Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-09-01
A Summer Visitor
Sees Country Village Fire

The many campers and other sum
mer visitors in and near Mount Vernon
We're the witnesses Of scene not
down on their vacation programs last
Saturday night. Aug. 26.
This little village is beautifully and
picturesquely situated at the head
Of one Of those charming lakes
for which this section of the State
cd TO adorn it with an Indian name
-"Minnehonk" without success 5,
and it is still known as the .EH-
lase Pond A century ago the village
was called 'Whitcher's" Mills, a cor
ruption Of yhe name Whittier. In TIC
years that are past trout of incredible
size have been taken from its cool
depths, and even at this late date. tne
is occasionally found and captured.
The night was exceedingly dark and
rain was falling. Nothing but neces-
sity could have tempted ono to venture
forth from his cheerfully lighted home
into the inky darkness. At about IL
O'Clock an ominous sound broke the
stillness-it was the peals or the
church bells. and soon the cry of
ere" arose from the streets. y was
only a moment later that central sent
over the telephone wires the fire alarm
call--two long and two short rings.
This call. repeated again and again;
reached the surrounding towns Of
Readfeld. Vienna, Rome, Belgrade and
~
The fire started in garage on the
main street. on the water side, and in
about the center OF the business por-
tion. The opposite side of the street
was occupied mostly by residences.
All of the buildings were Of wood. The
infammable character of the contents
of the garage caused the flames to
make Roadway with terrifying rapid
~. The streets which. = few moments
before, had been in darkness were now
bright and from their houses and in
various hahiliments poured forth the
terrified villagers. who at once began
feeble and hopeless effort to check
the flames. They had no fire-fghting
apparatus: not even a chemical engine.
They might as well have tried to stop
the rising of the tide or the progress
Of a storm. Now the fire-king. drunk
with victory. began to devour the adj
joining building on the west, and
threatened to leap across an open
space to the building on the east. 1t
sent great. leaping pillows of flame Up,
up to meet the low-hung clouds. and
its first soft notes changed to the an
CRY roar of a tempest. that drowned
the sound of human voices. The
flames shed a rosy light on the bosom
of the lake climbed the surrounding
hills and made every house, tree and
shrub in the village put on an unearth-
ly hue. High above the swirling flames
one caught glimpses of flocks of
frightened birds moving in great
circles and from whose wings and
breasts was reflected the same rosy
light that now seemed to tinge every
thing in the heavens above and the
earth below. Blazing shingles and
other infiammable material were car
ried by the tremendous current of hot
air high above the village, like mount
ing stars that finally grew faint and
disappeared in the clouds.
Thus 10. Is. 90 minutes passed and
no outside help came. To the fright
ened villagers who watched the relent-
seemed like hours. and some began to
fear that their friends did not care If
they perished. Already the fire-king.
which had been steadily eating his
way to the west, now made good it's
threat 70 leap scross tbs open space 70