Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-03-30
Maxim Block Damaged by Fire.
SEVERAL OCCUPANTS ALSO SUFFER, AND
THE TOTAL LOSS IS THOUSANDS.

SEVERAL OCCUPANTS ALSO SUFFER, AND
THE TOTAL LOSS IS THOUSANDS.
Fire in Maxim Block, on Market
Square, South Paris, Tuesday evening,
burned extensively In the interior of the
building at the rear, and the total dam
age by fire. smoke and water, to the
building and its contents, Is variously
estimated from four or five thousand
dollars up.
The fire caused q vast volume Of
smoke, but only one small blaze broke
through to the outside Of the building,
the burning being principally in the
partitions and between ceiling and roof
timbers. Some Of the partitions were
burned down about to the studding.
Maxim Block is q steel front wooden
building, three stories high in the fronr,
and two stories in the rear, with fiat
gravel roofs, owned by Silas P. Maxim
and his sons, Myron W. and 8. Sanger
On the ground floor were the sporting
goods store and automobile repair shop
of NJ. W. Maxim, and the Blue Store Of
the clothing firm F. Fl. Noyes Co. On
the second floor were the law offices OF
Alton e. Wheeler, and two tenements
were occupied respectively by George
W. Mckinley and n. R. Bachelor. Mrs.
Carrie Briggs also had tenement in the
building, but was not there, having been
for some time in st. Johnsbury, Vt. Her
SOD, Frank A. Briggs, who is travelling,
had been 10 this vicinity for time and
while here lodged in the tenement, but
had gone away day or two before the
fire.
1t was about 1885 Tuesday evening
W hen the fire was discovered, in the part
occupied by the Mckinley family. All
the members of the family were out tenn
porarily. One of the boya, who had
been expecting Gustave Porter to come
in and spend part of the evening with
him, went out and found Gustave, and
the two boys coming in together found
the rooms filled with smoke. They
quickly gave the alarm, and shortly
afterward the bell of the Congregational
church, and a minute or so later the toy
factory whistle, called out the depart
meut.
The fire as found by the first Corners
was back of the range in the kitchen,
and had partially burned the wood box,
which stood between the stove and the
wall, and the woodwork above the box.
An attempt was made to fight it with
chemical extinguisbers, and Sanger Max
i'm, who crawled in on the floor under
the smoke and emptied an extinguisher,
is of the opinion that if he had had an
other for immediate use, he could have
checked the fire before it got into the
partition. But he had none there, and
the fire was soon burning in the partl-
tions, and smoke was pouring out all
over the top of the building.
Two lines of hose were laid to the rear
of the building, one being carried on to
the roof, and the other to the piazza on
the second flor. One line was laid up
the front stairs, and other lines guarded
the front of the building. A large
quantity of water was poured from the
several MOBILES, but it was we'll towards
nine O'Clock before the fire was all out.
A number of holes were cut in the roofs,
but those in the three-story part proved
to have been unnecessary, as there was
no fire in that part of the building,
though the smoke which poured from
every crevice justified the suspicion to
the contrary.
The stock of clothing and furnishings
of the r. Il. Noyes Co. was carried out
by the crowd, though considerable
quantity of water ran down through the
sheathed ceiling in the rear part OF the
store before the goods were moved. A
portion of the stock of NJ. w. Maxim,
bicycles, guns, ammunition, etc, was
moved, though less water came into bis
front room than any other part of the
building. From Alton c. Wheeler's
offices the books, papers, and most OF
the furniture except some OF the largest
bookcases, were moved to the store of
the n. Dayton Bolster Co. A portion OF
the household goods of the Bachelors
were got out. Nothing was got out Of
the Mckinley tenement, and the goods
were badly damaged, some by fire but
mainly by water. A number Of automo-
biles, which were stored in the stalls at
the rear of the block, were got out by
their owners, but as it proved they were
never in danger.
There was no insurance on the Bachel-
der's goods, and only a small amount on
the McGiuleys' goods. The other losers
were insured.
Wednesday morning, it being found
that the rooms occupied by Mr.. Wheeler
had suffered only very slightly from
smoke and very little more from water,
his library and furniture were moved
back, and he continued in possession.
Mr.. Wheeler was in Augusta the night
of the fire, but returned the next morn
ing.
The stock of the Blue Store was stor-
ed for the night, part of in in the store
of W. o. rockingham, and the rest in
the piano rooms of w. j. Wheeler. On
Friday the stock was put into a va
cant store in the new Maxim block on
Pine Street, and the business is carried
ON there temporarily. NJ. W. Maxim
still continues in his quarters, though
his workshop was badly wet down.
Fire seems'to DO following the McGin-
leys. In the fire of last April, when
Maxim's mill burned, they were occupy
ing tenement in the Briggs house,
portion of which was burned, and had to
move out in a hurry, with damage to
their goods.