Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-27

heap fire evidently having been blown
there. They alighted in some barrel
ed resin which is used for sizing in
the manufacture of paper. The vol
unteer fire department composed of
workmen in the mill got busy with
what there is TO work with in the way
of fire-tighting apparatus and did
some very effective work, but 1t soon
became evident that the blaze was
more than they could handle
A spur track of the Maine Central
railroad runs under shelter of the mill
and here were several freight cars, a
part of which were filled with paper.
Several of the empty cars We're moved
away. but five loaded ones caught fire
and the cars and their contents were.
destroyed. this representing a loss of
about $4,000
The large paper making machine
which turned out a sheet measuring
156 inches in width, one of the most
modern type on the market. was in
cludeG in The list of property that was
consumed by the flames
The frame work of the building
where the greatest fire was confined
was of wood. cement and steel con-
struction and after the fire had swept
away the interior of the building the
walls and the cement structure re-
manned standing as though nothing
had happened
The alarm was sounded on the mill
whistle at IL o'clock and at 1880 IA
telephone call was sent to Westbrook
and Portland for assistance in putting
out the fire. No reply was received
from Westbrook, but Chief Flaherty.
who had just sent in the all out for
the fire on Bramhall street, pulled an
alarm from Box ST, which was preeed ;
ed by two threes. the signal for an out
of-town fire. This called engine and
the chief directed their apparatus to
respond To the call
A train was made up and the engine
loaded on and several hundred men
and boys who gathered at the scene
at the sounding of the alarm, attempt
ed to board the train. and Chief Fla
herty and his men were bothered n
great deal by the bystanders. many of
whom refused to leave the train. Chief
Flailerty sent a call to police head
quarters and Capt. McDonough sent a
half dozen officers. who quickly dis
persed the crowd and the special train
proceeded on its way to South Wind
ham. going over the Mountain divfs-
ion of the Maine Central railroad
& Engine 3 and Hose 3 arrived at [. 20
and were stationed on the bridge and
at once Sot to work pumping a power
full stream from the river which did
effective work. The progress of the
fire was soon checked and the danger
to the old section of the mill was
soon over and as result of the work
done by the fire fighters only about
50 feet of the old section of the mill
was damaged by fire.
At 2 O'Clock the fire was being con-
fined in the stock house which was a
heavily built structure. The mill en-
ploys about 300 hands working on two
tours and the output was about 70
tons of paper per day.
The people of Windham for the past
six weeks have been agitating the
matter Of organizing a fire fighting
company composed of townspeople
and as a result of this fire it is now
expected that definite action will be!
taken.
General Superintendent Russell Hall
estimates the property to be worth
about 100000 and the loss TO be over
$21s,0o0 on which there was fair in
surance.
The company owns about Is cot
tages some little distance from the
mill but on account of the light winds
these were not endangered by the fly
ing sparks