Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-01-21
FIRE AT

We have to record another signal triumph
Of our Fine department. The workinen in
entering t'r g~rist-mill attached to the ex-
tensiyc FlJuring Mills of II. W. Cutlin, at
''The Falls, about half past six O'Clock
on the 18th, discovered fire in active progress
in the lower story of the grist-mill. The
alarm was given. and the inhabitants of the
place aud the ~workmcn in the Factories
hast,nod to the SPOT, and for a few m0ments
checked somewhat the spread Of the
flames, with water thrown on with buckets.
Tho fire, however, spread rapidly filled the
gristmill. burst from its roof and front drove
its opponents before it, seemed about to ssize
upon the large wooden ivc-story Touring
mill, To which tn grist-mill forms n wing,
and the total destruction Of the whole con-
Germ mi2ht well have seemed inevita bic to
any one who was not aware how fire is fought
in these parts. But in the meantime the
alarm had been given in Burlington, and in
Msrfy.fre minutes from the departure of
the messenger who carried the alarm,
the Engines made their appearance
in the scene. the Volunteer arriving
first the Allen No. i next, and the Boxer
No. 3 and Hook Il Ladders following closely
behind.
No. As Hose Cart preceded the Engine, and
before the arrival of the latter, the hose was
laid ard a hole cut in the ice of the river.
50 that in an incredibly short time after the
arrival of the Ethan, an inch and a quarter
stream was doing tremendous execution on
the fire. The Boxers also got to work with
surprising celebrity, and threw two streams
for nearly two hours-one from the ground
and another from the second story Of the
Touring mill. The Volunteers after playing
in front for a while, moved round to the
north of the mill, upon the ice above the
dam. and calamity and pcrseveringly
attacked the flames from the rear;
and to sum UP the whole story, after a hard
Touring mill was saved the fire was cx-
tinguished in the wing where it took and
even a considerable portion Of the lower part
of the gristmill rescued from destruction. 1t
was one of the most successful contests with
tie devouring element that we ever witness
ed. Its result is due to the abundance of
water; to the stiffness Of the air; to the aston
ishing a~lacrity with which the engines were
on the spot and to the energy with which
our tiremen, though cheat out by q run Of
over a mile, addressed themselves to their
work. They were, Of course, ably seconded
by the inhabitants of Winooski village. and
till the fire was out, not a stream stopped
from either of the engines, except to change
hose.
The ladders Of the Hook & Ladder Co..
were in constant use, and were of great ser
vice. The operations of the fire department
were most efficiently directed hy Chief
Engineer Huntington and Asst Engineer
Davis, who took control by general consent
(the fire being beyond the limits Of the Fire
District). The Boxer boys in tn absence Of
Capt. Chaffee, were capitally commanded by
Asst Foreman Tyler. Capt. Peck. as usual.
was at the post which he so admirably fills,
on the Ethan Allen.
The gristmill contained somewhere from
500 to 1000 bushels of grain, of different
kinds, of which but little was saved. Mr..
Catlin's desk, containing valuable papers,
was in a corner of the gristmill which the
fire had not time TO reach, and was saved.
Considerable -four and portions of the ma
chinery were removed from the h)uring
mill, which was tolerably well wet down,
but was not injured by fire. We learn that
there was an insurance of 900 on the Grist-
mill, which will fully cover the damage to
it. The larger building was insured for
Sli 900 and is valued at about S25, 900.
The fire is supposed to have originated
from friction of the machinery the evening
previous, or possibly from the machinery
getting started in some unknown way in the