Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-14


building to the extent of about $4,000
all of which is covered by insurance,
Starting from some unknown cause
after midnight, Thursday, in the base
ment in what is called the stock room,
the flames swept upward through the
ventilating shaft in the central section
of the building and finally spread
over the entire third floor, doing is
greatest damage there. Water and
smoke have damaged much that the
flames did not touch, and at the pres
ent time there is a foot of water in the
basement and the upper floors are
gradually being drained. The struc-
ture, which was considered one of the
first high school buildings In the state,
is practically ruined in the interior.
and there is little or no part of it that
has not suffered from fire or water.
On his way home about 1870 A. NJ.
George ID. Meservey, a member of the
city council saw smoke in the base
ment on the North side of the build
ing. He was uncertain whether Il
was merely the escaping of steam or
a small fire. and so went to the fire
station and called out Chemical /, and
a still alarm followed When the fire
men reached the scene they saw that
the fight was going to be a hard one,
and so rang in an alarm from box eli,
calling the entire Central station ap-
paratus The fire was SO far under
way when the first detachment of fire.
men reached the scene that by lis
the flames had crept we'll up into the
building, and a general alarm was sent
in calling Hose and T.
Getting its Roadway in the base
ment in the ventilating shafts which
are about three feet square. the fire
erept up through the middle of the
building. and burned out through the
partitions. doing the greatest damage
TO those rooms nearest the SHAFT
The stock room in the basement
where the fire started adjoins the
boiler room. but there is no indica-
ton that the fire could have come
from the boiler room. This and the
toilet room to the East is a mass Of
eharred woodwork. The girls toilet
room on the main floor is badly burn
ed. and the floor has fallen through
the basement, One of the recitation
rooms adjoins the same wall. and the
floor and front black board in this
are badly burned.
OF the rooms on the second floor
the assembly room, equipped at
cost of about $500 has suffered the
greatest damage. The floors, ceiling,
woodwork, the stage and the scenery
have all been deprived of their value
Recitation rooms on either side of the
path of the flames suffered where the
fire broke through.
When the fire reached the roof. be-
ing unable TO eat its way through at
once it spread out into the laborato-
ries on this floor. which perhaps suf-
fered the greatest damage The chem
ical equipment. the appliances used for
the study of the sciences, the lecture
room, arranged in the form of an am
pitheater. have all been reduced TO
charred ruins, and in almost any COM
partment except those in the extreme
wings one can look out through the
roof. The heavy girders and the cross
beams form the only shelter overhead
and 1t was through this evening, that
gradually grew bigger with ~ sprea i
OF the flames, that the firemen poured
the tons of water that drenched the
interior of the building. and did so
much damage to rooms that were not
touched by fire.
All OF the city fire fighters. out in
fuil force. found one of the toughest
propositions of recent years in irving
to check the spread, but their remark
able work is responsible in a large
sense for the partial preservation of
the building
About 10 streams of water were be-
ing played on the building at one time
The darkness and the smoke within
prevented the men from getting
around a great deal in the halls or
rooms, and when they did so to ex-
unguish blaze, a new gust of flames
would break out in another portion.
James O'Donnell while helping re-
move property from the first floor fell
through an opening into the basement
near where the fire was raging its
worst, but he managed to crawl out
by following the course of a pipe and
his injuries amounted to little save
scorched hand and bruised leg. As
sistant Chief Luke Ivers narrowly
escaped serious injury when the por-
ton of the cement floor that fell
through from the girls toilet room
was at work in the basement.
The sounding of the alarms brought
out good sized crowd from the i'm
mediate neighborhood. and the firemen
were watched with interest in their
attempts to prevent the destruction of
the building that the citizens of the
city had erected at a cost of SIPS 900
The insurance on the structure itself
amounts to 1000 and to $4,000 on the
contents. All of the furniture, appa-
ratus and chemicals ruined will not be
covered by the $4,000. For a fire of its
size it was not at all spectacular. The
flames kept pretty well out of sight
except now and then when they
would break through the roof. Even
after daybreak the fire was still
burning, and it was o'clock before
the firemen felt safe recording the "all
out"
George Meservey, who is member
of the fire department. stayed on duty
throughout the day, and several times
found small patches of flame that
had not been totally extinguished in
the debris. A line Of hose was kept in
the corridor all day. Students, mem
l. q. n 4 q