The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-16

the burning of its innammable contents
was intense. and when the walls fell hut
few minutes after tho first stream began to
play upon it, the whole neighborhood tor
a radius of thirty rods around, seemed to
burst forth in one simultaneous blaze.
Just NORTH
Of the rag shop was story and a half, AMI
the barn was filed with hay, which famed
up in an instant and the flying wisps of
burning hay lit roofs nearly a block away
With such lapidity did the fire spread
after IL was first discovered that two horses
in this barn were burned to death Eight
or ten engines in the first district were
speedily on the ground and most of them
took their stations on Clark street, when
Marshal Benncr attempted to check the
northern spread Of the flames. Engine No
and one other were stationed on Fourth
avenue, and vigorous fight with the de-
vouring foe was commenced. At this
point, 10 minutes after the first alarm, the
pine shanties stretching eastward towards
Fourth avenue were all in flames for near
ly half square.
At $40 o'clock, eleven minutes after the
first alarm, assistant Marshal Sweeney
turned on the second alarm, and the en-
gines from the greater part of the South
Division, and from several of the West Side
engine houses, were soon at the scene OF
the fire. The heat arising from that half
acre Of blazing pine shanties was terrible.
and the breeze stiffencd as the heat in
creased, bearing destruction to the dry
roofs that lay in the path of the destroyer
for rods ahead.
A LARGE PART
of the augmented fire force was cOnccn-
trated on Fourth avenue, half way between
Taylor and Twelfth streets, where they
worked with terrible energy to stay the
progress of the advancing enemy. In
twenty minutes after the first alarm the
roofs of the buildings on Fourth avenue
were all a fire for width Of 4 dozen build
ings north of No. 2S5.
At Adj o'clock, eleven minutes after the
second alarm,
a GENERAL ALARM
was sounded by the Assistant Marshal.
This last warning brought to the depot the
entire fire department of the city. At the
81. g La, p;. IL,
engines were at Il small fire on the corner
of Ashland and TWenty-seventh street, aud
they were thus retarded by it nearly half
an hour. In less than half an hour tie en-
gincs that were posted on Fourth avenue
were compelled to retreat, and all succeed
ed in getting away except Engine company
No. 81, who delayed minute too long,
aud the the flames bursting upon them
before they had attached their horses to the
engine, they were compelled to abandon
it and the handsome steamer was warped
and twisted into mass Of iron and stee
and half melted in the fiery furnace. The
fire had swept diagonally across the block
to the corner of Taylor street and Fourth
avenue, and was rapidly eating its way
through the remainder of the blocks front
ng on Clark and Taylor streets. The
marshal stationed number of engines
on Clark street, and every possible
effort was made to stay the northern
PROGRESS OF FLAMES
along that thoroughfare, but the shanties
from which poured a swarm Of fallel
women, laden down with wardrobes anC
furniture were ripe tor destruction, an(
no sooner had torrents of water eXtin
gushed the fire III once building than Tho
roofs of finder boxes still further to the
north, would burst into flame.
But most of the marshal's attention was
directed to the front of the fire, and every
energy was eXerted to stay its eastward
march. At the corner of Taylor stree
and Fourth avenue large amount of host
was concentrated and every effort made tC
keep the fire on the west side of the avenue
but the driving wing was laden with burn
ing brands which lit on roofs bcJond and
kindlcd them in an instant
THE oiIvEr BAPTIST CHURCH
was the first building to 20 on the east side
of the avenue In little over an hou
after the first alarm of fire, 1t had swep
over space between Clark street ant
Third avenue, and had reached Polk stree
| on the north