The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1910-05-10
LEWIS STABLES
AND TEAMS BURNED
Twenty One Horses and Mules Burned
to Death In Huge Fire This Morn
ing--Loss, Six Thousand DOL
lars Insurance, Three
Thousand.

| AAooSAASt
Undoubtedly the largest and m ost dis
astrOus fire that has visited Cambridge
for number of years, was the one tina
burned the stables of John A. Lewis
Esq, on Muir street, early this morning
in which twenty-one head of valuable
horses and mules were burned to death
and other contents were completely de
stroyed.
The origin Of the fire is unknown. as
Mr.. Lewis stopped in to the stable:
about eleven O'Clock and at that hour
everything seemed to be all right. Mr.
Lewis had attended a meeting of the
directors of the Cambridge Br ok Co.
early in the evening and after the meet
ing had adjourned, went to his offices
in the Commercial building. where he
attended to some personal business,
leaving the office about eleven O'Clock
for home. AS has been his custom for
years, he stopped 10 at the stables to
see that everything was all right and
then went home. Mr.. Robert Acre, who
turns out the lights on Muir street
states that he passed the lane leading
to the stables at a few minutes to one
O'Clock and looking down the lane saw
nothing that indicated that there was
any fire in the stables.
Shortly alter one o'clock, Mr.. Frank
Fountain, who lives on Academy street.
was aroused by the sound of the kick
ing and neighing of the horses, and
smelling smoke, went down stairs into
the back yard of his fathers home
which makes right mp to the stables,
and discovered that the stables were on
fire. He Immediately went upstairs and
partially dressed and hurried down to
the fire engine house and gave the
alarm. In the meantime, Mr.. George
NJ. Phillips, who had been aroused, en-
deavored to get the telephone Office to
give the alarm, but was unable to do so,
and had not Mr.. Fountain gotten to the
VusiuC 90 10 uO uiNi. IL 10
possible that number of the dwellings
in the neighborhood would have been
burned. Within q few minutes after the
sounding of the alarm. the members of
Rescue Fire Company were on the scene
and had their hose out and a number
of atreams playing on the fire, but on
account of the headway which the fire
had made, it was impossible to save
either the building or its contents. The
fremen undoubtedly saved several of
the residences near the scene, as they
were frequently on fire, and had it not
been for the excellent work of the fire.
men large portion of that part of Cam
bridge would undoubtedly have been in
ashes at sum up this morning. The res
idence of Mr.. George M. Phillips was
on fire several times and the whole rear
portion of his home was flooded with
water, notwithstanding which quite
large hole was burned in the roof All
of the outbuildlngs on the property
of Mr.. John A. Fountain, with their
contents, were burned. A storage house
in the rear of Mr.. Oliver Spe'iden's prop.
erty was also(padiy burned.
The fire would probably have gotten
more start than it did had it not been
for the timely assistance rendered by
Mr.. Richard Hughlett, IT., one of whose
teams rushed the engine to the scene,
while another team brought hose and
other fire fighting apparatus, and by
having their apparatus right on the
scene as wanted, the firemen were bet
ter able TO cope with the flames.
The loss to Mr.. Lewis is very severe
one, as the twenty-one head of horses
and mules burned were among the best
in the county. and had been gotten to-
gether by the expenditure not only Of q
large sum of money but much time as
we'll. HIS driving horse, for which he
had refused $3.50, was one of those
burned, and he and his wife were very
much attached to it. Several pairs of
his mules were said to have been worth
more than $500 a pair. All of his har-
ness was lost and he stated this morn
ing that he had not enough harness to
hook up single team. O,e pair of
mules, among he best, had been out
to his farm and had only come to town
last night, it being his intention to
make an early start this morning with q
load of fertilizer for his farm I'll e
carts which were under a shed adjoin ).
ing the stables were saved.
There had been no fire in the stables
since Satur lay night, it being one of the
rules which Mr.. Lewis has always rigid
ly enforced that none of the men en-
ployed by him should smoke around the
stables, and he always kept steady,
reliable man to attend to the stables.
Saturday night he and Mr.. Samuel W.
Linthicum were at the stables and used
the electric lights, this being the last
time that they were used, and Mr.. Lewis
himself turning them off. Yesterday
afternoon his teams were all in and fed