Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-29
BANGOR NEWS PLANT BURNS.
Continued from Page One.)

| fdIneS.
There are several light wires there,
and according to the employees at the
News the fire apparently caught from
some defect in the wiring.
He was powerless to check the
| flames and he hurried to the rooms
above where there were one or two
men in the building. j. Q. White
more, the assistant city editor. was
| just completing his work and had
barely time to slip into his coat and
leave the building. He had no time
to take anything from his desk so
rapidly did the flames advance.
Two Mems Narrow Escapes.
On the upper floors Fred Lowe and
| Henry Welch, compositor, were at
| work. The building was filled with
! dense black smoke when they got the
alarm, and it was only with difficulty
| that they were able to find their way
down the narrow stairways TO the
street. They were obliged to cover
their faces with cloth to keep the
| heavy smoke from penetrating their
| lungs and overcoming them
It is said that the alarm was rung
| in by a man who stepped into the
counting room of the Daily News to
purchase the morning paper. lie saw
the flame and smoke and rushed Tor
Box Is. the nearest to the scene, ana
II was not long after that the depart
ment were ON hand.
The fire spread with lightning like ra-
pidity From the press room to the COM
nosine room at the top of the building
there is an elevator chute through which
the forms were sent down. The sheath-
ing and wood in the press room was wei
soaked In oil from the machinery and the
fire filled the room in no time at all. Ihen
the elevator chute acted as hue ana
drew the fire to the top of the building
where it spread in both directions. Whea
the firemen first arrived it seemed TO
be confined to the basement but 1t was
not five minutes before it was general
throughout the top of the building, where
the composing room and art department
of the plant were located.
In one part of the composing room there
were the mailing lists of the publication
in type, and line of hose was placed
at once through a window near which
they were stored and prevented them
from being destroyed. The lists were
them was appreciated by the manage
ment of the paper.
On the arrival of the chief of the fire
department he directed two lines OF hose
into the basement from the front ana
sent a crew TO the rear of the building
where the blaze in the press room was
reached.
Used the Water Tower.
The second alarm was sent in and the
aerial truck was put in place in front OF
the building After the wires were cut
II was raised and then a steamer line
was attached to the water tower ana Tor
a time water was poured directly into
the top of the building from the tower
at the rate of 500 gallons a minute. The
deck gun on Hose wagon was brought
into play and 800 gallons minute was
thrown from that. The city's water
mains In this section are large and the
water pressure on all lines was excel
lent. r. 3at
Two of the old reservoirs fer the pur-
poses were put into use, steamers work
ing at one time on Hancock ard French
streets and on York street. The former
caved in about a year ago, ana II cost
the city considerable money to NIX 1t SO
that it could be used again, but in the
fire Wednesday morning it repaid what
ever was laid out on 1t, as the steamers
were able to work directly from 1t with
a great deal of efficiency.
In the building the Daily News occu-
pied the first floor with its counting and
editorial rooms with the exception OF
small portion occupied by c. Makan-
mas fruit store. The second floor was
taken by Ira Joy, the printer, and W.
II. Earle. The remaining two floors
above were used by the News plant.
In the building south of the one which
was burned the C.. Fl. Glass Co. occupied
| three floors while Kendall & Winch and
the l.. C. Smith Typewriter Co. had the
| first floor stores This building is owned
| by the Hinckley heirs
Fire broke through the fire wall be-
! tween the two just once, and was held
by the use of chemicals. although a line
| of hose was taken into the building and
| held In readiness In case that it should
| break out more seriously.
| In the basement and on the very top
floor the flremen had the hardest
fight. They were working against
heavy sheathing in the basement that
held the fire between it and the floor,
and the room was flooded to depth
of nearly two feet SO that the men
were working in water over their
knees. They were wet and cold all OF
the time, but stuck to it and after two
hours were rewarded for their efforts.
In one portion of the basement new
carload of paper for the press had
lust been put in, which was valued
at about $500. This and the other
paper on hand was destroyed by both
4 fire and water.
The fire got into the roof and cor
nice and broke through in several
places. a large crew Of men working
on the roof must of the time trying to
| drown 1t out.
The back Of the building was the
original pitch roof, while the front
had been squared and there We're sew
/ eral bad places that made it hard for
the firemen to get at the flames ana
| extinguish them.
| r,s .,oo~+cr;al staff and the others