Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-06-29
FIRE ladies
ARE COMMENDED
FOR GOOD WORK


morning. looked around. pinched it.
self and then wondered how 1t hap
pened that the city was still here. Then
everyone united in a unanimous re-
solve that IL was due to two things,
splendid work by Chief Berry and his
firemcn and good luck that there was
SO much rain that everything was
wet down. When people came out OF
their houses half a mile from the scene
found half burned shingles and great
pieces of board in their yards and
when the walks as they went along
were covered with cinders and pieces
~ shingles. they commenced to real
lie how narrow had been the escape
of the city from destruction. Only the
fact that there was absolutely no wind
and that the roofs and lawns were
wet saved a great conflagration. The
men Of the department came in for a
great deal of praise during the day.
That they were able to stop a fire
without its taking at least one more
building, when large wooden struc-
lures like the Silver theatre and the
extension Of store on Main street
we're so near. shows that they went
in where the fire was hottest and did
yoeman service. Wednesday morning
il was discovered that in the hurry
Of getting the horses out one horse
had been overlooked and his remains
were found in the basement OF the
building. A large number Of wagons
and sleighs were also lost, the entire
equipment Of the Atherton Furniture
Co of this city being burned, an ex-
press wagon belonging to the Reding-
ton Co and a number Of other sleighs
and wagons. In the Morrison Motor
co. block a number Of Ford cars were
damaged by fire which got through
the window frames. The glass in the
windows were of the wire glass type
and II stood the fire but the wooden
window frames burned out aroudn
them and in this way the fire got into
the storage part Of the Morrison Co.
and damaged the cars. The fire caught
several times on the roof Of the Silver
theatre and the water ran down
through the building. running the pia-
no and wettings things down badly.
The store Of the Atlantic & Pacific Tea
60. was also somewhat damaged by
smoke and water and that Of Frank
Kirschner also suffered in like way.
The Steward e. Marston plumbing
shop suffered a little also. while some
OF the other buildings in the near vi
cinity were scorched. IT was undoubt-
edly the hottest fire that the firemen
of the city have been called upon to
fight for long time. When the alarm
OF the fire station said that he watch
ed the teams come out and then as
they swung down the street ran along
to Main street and as he looked down
the street the flames were going high
in the air Much praise Is also heard
for the watchman of the Lockwood Co.
who sounded the alarm from the mill
box and rang the mill bell calling out
the private department Of the COM
pany which did good work in wetting
down the houses of the company on
Kennebec street. and also turned two
lines of hose on the fire when they had
the houses there out Of danger and
assisted materially in beating it down.
A feature Of the fire was the splendid
water pressure. nine lines Of hose be-
ing on the fire for nearly two hours and
all going practically all the time and
there was not the slightest drop off
in the amount Of water that was COM
ing through them. 1t was a combina
tion OF good luck and ability that saw
ed the city and everyone is congrat-
ulating every one else that Waterville
is standing today and that another
dangerous fire trap has been removed
from the city.