The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-01-24

The Hotel Oxford hre was nara
one to fight. 1t had its origin in the
basement of the Frank W. Buchanan
drug store on the east side of the Ho-
tel oxford Block The cause will
probably never be known, but 1t Is
presumed spontaneous combustion
was responsible. There was no
heater In that part of the structure
and Mr.. Bucknams basement was
kept In unusually fine order. Di-
rectly over the Bucknam store were
the dental offices of DR.. F. o. Sawyer
on the front and in the rear two suites
of rooms. These were occupied by
John l.. Fish of the Independent-Re-
porter and James Rice of the Show
hogan Paper Company. Mr. Rice
was In Bangor at the time.
The fire was evidently first discoy-
cred by Mr. Fish who was in the an
mex OF the hotel building where the
fire started on the second floor alone.
He had been asleep about one hour
when he was awakened and at first
was unable to ascertain what the
trouble was He finally pulled on an
electric light and found the room well
filed with smoke. He started for
the sitting room of his apartment to
procure some of his belongings, but
the smoke In that room was so dense
that he dared not venture into 1t. He
then unfastened the door into the
outer corridor which was likewise
dense with smoke, but succeeded in
cropping his way over the stairs into
the street, without shoes or stockings,
and otherwise scantily clad. In the
meantime, Herbert Young, night clerk
at the Oxford had gone into the laun-
dry on the east side of the hotel pro-
per and discovered smoke pouring in
to the structure. He called the Night
Waterman David Withee, who pulled
In the alarm. The alarm began TO
sound, as Mr.. Fish was abandoning
his rooms The hotel was filled with
guests, large percentage of them
being travelling statesmen, and as the
fire was at that time confined mostly
to the annex, they had time to leave
their rooms and collect their belong
ings. Later permanent guests in the
hotel proper, and Landlord Hanson,
his family and employees, were able
to move practically all of their be-
longings into the street, altho no fur
niture was taken out.
The flames pushed through from the
basement and the Buchanan drug
store to the Offices of DR.. Sawyer and
thence on to the third floor, which
was connected with the hotel by wide
corridors. There was fire sufficient
on that floor to let one of the bath
tubs through the flooring before 1t
was controlled and rooms in the east
were badly damaged. Rooms on the
extreme west of the building were not
badly damaged except by smoke.
The kitchen and dining room were in
good condition and breakfast was
served as usual there the morning Of
the fire and guests have since been
Accommodated there continuously.
Directly under the main part OF the
Oxford was the Atkinson Bakery,
which was damaged by fire, water and
smoke to the extent Of $4,000.
The other store under the Oxford
which was vacant was scarcely dam
aged. That had never been repaired
since the fire of October q the occu-
pant at that time having been James
Mallios. 1t is understood that NAL
los insurance has not yet been adj
justed
The owners of the building are DR..
A. B. Borden and Susman Russakof.
Their loss Is estimated at $4,000.
The Oxford property has been twice
before burned even more seriously as
a whole than on this occasion. 1t
was somewhat damaged by fire late
last fall, but the flames were at that
time mainly confined to the bakery
and store on the first floor. Mr..
Buchanan, has twice before been
entirely burned out
FIRE AT FIR. LACROIX
Thursday forenoon after the all
out alarm had been sounded for the
Hotel Oxford fire the chemical was
called to the residence of FIR. o. A.
Lacrolx, formerly the Neil homestead
on Neil Hill. This apparently had its
origin from the chimney in the center
of the house. Miss Vera McCoombs,'
sustained heavy loss, all her cloth
ing being burned and the furnishings
of the room destroyed. The rooms