Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-29
TURNER FOREST.
FIRE AGAIN BURNS
MUCH LUMBER


Auburn. Me, May 2S.-The smoul-
dering of the fire which destroyed a
million feet o: pine lumber on the
Turner road Wednesday afternoon,
was famed to life by the stiff breeze
Thursday morning and as result the
fire swept ahead for distance of
quarter of mile and mile in width.
1t had gone as far as the Auburn
Springs school house neighborhood and
at O'Clock the houses in this district
We're not entirely out of danger. o.
This second fire has taken more OF
the lumber owned by Potter & Ken
nett. There was estimated TO have
been $50 900 worth of pine boards yard
ed in three piles. The largest pile
went Wednesday afternoon. On Thurs?
day morning a second pile was de-
stroyed. What remains is that in the
smallest pile the estimated value of
which is about $4,000.
Large crews are at work ploughing
and in other ways trying to head off
the flames.
The fires are scattered and small,
which requires the splitting up of the
crews. The flames sweep was headed
toward the c. E. Waterman buildings,
the welI-known milkman, who has
large herd of Holstein cattle. This is
in front of the c. w. Allen house and
when the fire went past that point the
Allen house caught several times, but
each time the blaze was successfully
extinguished. =
The Frank Marsh place was also
set afire, but was saved.
In its sweep it went across the G,
H. Dillingham; tract of about 30
acres all standing timber. Mr.. Dill
lingham has not yet estimated his
loss. He also lost several cords of
wood
Help Was Called
AS soon as the people in the neigh
borhood of the fire discovered Thurs
day that the strong wind was tanning
the fire into new life word was tele-
phoned to Chief Merrill at the Auburn
central fire station. He Immediately
sounded the chiefs call. This was $50
o'clock.
A crew of firemen was Immediately
dispatched in an automobile and in
a short time a second crew went and
then the auto truck was sent out with
it's regular crew, as the word came in
that the fire was assuming greater
proportions
AS a result of the fire traffic on the
Turner division of the L., A. W.,
was DELAYED. The situation along the
line was such that officials of the road
deemed it advisable to send the big
sprinkler car up over the line to wet
down.
-
then went to the standing pine and
hemIock and these trees began to go
like torches. This grove leads up to
road which goes from the Turner
road to the river at right angles ana
it did not seem that the fire could
cross the road, but before this road
was reached comes the Frank Nash
house which seems to be in greater
danger than any other except Il store
house in the very edge of the grove
owned by C. E. Waterman. The c. e.
Waterman buildings and the Lester
Rose buildings are also along this
road. hut further from the grove than
the Nash house.
Fred Sands of the Auburn fire de-
partment was in charge of the crews
in this section but their work seemed
to be fruitless as far as the grove
was concerned.
A camp some distance below this,
owned by c. A. Knowlton, was burn
ed but Mr. Knowlton did not attach
much value to 1t, and feels that
greater loss is in seven cords of wood
further up the road. Near the KNOWN
ton camp $4,000 feet of pine, hemlock
and spruce logs which were cut dur
ing the winter are on fire.
While, at o'clock Thursday after
noon, it could not be said that the
fire was under control, because of the
manner in which it was acting the
men were making a desperate effort
to subdue the flames. They were US
ing chemicals with marked effect and
the burrows which were being plow-
ed through the woods and across the
open spaces were expected to prove
effective.
Owing to the high wind the diff
Guilty of fighting the fire was increas-
ed. Just as they would subdue the
flames at one point the wind would
fan them into a brisk blaze at an
other
At that time it seemed that the
swamp, which it had been expected
would prove a barrier to the fire. had
failed and the fire was working it's
way across that lot. It did seem then,
as though the pine grove, mentioned
above as being threatened at o'clock,