as
the size of the clouds of smoke rolling
up were observed there was little
doubt of the location of the fire
Both Joseph and Warren S. Moulton.
the two members of the firm. were in
terviewed by Il Journal reporter in re-
gard to the fire loss and it's origin. Jo-
seph Moulton was unable to give anv
definite figures in regard to the fire
loss and did rot know how much in
SufanCe there WAS on the property, ex-
ccpt that his share of it was uninsured.
He could give no idea as To the origir;
of the fire and only knew that it start
ed in the east end Of the mill near the
dam. Warren S. Moulton placed the
estimate of the loss at over 100000
and emphasized the fact that the mill
pond was full of logs that could only
be disposed of at a loss. Mr. Moulton
had not looked up his policies, but was
of the belief that he did not have over
$1,000. He had no idea how the fire
caught unless it was from a hot box.
1T is understood that there was also a
small insurance on the part of the mill
belonging to the Oliver Moulton es-
tate
The hnrniig OF the Moulton min
takes away from the town of Randolph
tue last place of business owned in
the town itself that er,~'".'~ IN:
ard it is somewhat doubtful if the mill
is ever rebuilt. .A4Mh
The fire in the mill was so well un-
der way when discovered that it is
very doubtful if the mill could have
been saved lad there been sufficient
hose to have reached from the nearest
hvdrant to the MILL but the owners of