Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-05
$4,000 FIRE
Early Thursday Morn
ing in WinslOw

teSSU4 az - - 49, S~SNVJ
ing in Winslow
Larss Planning Mill os Proctor 4
Bowie Hardware Co. Completely
Dsstroysd-eiaze Fought by Fire.
men in Faes Explosion Menace
Fire in Winslow Thursday morn
Ing at AS completely destroyed the
large planning mill Of the Proctor &
Bowie Hardware Co. and the Gulf
Refining Cos. plant, entailing a prop
erty loss Of approximately $4,000.
The IRE was highly spectacular and
was attended with considerable dan
ger to the fremen, numerous small
explosions occurring in the Refining
Cos. plant and the danger Of explo-
sion Of the big storage tanks being
also a menace.
A. C. Dudley, clerk Of the Gulf Re
fining Co.. with Alfred Libbey. were
working all night pumping out q
tank car Of gasoline on the side
track close to the Refining Co.'S. main
building and had Just completed their
work when a light was noticed in
the rear Of the Proctor & Bowie mill.
Hastily. investigating, flames were
discovered around the stove in the
back Of the mill and creeping up the
petitions.
Mr.. Libbey ran to the nearest fire
alarm box and pulled in an alarm.
After several attempts he ran to an
other box which he pulled in. and
got no response. Mr.. Dudley endeav-
ored to reach the IRE chief Of Wins
low by phone. Being unable to do
this, he 'phoned the Waterville Gen.
tral fire station. who got in touch
with Chief w. W. Berry, who re-
sponded with the auto chemical and
hose truck to investigate. The call
not being from an official source.
no alarm was sounded in Waterville
other than one blast on the IRE whis-
tie.
Upon arriving at the fire Chief
Berry at once recognized that his
work was cut out and would have to
be done quickly to save the big tanks
from exploding. The Winslow de-
partment, with what men could be
called laid two lines Of hose and the
Waterville department one line. and
all efforts we're directed to keep the
large tanks. containing about $4,000
gallons Of gasoline and 10000 gal
Ions Of kerosene from exploding, the
valves being open. connecting with
the pipes through the main building,
which was fast becoming seething
furnace Of flames. Much credit Is
due Mr.. Dudley, who was cool and
collected throughout the fire and d.
rected and informed the firehen the
many locations Of danger.
Chief Berry directed two streams
onto the end of the Refining Co.'S
building while Mr.. Dudley ascended
some burning steps onto platform
and closed the valves leading from
the large tanks out to the pumps. Mr.
Dudley realized that when the pumps
exploded there would be nothing to
prevent the gasoline and kerosene
! from flowing out into the street, and
the fire would quickly spread to a
number of dwellings, close by.
The failure Of the winslow fire
alarm to work and the absence OF
! the Winslow auto hose truck, fhich
was in Waterville being repaired,
| contributed in large measure to the
| big start the flames had when wa
ter was finally turned on, some 30 or
40 minutes after the fire was discov-
cred. It has long been a contention
| Of the Watsrville and Winslow nre-
men that the fire alarm system in
Winslow should be made part OF
| the Waterville system. so that the
Winelow firemen, hearing the whistle
| in Wateryille, could respond to any
| fire in Wtnslow from any place they
happened to be and with the aid of
auxiliary, tappers placed in their
| homes they would be sure of getting
any alarm that occurred in the night.
Had Waterville's department been
called by a regular box alarm when
! the fire was first discovered there is
but little doubt but that the Gulf Re-
and the property loss Of the PROCTOR
Bowie Co. greatly diminished.
Messrs. Hilton and Choate Of the
| Proctor-Bowie Co. expressed to the
Journal reporter their appreciation
Of the work of Chief Berry, who
! worked with quickness and handled
the situation SO we'll. Chief Clapp of
the Winslow department was handi-
capped in not getting the alarm and
no blame is attached to him, as ne
was on the spot as early as was pos
| eible and did all IN his .,vweer to
help out.
In the early stages Of the fire be-
fore the arrival Of the department
Mr. Dudley with the aid Of Mr.. Lib
bey succeeded in leading out the VAL
liable truck horses from the Gulf Re-
fininE Cos. stable ana the trucks,
harnesses. sleds, ETC., were removed
from the yard.
While the IRE was at its height,
two cars. one a box car and the emp
ty tank car. sitting on the side track
were In danger Of catching fire and
the tank car which had just been
emptied being filled with gas, was in
danger Of exploding. The morning
passenger train for Portland was
tagged by Chief Berry. who ordered
the conductor to run in on the siding
and switch both cars out Of danger.
This was done and the firemen
breathed easier.
Two large transformers on the
poles near the Refining Co.'S. main
building. the property of the Central
Maine Power Co.. were badly damag-
ed. and also the wiring. In tho early
stages OF the fire linemen cut the
wires 50 that there would be no dan
ger from them.
The Proctor & Bowie Co. estimate