St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-03-01
st. ;suhnsburp Galedonlan.


a place of safety. Vehicles of all de
scriptionS were hurrying two ANA no
some laden with trunks ana hllil''l'N;
and Others seeking similar loads. ana
Immediately finding them. the "rlE'iA
making more money III one h"''l '"',''
they used to see in Il week OF Hl"Il'h'
Every body in this quarter was hurry M
tovard the lake shore. MI I'll" streets
crossing that part of Michigan avenue
which fronts on the lake tom which my
own residence stnodD, wee crowded
with fugitiveS. Fastening toward the
blessed water.
What happened at the Tribune build
inc has already been told III your col
MINIS We saw the tall buildings ON
the opposite sides of the tw" streets
melt down without searching ours. he
heat broke the platc-gia~- windows III
the lower stories. but not in the upper
ones. After the tire i'll our ncI9hh"I,
hood had spent its force the editorial
and comprising rooms dld NOT eve"
smell of smoke. Several "f "Il hi,'\r
fellows who had been up all nIGhl ii.i"
gone to sleep on the lounges WINE
others were at the sink washing lh'Ir
faces, surprising that all danger I" US
had passed. 80 | supposed. an" III illlN
belief went home to breakfast. ne
smoke To the uorthward was :" dense
that w. could not see the north dINi-
sion. where sixty thousand people wcr"
hyinr i'm mortal terror before the flames.
The immense store of Field, Letter y
Co. | observed to hr under Il shower of
water from their own fire apparatus.
and since the First National Bank, IL
fire proof building. protected it on one
corner, concluded that the progress oi
the flames in that direction was stop
ped. as the Tribune building had stop
ped it where we were. Here ut least, !
thought was 1t saving of twenty mil
lions of property. including the great
Central depot and the two grain cleva-
tors adjoining. effected by two "r thrc"
buildings which had been erected with
Il view to such emergencies. The post
office and cuStom-housc building (al>"
fire proof, according t" public rum"r)
had stopped the flames Il little further
to the southwest. although the interior
of that structure was burning. y
straight line drawn northeast from the
post office would nearly touch the
Tribune. First National Bank, Field,
Letter a I -. - >lplf. anu NV
Central railroad land department, AN
other tire-prooi. Everything east OF
that line seemed perfectly safe. And
with this feeling | went home To break
fast.
There was still mass of fire to the
southwest, in the direction whence II
originally came, but us the engine
were all down there, and the buildings
small and low, felt sure that the fire
men would manage it. As soon as
had swallowed Il cup of coffee and com
municated to my family the facts that
| had gathered started out To see til,
end of the battle. Reaching stat,
street glanced down to Field, Letter
X Co.'S store, and to my surprise motto
ed that the streams of water which HAD
before been Slowcring it as though il
had been IL great artificial fountain, had
ceased To run. But did not cnuicc-
ture the awful reality. VIZ: that TIA,
great pumping engines had been dis
abled by Il burning roof falling upon
them. thought that perhaps the tire
men on the store had discontinued
their efforts hcrIIISr the danger VA,
over. But why were men carrying ont
goods from the lower story! The query
was soon answered 10y Il gentleman
who asked me if had heard that tn,
water had stopped, The awful trutl
was here, The pumping engines were
disabled. and though We had ut ON
feet Il basin sixty miles wide 10y tlIrc,
hundred and sixty long. and seven hun
drcd feet deep. all full of clear greer
water, we could not lift enough Il
quemch cooking stove. Still the iii
rection of the wind WAS such that
thought the remaining fire would mo-
cross State street. non reach the resi-
dcnccS on Wabash and Michigan
avenues and the terrified people on til,
lake shore. determined to 90 dow
to the black cloud of smoke which Wa
rising away to the southwest. the coIIl>,
of which could not Ice discovered on ac
count of the light of the ihtcrvcmim.
buildings, hut thought it most prrldcm
to go home again and tell my wifi, t,
get the family wearing apparel in read
mess for moving. | found HAT she ha'
already done 50. | then hurried tow AZ,
the black cloud, some ten squares dis
tant. and there found the rows of " cod
en- houses ON Third and Fourth avenue
falling like ripe wheat before i reaper
AT Il glance | perceived that all Wa
lost in our quarter of the city. and | con
icctured that the Tribune building WI
doomed too, for had noticed with con
sternatiun that the fire proof post utlic,
had been completely Quilted. notWiih
standing it was detached from "thc
buildings The Tribune MAS fitted int,
Il niche, one side of which consisted q
,Ihnl.S.,l,. II,
other of Mc\ ickcr'S Theatre. liut thea,
was now no time to think of pIoprrtN
Life WAS in danger. The lives of thuS,
most dear to me depended upon then
getting out of our house. ont of on
street, through an Internal gorge "
horses. wagons. men. women. children
trunks and plumber.
My brother WAS with me. aud W,
seized the first empty wagon We coul,
find, pinnimg the horse 10y the head. :
hasty talk with the driver disclose,
that we could have his establishment
for one load for 80. With some ditii
Guilty we reached our house. and in les
time than We ever sci out on Il iuuInc,
before, We dragged seven trunks. foul
bundles, four valisrs, two baskets an,
one hamper of provisions into the stree
and piled them on the wagon. The liz,
was still more than Il quarter of Il mil,
distant, and the wind, which WAS in
creasing i'll violence, was driving it n"
exactly in our direction. The low
wooden houses were nearly all gone
and after that the fire must make pro
greSs, If AT all, against brick and stone
Several churches of massive architcc
ture were between lis and harm. and tin
great Palmer House had not been reach
ed, and might not he if the iircmcn. VIII,
had now got their hose into the lake
could work efficiently i'll the rvcr-im