Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-04-14
GILMAN BLOCK
D e S troye d By Fire
Early Tuesday
Harris the Baker Suffers $4,000
Loss Due to Storehouse Damages
Source Of Fire Which Started in
Domestic Bakery a Mystery

Loss Due to storehouse Damages
Source Of Fire Which Started in
Domestic Bakery a Mystery
The old Gilman block. fronting on
Charles street and running back
several hundred feet behind the
buildings fronting on Temple street,
was completely destroyed Tuesday
morning whena two-alarm fire
which started in the kitchen Of the
Domestic bakery, which is located in
the rear of the block, swept from one
end to the other of the old building
and threatened destruction to the
entire NUMBER of business buildings
on Temple street located between
Charles street and the Congregation
al church.
The alarm was sounded shortly
before 2 o'clock. being rung in by
Joseph D. Loughran, who carries on
a second hand business in the front
part of the Gilman block and also
occupies a room in the same struct-
ure. Mr.. Loughran was awakened
by a choking sensation and discov-
ering his room full of smoke he
donned some clothes as quickly as
possible and ran to the fire box at
the corner of Temple and Main
streets and pulled in the alarm. Of
ficer Napoleon Butler had passed the
Domestic bakery a few minutes be-
fore and there had been no sign of
fire. He continued on his beat down
Temple street and around the square
and when he came out to Main
street again he saw the flames il
Eliminating the sky. He started for
the box but was beaten to it by a
few seconds. officer Roy, who saw
the fire at about the same time hast
ened to awaken the people occupy
ing apartments in the Dickinson
block and the Clark boarding house
and other tenements along the
streets.
The fire was an exceedingly hard
one to fight as the Gilman block is
within a few feet of the rear OF the
business blocks along Temple street
and the old structure burned like
tinder The wind from the cast
made it difficult to keep the flames
from catching the surrounding
buildings and the back end OF the
Maine Tobacco store. which is To-
Gated in the other half Of the build
ing with the Domestic bakery, was
badly scorched. A second alarm was
rune in soon after the fire depart
ment arrived on the spot, as the
flames had gained such Roadway and
the danger was SO imminent OF the
destruction of other buildings.
Eight streams of water played upon
the fire and only fine handling of the
situation coupled with strenuous e1-
forts kept the blaze from spreading
Assistant Fire Chief Luke lvers was
in charge of the fire, Chief w. w.
Berry being out of town.
The fire is said to have caught IN
the kitchen of the Domestic bakery
but from what source is {. mystery.
There were no fires about the build
ing except in the ovens which were
banked for the night. Mr.. Harris
was asked about the possibility OF
gas being the cause OF the hre ou.
said that there was no gas about the
place that could have caused 1t. HIS
only explanation OF it was the pos
sibility that some one had broken IN
and in some way started . blaze. He
referred to the time about year ago
when entering the sales room or the
bakery late one night, he was ac-
tually on the heels of a retreatins
party who scattered coins over the
floor as they fed from the building to
escape detection.
Mr. Harris is the heaviest loser
from the fire as he had large guam
tity of -four and sugar in his store
house which was a part of the burn
ed structure. The front Fart Of the
shop was not damaged except slight
ly from water and smoke and the
furnishings are intact. He estim-
ates his loss in the neighborhood OF
$4,000 to $4,000. His kitchen was
supplied with The most modern
equipment of his trade, which was a
total loss. He is uncertain as to his
future plans for it is difficult to OBJ
tain a new location and takes long
The stock of J. D. Loughran was
somewhat damaged by water> and
smoke. A singular circumstance III
regard to the fire was that Mr.. Lou
ghran's personal clothing which huns
in a closet in the building was found
intact during the day Tuesday, with
out having been even wet.
The all out signal was rung after
o'clock in the morning but firemen
kept at work on the smoulderins
ruins nearly alt day yesterday. The
south wall of the Gilman block which
was in a dangerous condition was
pulled down by firemen in the after
noon.
The old block. which belongs to the
Gilman heirs, has been an unsightly
landmark for many years. There
were formerly two Of them, but one