The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-01-03
FLAMES DRIVEN BY HIGH WIND THREATEN
SKOWHEGAKS BUSINESS SECTION
Ice Coated Firemen, Working in Temperature
Below Zero, Confine Damage to Garage

ruins and scattered among the wreck
age are twisted remnants of automo-
biles Everything about the place
speaks of disaster, the result of a fire
which occurred early Saturday morn
ing Buildings Immediately adjacent
to the garage also show marks OF
damage, including the furniture store
of Bragg & varney; the Skowhegan
Farmers Union and the store OF F. A.
Wood Thanks may be extended to
those men, who coated with ice and
working in temperature of 10 de-
grees below zero. fought the stubborn
fames thru the long hours OF morning
until late on the afternoon of Satur-
day They put up great fight and
every remembrance OF the fire will
call to mind the manner In which
these men saved property so near the
building destroyed.
Local residents are familiar with
the fire The loss has been estimated
at $4,000; some have set it at a
higher figure but whether or not it
still stands that this fire was q real
disaster for Skowhegan. The Skow-
hegan Garage was a fine building of
Its kind The first floor was OF con-
crete and the ceilings thruout were
covered with metal Everything was
modern and the Garage had become
noted for its service. The Skowhe-
gan Garage Co. were the occupants of
the building. the firm being made up
Of Ralph Tibbetts, Mrs. Ralph Tib-
belts and Loren Sanborn. The sec
ond floor was given over to storage,
and at the time OF the fire was we'll
filled with cars of all descriptions. On
the westerly end of the building was
the public skating rink, in which had
recently been installed an up-to-date
organ, costing 800 and uninsured
The proprietors of the garage owned
one of the cars destroyed and Mr.
Sanborn owned four all of which
were destroyed and were uninsured
One has only to look at the ruins to
see the havoc wrought. Thirty-two
cars were destroyed or partially so;
everything from a Ford to limosine
the same fate.
The building itself was situated
about 40 feet in the rear of the Show
hegan house 1t is the property OF
Tuttle Bros, proprietors of the hotel,
and before being converted into a ga
range was used as a livery stable.
Tuttle Brothers carried an insurance
of $1,000 and the loss Is estimated at
$4,000. The Skowhegan Garage
Cos. loss has been estimated at $751;
900 about half of which is covered
by insurance.
Much of the loss was sustained by
persons who had stored their cars for
the winter in this garage Many of
the machines were not insured and
as storage is always taken at the own
er's risk 1t may be seen that several
suffered pecuniary damages. But one
car was removed from the flames,
that of Mrs Minnie Green; two newly
painted Overland cars and a Ford, the
property Of Pooler & Emery, we're
destroyed but are insured. Odell
Berry and A. F. Sandford, rural let
ter carriers, each had machine de-
stroyed; the former insured the lat
ter uninsured. Other cars entirely
destroyed were those OF w. H. Fowler,
a Ford, insured; Alphonso Heselton,
insured; Archie Roderick. insured;
Kennebec Log Driving Co, Cadillac,
insured Clarence BARLEY, Jackman,
car insured; Henry Crowell, Ford, in
sured; E. j. Butler. insured; Oscar
Widder, Oldsmobile, uninsured; Fred
Mullen, DR.. A. B. Borden, two cars,
partly insured; Duplex Truck Co., one
five ton truck; two limousines, one
the property of Dr. Willard Bates.
who stored his car when called to
military service, and the other the
property of Mrs. Lucy Simpson of
New York; Earl Green, Hudson Su-
per-six; ]. H. Thomas, two cars, a
Paige, slightly damaged and Nyeburg
runabout, destroyed: Sherman Bean,
The Forks, Buick Six, totally destroy
ed.
Many attempts were made to get
the cars from the burning building.
Two young men entered the store
room and being familiar with cars
tried to get out the better ones but
to no avail. They couldn't be start
ed and were left to their fate. Moth
ing In the building was saved except
the auto mentioned, a few books in
the business office and some office
furniture.
Damage however was not confined
to the garage and ito contents. This
building was situated between many
other wooden framed structures and
1t seemed impossible that these build
ings could have been saved But
tley were and with slight damage.
two occasions the building In the