Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-22
Fire al Brunswick Shows
Evidence Of Human Hand.
Desperate Fight by FiEemen
for -Four Hours, Tuesday.
BIazs Started In Two Distinct Parts
Of 6allding--The Damage.

Brunswick. Me. Feb. 21.-tSpeciaD.-
The thousand or more spectators who
turned ont at 2.51 this morning, when
Box Il sounded for a fire in Church
block on the west side of Main street,
shivered and shook for two hours be-
fore anything sensational occurred at
the ire. Up to that time scarcely any
| flame had been seen by those outside
| the building. but shortly before
o'clock heavy explosion of hot air
| in the third story broke all the big
windows in the rooms of the a. c. l.
| Musical Club and the iiames shot 60
| feet out into the street. For the next
| half hour the club rooms were a mass
Of flame and during that time the sky
| was lighted by u burst of fame from
| the rear OF the building. Two hours
MOI. OF hard work on the part of the
| iirc,0cn hal the flames under control
| and al SOL. exactly four hours after
the alarin sounded. Chief Colby pulled
| in The all-out. The fire was by no
| means ont then and number of fire
| men With lines of hose were kept at
! work during the entire morning hours
| II ;:as just 2.1e this morning when
| officer Stetson passed the block on his
way up Main street. At that time ev-
| erything seemed all right. Half an
hour later while talking with Officer
| Fortin III front OF the town building
| both men smclled smoke and started
/ down street to investigate. They
found a brisk fire in progress on the
second fooE Of the block and Officer
| Stctson pulled in the alarm. Kenne
bee Hose co. laid three lines. two from
| the corner of Main and Lincoln streets
| and one from the corner OF Main and
| Dunlap streets, while the Niagara boys
| stretched two lines from the corner Of
| Maine street and Gilman avenue and
| one from the corner Of Main and MIL
| streets. The water pressure was excel
lent and the men stubbornly fought the
| fire. which was running through the
partitions on the second and third
| floors like mad. The trouble came when
| the fire reached a blind attic. where
| the fire was only conquered after the
fre!nen had knocked several holes
| through the brick wall at the NORTH
end of the building. through which
| they pushed the nozzles and played
| under the roof.
| The thousands of gallons of wator
which were used undermined the side
| walk in places in front Of the block
| and the street department; was obliged
| to call it's men out before daylight IL
| make drains for the water and do wlfat
| they could to keep the cave-ins from
| spreading.
| The cause of the fire Is a mystery.
| Many of the firemen believe it was de-
| liberately set. as they say that when they
| made their way into the second story
| they found two. distinct fires blazing. II
would have been possible for the fire TO
| have started in one place and Travelled
under the floors to the second. but owing
| to the character of the two rooms III
/ which the fires were found many think
| that improbable. This is the fifth fire
| in a Main street business block which
| has started during the middle of the
night. which is hard to explain and the
people of Brunswick are beginning to
wonder if they have a firebug in their
| midst.
I The losses and insurance:
| Charles.A. Coombs of Bath and the es-
| tate of Jordan Snow of Brunswick Own-
| ers of Church block. sJO00 covered.
First floor-Harvey J. Given. confec-
| tionery store, $500. covered; ]. W. & y.
Il. Pencil. clothing store. $4,000. 5000;
| Henry c. Smith, variety store (smoke and
| water). $1,000, covered; w. F. Tibbetts.
| furniture stored in Smiths store (srnoke
and water). $500. none. "-f
Second floor-Snow Brothers. tailors
| (smoke and water), 500. none; Direct I'm
porting Co.. teas and spices tsmoke and
| Yater) $5V0. covered; Willie u. Roberts.
law ONCE. $20o. 500; George S. Hackett,
photographer. $3.50. none; L. NJ. Snow.
| furniture. ETC., $500. none.
Third tioor-Silsby & Co.. tents and
awnings. $780, $500: Il. c. Musical Club,
5000. none; *. G. I. L. Club (smoke and
| water), $50, covered.
Other buildngs-Harvey Stetson's Sons.
| furniture (smoke and water), 500, COW
| cred. ---'... .---,---.