Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-06-28
B u i T. I IL g u o Ir
FRIDAY ORNING, JUNE %


We to-day publish the proceedings Of he
county convention. The assembage, we
are told, was very large--every town in
The county being represented. Great
nnanimliy and good feeling prevailed
throughout, while all seemed suitably I'm.
pressed with he importance Of united and
rigorous action. So far as we are enabled
to gather public sentiment, the nomination
gives general satisfaction and will be very
cordially supported. Messrs. Clark and
Marsh are men of good taIents-of and
from the people-engaged in the active
business Of the day-and too well known
and appreciated by the people of Chltten.
den county to need an euIogy from US.
'Our holy and our heauiGl house, where our
fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire and
all our pleasant things are laid waste"
We are again called upon to chronicle
one OF those disastrous confagratlcns that
have crow ded "pon us in such rapid and
alarming succession The past wear /; and
what is most painful Of all ls, he irre-isll.
BILE conviction that IN this instance at least.
The torch of the lncendlary has been ap.
pl'd. We alIude to the burning OF the
Congregational Church on Sunday morning
last, The alarm was given about three
o'clock ard the citizens and engine com.
panles were promptly on the ground II
was however of no avail. Within one
hour The entire edl6ce, with most Of is
valuable contents, was q heap of smoking
runs. The fire appears to have been m
died near the roof, 10 the stairway leading
to the bell deck, ard when discovered wa
just bursting through the belIfry. Almost
In,tantaneously the dome was inveloped
IN flame. and the upper portion Of the
steeple literally wrealhed with garland OF
fire, ut up the overbangrng clouds and sur
rounding G loom with an awful grandeur
seldom witnessed. Very shortly the sup
porting tlmbers gave way, and the s,eeple
almost entire. fell with Tremendous
crash upon he roof, carrying with it the
rahers, chimney, &c. into The body OF the
church, Although several were in the
building at the time, no one, we believe
was injured,
This was wood building. and erected
about 1879. 1t had however recently been
thoroughly repaired aud underlined in its
'nterna' arrangement, and in its furniture
and fixtures was probably second TO nc
church IN the State. The organ, which
was presented to the society two yeas
since by Deac. Hlckok, cost about $1,000
and was esteemed a very superior nstru.
mrnt--no part Of which was saved The
entire loss cannot be less than $40 900
and we regret to add, there was no insu
rance.
A meeting was organized upon the spot
and committee appointed to investigate
the circumstances of the fire, with authori
~ to offer reward of $1,000, which wa.
promptly subscribed The committee have
moi yet reported but are perseveringly en-
gagged in their labors, and with some pros
pect Of good success, as we have goot
reason 10 believe. 1t must be so. n,
individual, solitary and alone, ever perpe
trated the act and It is not in the powe
of two or more hearts OF flesh to keep sucI
a secret.
The most singular circumstance conucc
ted with the late fire is, that the bell o
that church was the first 10 give the alarm
There il little doubt that the wretch VIII