The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-17
TNE FIRE FIEND AGAIN.!
RUTLAND OPERA HOUSE IN
RUINS.
CADY'S CLOTHING STORE AND
HAYES HARNESS SHOP
DESTROYED.
Burnham & Temples In.
surance Agency Burned.
DUNN & CRAMTON'S BUILDING
CRUSHED by FALLING
WALLS.
Narrow Escapes From Death
Loss $4,000, INSUR-
ANCE $4,000.
"reminiscences of the Onera House
Narrow Escapes From Death.
LOSS $4,000, INSUR-
ANCE $4,000.
"reminiscences of the Opera House,
Its Observation-Disclosures of
Building, Etc, Etc.
tFrom Saturdays Third Edition. !

lFrom Saturdays Third Edition.
Another sad calamity has fallen to the
lot of Rutland in the destruction of its
most famous building. the Ripley Opera
House, the pride and ornament of the
town. The sounding of the fire alarm
whistle of the Rutland railroad shop and
the ringing of the bell of the Nickwacket
engine-house at ten minutes past four
o'clock this morning aroused our people to
the sad reality of the disaster that was
upon us.
The fire was found to be located in the
rear rooms of the second story of the Opera
House block, but the smoke was so dense
! at the time the fire department reached the
scene of the fire that it was difficult to tell
exactly where the flames were located, al
though they appeared to be in the room oc-
cupied by NJ. &. Hayes as a workshop.
Fire was at the same time issuing from the
room on the other side of the building,
which was used by ii. w. Kingsley as a
tailors workshop, he having moved his
main business to his new rooms on the east
side of Merchants Row but few DAYS ago.
Mr.. Kingsley loses about $1,000 in material
used in his shop and clothes made up for
his customers. We understand that he has
| no insurance.
The flames seemed to communicate to
all parts of the building and the depart
menf had tn -Hrht the demon in oil d-nn-
quantity OF combustibles, lin the scenery
and furniture, that it was utterly impossi-
BILE to make much Roadway toward stop
ping its spread, and as the building lowered
| skyward above any other building in the
place it presented Il terrible but magnti-
cent appearance as the flames leaped from
lhc upper part of the building
In the meantime the occupants of the
lower portion of the building were doing
all in their power to save their property.
The lower store rooms of the building
were occupied by w. p. Gladly, clothing,
who had stock on hand which he valued
at $1,000 and NJ. G. Hayes, harnesses,
trunks, etc Burnham & Temples insur-
ance rooms were on the second floor, di-
rectly over Cady's store.
W. =. Cady saved perhaps one-half of
his stock OF clothing and furnishing goods.
NJ G. Hayes saved nothing, as the chief
engineer ordered him not to enter his
store, as, if the doors were opened, draft
would be created, and thereby add to the
intensity of the fire. Mr. Hayes therefore
delivered his key to him to use as he
thought proper. The result was that Mr..
Hayes lost everything. He estimates his
stock on hand at from $12 200 to $4,000.
Burnham Il Temple saved their books,
but nothing else.
| Dunn ~ Cramton commenced to remove
their stock at an early hour, and succeeded
in removing almost everything from the
main retail store on the first floor. A large
lot of rags, ETC., stored in the upper room
could not be reached. When the
north wall of the Opera house Building
fell, it tumbled on to Dunn's block, crush
ing the roof, down through the three
stories into the cellar below, carrying
everything before it, and rags, sheep pelts,
lumber and brick formed general mix
ture.
Dunn e Cramton had stock on hand
estimated at 500, 900, with the insurance as
given in another place. They also, had
some thousand or fifteen hundred dollars
worth of stoves stored in the basement of
the Opera house building, on which there
was no insurance.
Had this conflagration occurred at time
when everything was dry and high wind
prevailing it is impossible to anticipate
when it would have been stopped, but IN
all probability the business part of Rutland
would now lie in ruins.
The cause OF the fire is at present un-
known.
Too much praise cannot be awarded to
our firemen for their conduct at this fire.
Through their united efforts much property
has been saved. The thanks of the citizens
of Rutland are due to the managers and en-
ployes of the Central Vermont railroad
company, for promptly sounding the
alarm whistle, and for the generous supply
of water furnished from their aqueduct
and their force pump.
Too much cannot be said in commenda-
daton for the gallant conduct of the ladies
who so kindly furnished coffee and other
refreshments for the tiremen after they had
the flames under control.
We heard of several narrow escapes at
the time the front wall fell, but we learn
of no serious injury being sustained by any
one, although ruaor was current that one
person was buried under the walls, but
this party we find to be ''all right" Two
or three persons made hasty exits from the
building jumping long distances. As we
write the steamer is still playing on the
ruins, although the fire is completely under
subsection.
Several of the business places on the east
side of Merchants Row are sufferers from
water and by their front windows being
broken by heat and careessness.
The Rutland comfy bank moved part OF
their cash, but will suffer but little loss.
The other occupant of the marble from,
block, which was next south of the Opera
House, l.. g. Kingsley, will suffer some
loss from the removal Of a part of theil
goods.
There were five harness makers in Mr.
Hayes shop who lost their entire stock OF
tools The foreman, Mr. Tibbctts, valued
his at SS5.
The Opera house is in utter ruins, moth.
being left standing but small portion OF
the front wall. The upper part of the
north wall fell early in The morning crush
ing through Dunn e. Cramton's block to
the cellar. A portion of the north and
west walls fell at noon.
The cornice of Ripley's marble block Is
cracked but otherwise is unInjured.
The walls of j. G. Dunn's block are