Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-24
Block in Flames;
Occupants Asleep

An alarm from box 123, situated In
the center of the business portion
Of the city, called the fire department
out at 1.30 Wednesday morning for a
blaze at the Dickinson block on TEN
pie street at the corner of Charles,
At first it looked as il the firemen
, had stubborn blaze on their hands.
! but in about an hour the about sig
nal rang.
The fire was discovered by Patrol
man Lambert who had just rung in
his box at Center and Main streets
and while walking down Main street
towards Temple, began to smell
smoke. Making hurried investiga
ton Mr.. Lambert discovered smoke
issuing from the roof OF the Dickin
son block aroun dthe corner. With
rare presence of mind. knowing that
the second and third floors of the
block are used as rooming house.
Mr.. Lambert rushed across the street
and into the house. Dashing up the
two flights of stairs, he knocked on
the doors of all the rooms arousins
the sleeping inmates and then ran
across to the corner of Temple and
Main street and rung in the alarm.
BY that time tongue of flame was
streaming up through the center of
the roof and it looked as if the build :
ing was doomed.
Mrs. f. +. Linscott, who has re-
! Gently leased the two upper floors
and had people in several rooms was
awakened from sleep and ran out on
to the street crying for help. She
seemed somewhat bewildered and had
thrown her coat over her night
clothes when she ran out of the
house. She was seen by Hugh Pat
terson of the Direct Importing COM
nanH. who went to her aid and took
her to the home of Mrs. Evie McKen-
ney over Graigs grocery store. Mrs.
Linscott was quite overcome at her
i'll fortune as she had Just moved in
a few days ago and had cleaned and
furnished several rooms which she
had rented to transient patrons.
Everything in the house was satur-
ated and blackened by the smoke
from the fire.
Three lines Of hose We're laid, but
the smoke was so heavy that it baf-
fed the attempts Of the fremen for
time to penetrate its depths and
enter the house. One line was at last
carried up to the third floor and the
building received a pretty good wet
ting down, where the fire was heav-
lest.
It was discovered that the fire
strated in a closet on the third floor
as the inside was thoroughly charred
and the ceiling burned through, the
fire following up to the roof. How
the fire started is a mystery. Mrs.
Linscott stated that the closet door
had been locked until Tuesday and
there was nothing inside the closet
except some spare stove funnel
lengths, an iron bedstead and small
box in which were stored some iron
parts of a stove--nothing apparently
to invite blaze s. A. Dickinson,
who owns the block and conducts a
harness shop on the first floor on
Charles street. said that someone
might have been searching for some
thing to burn and dropped a match
which caused the blaze.
Mr.. Dickinson. who owns the block
said that he could note estimate his
loss but his damages were covered by
insurance. The only other occupant
Of the block Is John Withee. who
conducts a grocery store. Mr.. Withee
says that he was not damaged unless
by smoke and feels sure that even
the smoke did not harm his goods.