Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-08-04

fined itself principally to the stair
way and the adjoining woodwork. did
it's greatest havoc in the basement.
Here it seemed to have gotten a good
foothold and ate its way along the
beams and rafters of the ceiling. The
curtain, drapery and dry goods de-
partments were in the basement, and
the burning cloth filled the smoke
with a stencil that was almost strang
ling.
The three feet of water in the base
ment of the DeGrouchy store found its
way into the basement of Parents candy
store and to the Walker Clothing Cos.
cellar, doing considerable damage to
each. 1t even went beyond that to the
cellar of Jones pharmacy. where con-
siderable smoke and water damage also
resulted. In fact there were few mer-
chants on the west side of Main street
within SO yards of the Corner store, who
did not in some way suffer from smoke
or water.
AS soon as Chief Berry arrived, he or
dered the deluge set put into operation
on the second floor. The vast amount of
water from this, practically flooded the
first and second floors, which were soon
covered to the depth of eight inches.
After o'clock, the fire was kept almost
within the confines of the basement. Had
the department possessed a cellar pipe,
a large revolving nozzle, worked on the
same principle as a revolving lawn
sprinkler, the fire might have been halted
earlier. But as it was, the men could
not live in the dense smoke in the cellar.
and the water poured into the openings
from above rushed down the stairways.
The flames ate their way along the
! supporting timblers of the ceiling. and
under the heavy weight of the showcases
and furnishings above, gave away about
800 A great roar and crash accompanied
!, the falling in of the floor in the south
west corner of the building. The show
, cases and tables that stood near by slid
down the inclined floor into the roaring
mass with a still greater crash. With
the giving away of the floor in that sec
ton of the store, the pillars that sup
ported the upper floors fell through, leav-
ing no support for the other stories.
8, Great says in the floors told of the i'm
pending dangers and the department
warned those who worked in the store
during the following day, not to trespass
/ in that part or the DulldlnS.
| At $50 Sunday morning, the fire was
practically all out and the fire depart
ment took up all its lines with the excep-
ton of one, which was played on the
+, ruins until half past nine in order to
drown any sparks that might be smoul-
dering.
Although the flames reached but to the
/ head of the stairway on the third floor.
| which is used for work rooms and store
rooms, the intense heat blistered the
woodwork and actually baked the finish
-, ed dresses that hung along the walls or
| the sewing rooms. The fire had not
=, touched them, but they were brown amt
crisp from the heat and fell apart at
/ being touched.
| None of the firemen were seriously in
jured, but several received minor cuts
| from falling and broken glass. Jones OF
| Hose was struck on the arm by piece
| of glass, which cut through his rubber
/ coat and inflicted a deep cash, which
was dressed at a nearby drug store.
An incident that added little TO the
excitement of the affair, was the failing
from the high seat of d truck wagon OF
down at the heels of pair of spil tied
horses. He fell between the animals and
the whiffletrec. They began backing. and
had bystanders not pulled him from in
/ under their hoofs he would have been
| seriously injured.
| All day Sunday. crowds peered in
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